Church of the Madalene sits at 3188 East 22nd Street in midtown Tulsa, a few blocks from the old Christ the King parish that gave it life in 1946. From its founding through eight pastors and four deacons, the parish has kept a distinctive profile: a sanctuary built of Tennessee sandstone by a parishioner bricklayer, a Wednesday evening Mass celebrated partly in Latin long before such things were common, a faith formation program built around the family table rather than the Sunday classroom alone, and a Mother's Day Out that has welcomed small children of the neighborhood for years. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Tulsa and follows the ordinary Roman Catholic rite.
A Parish Born from Christ the King in 1946
In the spring of 1946, Christ the King Parish purchased land next to a golf course and over a coal mine on the east side of Tulsa and used it to carve out a new community of faith. The first home for the parish was a single room that later became the school cafeteria, serving an initial flock of about one hundred families. In 1948, 1949, and 1953, more classrooms and the main church were added. Bishop Eugene J. McGuinn formally dedicated the new sanctuary on December 10, 1953.
The name came from the French form of Saint Mary Magdalene, and the building carried marks of the parish that built it. Architect David G. Murry designed the church, which was one of the first air-conditioned churches in Oklahoma. The exterior is red brick with Tennessee sandstone, the sandstone laid by parishioner Earl Neely himself. Father Walsch crafted a crucifix from native clay formed on the parish grounds, and a parishioner named Mrs. Weigl designed the Stations of the Cross, baking them in her own home oven. Those details remain part of what makes the parish its own place.
The first pastor was Reverend James McNamee, who had come to the United States from Ireland at nineteen and been ordained at twenty-three. Father Mac was known as a forward-thinking priest: he advocated the liturgy in the vernacular years before the Second Vatican Council made that the norm. A parish school opened in 1948, staffed largely by the Benedictine Sisters, and at its peak held about four hundred children in eight grades under six teaching sisters and two lay teachers. Financial pressure to maintain state accreditation forced the school to close in 1970 after twenty-two years, but the parish itself continued.
The succession of pastors
Eight pastors have shepherded the parish since 1947. After Father McNamee (1947 to 1968) came Reverend John J. Sullivan (1968 to 1972), Monsignor Cecil E. Finn (1972 to 1988), Reverend Daniel A. Perlinski (1988 to 1996), Auxiliary Bishop Daniel H. Mueggenborg (1996 to 2001), Reverend Jack A. Gleason (2001 to 2011), Reverend Bryan Brooks (2011 to 2018), and the present pastor, Reverend Desmond Okpogba, who began his assignment in 2018. Associate pastors and deacons have come and gone alongside them; today the parish is served by Father Okpogba, Deacons Nelson Sousa and Kevin Stephenson, with Deacon Robert DeWeese listed as retired.
Mass Times, Confession, and the Wednesday Latin Mass
The parish offers Mass every day of the week. On weekends, the Saturday Vigil Mass is celebrated at 5:30 PM and two Sunday Masses are offered at 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM. During the week, Mass is offered Tuesday at 8:00 AM, Wednesday at 6:00 PM, Thursday at 8:00 AM, Friday at 8:00 AM, and Saturday at 8:00 AM. The Wednesday evening Mass is celebrated in a Latin and English form, a holdover from the parish's long familiarity with the older Roman liturgy.
Confession is heard on Wednesday at 5:00 PM and Saturday at 4:00 PM. Eucharistic Adoration takes place in the church on Fridays from 6:00 to 7:00 PM, and the chapel hosts a separate weekly hour of Family Eucharistic Adoration on Wednesdays from 4:00 to 5:00 PM, with prayerful music, short scripture readings, petitionary prayer, and periods of silence.
Mass is livestreamed on the parish YouTube channel so that those who cannot be present can follow along with the parish at home or catch up on recent services.
Family Faith Formation: Parents as the First Catechists
Faith formation at the Madalene is organized around the conviction that parents are the first and foremost educators of their children. The Family Faith Formation program, led by Director Haley Grant, offers Religious Education classes for children from Pre-K through eleventh grade that meet weekly after the 10:00 AM Mass, beginning the Sunday after Labor Day. Information is sent home each week so the lessons move from the classroom into family conversation.
Once a month, the parish practices Whole Family Catechesis. Parents are invited into the classroom on the last Sunday of each month to work with their children on an activity built around the current learning concept of their grade level. Other regular practices include the Family Rosary for Discernment, in which a different family each week prays the rosary together for vocations, and Family Eucharistic Adoration in the chapel on Wednesdays from 4:00 to 5:00 PM. The parish cites research from Dr. Christian Smith of Notre Dame showing that teens whose parents made faith part of home life are far more likely to remain religious as young adults, and frames its work as helping parents already succeed at the job they have.
The parish also offers Adaptive Catechesis for children ages three through twelfth grade who live with disabilities, welcoming full participation in sacramental preparation and parish life. The Special Needs Ministry reaches out to families touched by disability of any kind.
Sacraments: The Seven Signs of Christ's Grace
The seven sacraments are a fundamental part of Catholic life at the Madalene. The parish teaches, in the words of its sacramental catechesis, that the sacraments are outward signs instituted by Christ to give grace - signs through which ordinary matter and human words become the carriers of divine life. The parish celebrates all seven: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Reconciliation (Confession), Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony, and offers Restored Order preparation for those receiving the sacraments in their canonical sequence.
Baptism is offered to infants whose parents are practicing Catholics and members of the parish, with at least one Catholic parent and at least one Catholic godparent who is confirmed and at least sixteen years old. Older children and adults prepare through OCIA, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (formerly RCIA), which the parish runs as a year-round journey into the Catholic faith, suitable for the unbaptized, Christians from other traditions, and Catholics seeking full initiation. Catechumens gather weekly in OCIA sessions, with Father Okpogba and lay catechist Chris King as the parish contacts.
Marriage preparation follows the Diocese of Tulsa's norms: at least six months of notice, the FOCCUS inventory, attendance at a Pre Cana class or Engaged Encounter Retreat, and Natural Family Planning classes. Weddings may be celebrated in the main church, which seats 450, or in the chapel, which seats 50, with the parish musicians and cantor covered by the standard fees.
Children, Youth, and Mother's Day Out
The parish has a long-running Mother's Day Out program directed by Bethany Meyer, which serves as an early-learning and daycare-style ministry for the surrounding neighborhood. Vacation Bible School is held each summer; the 2026 program runs June 1 through 5 from 8:00 to 11:00 AM for children from age four (Pre-K) through fourth grade, with a registration fee of twenty-five dollars per child and a sixty-dollar family maximum.
Older children and teenagers are served by the parish Youth Group, led by Ian and Bridget Riley, which builds separate communities for middle school and high school students. The youth participate in service projects, social activities, retreats, and an annual pilgrimage to the National March for Life in Washington, D.C., an experience the youth describe in their own words as a witness to the dignity of life. The parish maintains a separate Madalene Youth Facebook page and a dedicated email address for parents and teens who want to stay in touch.
Liturgical Ministries: Serving at the Altar
The parish depends on a wide range of liturgical volunteers, scheduled through a rotating ministers' system coordinated by the Parish Life office. Altar servers, open to boys and girls in at least the fifth grade, carry the processional cross, hold the missal, present the cruets of wine and water, assist the priest at the lavabo, and accompany the closing procession; liturgical assistants serve as shepherds to the servers. Servers are asked to arrive at least fifteen minutes before Mass and check in at the vestibule rather than the sacristy.
Lectors proclaim the scripture readings, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion distribute the Eucharist under both kinds, Greeters and Ushers welcome worshippers and assist with collections, and Gift Bearers bring the bread and wine forward. The Music Director, Khadija Goz, leads a choir that rehearses on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 PM and provides music for the parish liturgies; couples preparing weddings may use the parish musicians and cantor as part of the standard fee. The Traveling Vocations Crucifix moves from family to family as a vocation prayer.
Pastoral Care, Homebound Visits, and Grief Support
Parish Life and Pastoral Care, coordinated by Liz Poulter, looks after parishioners in every season of life. The Homebound Visitation ministry sends trained volunteers to bring the Eucharist to parishioners who cannot easily get to Mass; visits include conversation, shared prayer, and listening, and volunteers must be VIRTUS trained. The parish also offers Anointing of the Sick for those facing serious illness or surgery.
A monthly Grief Support group, facilitated by Theresa Witcher, meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 10:00 AM in the St. Francis Room. The group is open to anyone dealing with loss, whether from death, separation, or divorce, and gathers to support one another through prayer, fellowship, and encouragement.
Parish Groups: The Council of Catholic Women, the Knights, and Women of the Madalene
The Council of Catholic Women supports, empowers, and educates Catholic women in spirituality, leadership, and service. The local chapter contributes each year to projects including Water for Life, Birthright, Work of Human Hands, and the Diocesan Priests' Retirement Fund. Women of the Madalene is a separate parish organization that sponsors its own service and fellowship opportunities for women of the parish, from cake-decorating demonstrations to social gatherings.
The Knights of Columbus meet on the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 PM, with a meal at 6:00 PM in the parish hall. The local council, led by Greg Moore as Grand Knight, follows the order's four core principles of Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism through service to the Church, the community, life, and family. All men of the parish are invited to join.
Other parish groups include the Prayer Partners ministry, in which parishioners pray for those preparing for First Holy Communion and Confirmation, the Shawl Ministry, which gathers on the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 5:00 PM in the St. Francis Room to knit and crocheting prayer shawls for those in need of comfort or celebration, and the Madalene Gardeners, who meet one or two mornings a week during the growing season to care for the flower beds and grounds around the church.
Outreach: The Catholic Charities Food Collection and Social Concerns
The Catholic Charities Food Pantry is the largest ongoing outreach of the parish. Parishioners bring nonperishable food staples to church each weekend and place them in the grocery carts; the food is picked up during the week and delivered to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Tulsa. The ministry is a year-round commitment rather than a holiday drive. The Social Concerns Committee, chaired by Rachel Boeckman, coordinates the parish's broader engagement with the wider Tulsa area, and the parish lists Birthright of Tulsa, Emergency Infant Services, Catholic Charities, and other agencies among its community partners.
The Parish Hall, Library, and a Building Shaped by Its People
The parish hall and individual rooms are available for wedding receptions, rehearsal dinners, and other gatherings, with use, custodial, and damage deposit fees published by the parish office. The parish library offers Catholic reading and reference materials for parishioners. The funeral ministry helps families plan Catholic funerals, and weddings follow the parish's published protocol for music, vows, fees, and the celebration of the rite.
The physical plant still reflects the work of the first generation of parishioners. The Tennessee sandstone that Earl Neely laid is the same stone that visitors see when they pull into the southeast parking lot off Harvard, and the Stations of the Cross that Mrs. Weigl baked in her home oven remain in place as the parish's Lenten walk.
A Note for First-Time Visitors
Visitors are warmly welcomed at any of the weekend Masses. There is ample parking on the southeast side of the property nearest Harvard Avenue. Ushers can provide hearing assistance devices from the back of the church. Children are encouraged to attend Mass with their parents rather than being sent elsewhere, and the Mother's Day Out program is available for younger children during the week. Visitors are not expected to put money in the offering; online giving is available for those who wish to support the parish.
Communion is reserved for Catholics in good standing. Those who are not receiving are invited to come forward with their hands crossed over their chests for a blessing. Visitors are asked to wear what is comfortable; shorts of a conservative length and other casual summer attire are perfectly acceptable, while others choose to put on their Sunday best.
Parish office hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM, with the office closed for lunch from 12:00 to 1:00 PM and on holidays and holy days of obligation. Visitors who wish to register with the parish can do so through the parish office or through the parish registration page.
Getting Involved
Parishioners serve in liturgical roles such as lector, extraordinary minister, server, greeter or usher, and gift bearer; they keep the grounds as part of Madalene Gardeners; they knit and pray in the Shawl Ministry; they plan and host Coffee and Donuts each Sunday after the 10:00 AM Mass; they teach in the Faith Formation program; they visit the homebound; they cook a meal for the Knights; they chair parish council committees; and they deliver food to Catholic Charities. The parish is governed by a Parish Pastoral Council, which meets monthly with the pastor in an advisory role, with one-third of its members elected each year. Those who want to get involved can contact the parish office at 918-744-0023 or visit the parish at 3188 East 22nd Street.