A Parish Built Around OU
St. Thomas More University Parish and Student Center sits on Stinson Street in Norman, a short walk from the University of Oklahoma campus. The parish exists for a clear purpose that is stated plainly on its own walls: "To Evangelize the University of Oklahoma through Campus Ministry." Through authentic friendship, the staff and volunteers walk alongside OU students on their journey of faith, offering what they describe as a "home away from home" where students can experience the love of the Father and learn to love God and neighbor by first coming to love themselves.
Although it functions as a parish for Norman-area Catholic families as well, the rhythms of the church bend toward the academic calendar. The Sooner Catholic identity is woven through nearly every ministry, and on any given week during the school year hundreds of students show up for Mass, a free Sunday meal, or a Wednesday night of worship.
Sunday Mass and the Vigil
The parish offers multiple Sunday Masses to accommodate the campus and surrounding community. The Saturday Vigil is celebrated at 5:00 PM, with a note that there is no Vigil Mass on OU Football home game Saturdays. Sunday Masses are at 8:30 AM, 11:00 AM, and 5:00 PM. The 5:00 PM Sunday Mass is the college Mass and runs only during the OU academic year. Daily Mass is celebrated at 7:30 AM on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
Emmaus: Wednesday Nights at the Church
Emmaus is the signature Wednesday night gathering of the parish. The full rhythm begins in the morning: Adoration runs from 8:00 AM until 7:30 PM, when Benediction is prayed. At 8:00 PM the student candle-lit Mass begins, followed by student fellowship at 9:00 PM. The format pairs a teaching on apostolic faith with the Mass itself and time for community, and it draws roughly one hundred students each week during the school year. The name echoes the road to Emmaus, where the disciples encountered the risen Christ in the breaking of the bread.
Sunday Supper After the College Mass
After the 5:00 PM Sunday Mass during the academic year, Heiple Hall fills with students for Sunday Supper. The free meal is prepared by parishioners - sometimes a home-cooked dinner, other times pizza night - and the parish calls it its oldest campus ministry tradition. More than 200 OU students typically come through each week, making it one of the largest single touchpoints of the parish with the student body.
Reconciliation, Adoration, and the Blessed Sacrament
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered throughout the week to fit busy schedules: Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 1:00 PM in the Church Office, Wednesdays during the school year from 6:00 to 7:30 PM, and Saturdays from 3:00 to 4:30 PM. Confession is also available by appointment.
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is available Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 9:00 AM. On Wednesdays during the school year the church extends this into an all-day period of adoration leading up to the evening Emmaus Mass and Benediction.
Sacraments of Initiation
Baptism
Parents preparing for the Baptism of an infant or young child participate in the parish's Belonging program, which includes an online portion completed at home and a follow-up session at the parish. The program emphasizes that in the Church parents "will always have a place where they belong." At least one godparent must be an active, fully initiated Catholic who is at least 16 years old, has received Confirmation and Eucharist, is not a parent of the child, and leads a life in harmony with the Church. Baptized non-Catholics may serve as Christian witnesses.
First Communion and First Reconciliation
Children typically prepare for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion in second grade through Religious Education classes. Classes meet Sunday mornings from 9:45 to 10:45 AM, September through April. The parish uses curriculum from Sophia Press and Ascension, and all catechists are safe-environment trained. A required parent meeting precedes each sacrament, and a rehearsal is held in class the week of the celebration.
Confirmation
Confirmation is offered to youth in sixth grade and older and to adults. The youth Confirmation program takes place during Wednesday evening Youth Group nights from September through April, 6:00 to 7:30 PM in the Kay Center. Adults preparing for Confirmation are shepherded through OCIA, the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults.
Holy Matrimony and Funerals
Couples wishing to be married at the parish, or who would like a marriage blessed, are invited to begin the process through the parish office. The parish also ministers funerals, working with families to plan the liturgy for their loved ones.
Campus Ministry in Practice
Campus Ministry is led by Blake Buoy, who came up through STM as a student before taking the role of Director of Campus Ministry. Under his leadership the parish runs Emmaus, Sunday Supper, and a robust Bible study program. Bible studies are offered for students of every class and year, with dedicated groups for Greek Life and OU Athletics, and they meet at a variety of times during the week. A GroupMe chat is the main announcement hub for student events.
The parish also sends students to two signature retreats. The annual Sooner Catholic Fall Retreat, held in early October, is open to Catholics and non-Catholics alike and centers on prayer, confession, fellowship, and rest. In January the parish takes a group to SEEK, the national conference hosted by FOCUS in January.
FOCUS at OU
The Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) places a full missionary team at St. Thomas More. The team's stated mission is to invite students into a relationship with Jesus Christ through authentic friendship and Bible studies, accompany them on their faith journey through discipleship, and equip them to share the Faith with others. The current FOCUS missionaries are Jacob Christian, Connor Leoni, Grace Noe, Sarah Mathison, and Lauren Hogan.
Youth Ministry for Grades 6-12
The Sooner Catholic Youth Ministry meets Wednesday nights during the school year, from 6:00 to 7:45 PM in Heiple Hall, with separate tracks for middle school (grades 6-8) and high school (grades 9-12). The program follows a three-fold rhythm printed on its page: Win souls for Christ, build relationship with Him, and send them out on mission. The format includes interactive games, small groups, and time in Scripture, and the Confirmation preparation for sixth graders takes place within the same Wednesday night schedule. Gavin Gunter serves as Director of Youth Ministry.
Religious Education for Children
Religious Education is offered for students in Kindergarten through fifth grade on Sunday mornings from 9:45 to 10:45 AM, September through April, using curriculum from Sophia Press and Ascension. The program includes preparation for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion. Suzanne Gaytan, Director of Children's Faith Formation, oversees registration and welcomes volunteers.
Family Life Ministry
Family Life Ministry at STM serves the growing number of families in the parish through men's and women's groups, talks on tap, and marriage events. The popular Raising Saints series and date nights for married couples are offered with free childcare provided in-house. Family events such as Chili Bingo, bowling nights, and summer activities round out the calendar. Marriage events like the Marriage in His Image date night include a social hour, a talk and discussion, followed by a date night out, with children supervised on site until 9:00 PM.
Adult Discipleship through CCO
Adult Discipleship uses the Catholic Christian Outreach (CCO) faith study program, which is structured as five sequential studies typically spanning thirty-six weeks of weekly small-group meetings: Discovery (an introduction to Jesus), Source (a study on the Holy Spirit), Growth (building blocks of Christian life), Truth (surrender and obedience), and Commission (forming missionary disciples). The parish invites every adult to have the chance to say "Yes" to Jesus through the program, and both women's groups and men's groups meet throughout the year.
OCIA: Becoming Catholic
The Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (formerly known as RCIA) meets Tuesday nights at 7:00 PM in Heiple Hall from September through April. Each week covers a different topic from a Catholic perspective, and the parish emphasizes that the program is open to anyone curious about becoming Catholic, baptized Catholics who want to reconnect with their faith, or those who were never confirmed. There is no cost and no obligation. OCIA contact Felipe Perez welcomes inquiries.
Music Ministry and the Heiple Organ
Music Ministry at St. Thomas More is led by Dr. Vicki Schaeffer, the Director of Music and Organist. The music program follows the standards of liturgy outlined in the Roman Missal while encouraging the participation of all present. The Parish Choir sings at the weekly liturgies, monthly Vespers, and special services for Holy Days, drawing on a repertoire that ranges from Gregorian chant to works by contemporary composers. The Children's Choir is open to young people in grades 1 through 6 and rehearses throughout the school year.
The centerpiece of the music program is the Kathleen M. Heiple Memorial Organ, a Skinner Organ Company Opus 422 built in 1923 and restored by the Schantz Organ Company in 2022. The instrument is divided across four manuals and pedal, with stops ranging from a 32-foot Resultant bass in the pedal division to a French Horn in the Great, and including a Vox Humana in the Swell, a Harp and Celesta awaiting restoration in the Choir, and a 16-foot Trombone in the Pedal.
St. Vincent de Paul: Service in Norman and Noble
The St. Vincent de Paul Society at STM follows the three guiding principles of its founder, Blessed Frédéric Ozanam: spirituality, friendship, and service to those in need. Vincentians go in pairs to visit neighbors in their homes in Norman and Noble, assessing needs in a caring, confidential, and prayerful way. The conference helps with rent and utility payments and provides donated furniture and household items, and it also coordinates disaster relief and seasonal activities such as Vincentian Advent, Lenten, and Friends of the Poor Week.
SVdP co-sponsors Cottage 15 at McKown Village, a temporary home for neighbors in need who are working to get back on their own feet. The conference meets Thursday evenings at 6:00 PM in the Kay Center, and neighbors in need of assistance can leave a detailed message at 405-329-5372.
The Pastoral Team
Fr. Brian Buettner serves as Pastor. Three deacons assist at the parish: James Robb (who also coordinates Confirmation for youth), Martin Parizek, and Tom Siska. The directors include Suzanne Gaytan (Children's Faith Formation and Sacramental Records), Byron Luby (Development), Gavin Gunter (Youth Ministry), Blake Buoy (Campus Ministry), and Dr. Vicki Schaeffer (Music and Organist).
Getting Involved and Supporting STM
Students new to OU are encouraged to register through the parish and to join the Sooner Catholic GroupMe. Adults in the parish are invited to register as parishioners, sign up for Flocknote for parish updates, or text "STMNORMAN" to 84576 to receive the weekly email newsletter. The bulletin is available digitally through the parish's online presence.
Gifts to the parish can be made online through WeShare Giving or PayPal, and the parish also accepts donations designated to the St. Vincent de Paul Society. A long-standing tradition of engraved brick pavers allows supporters to honor loved ones with a $250 brick at the parish.