Monsignor Don Wolf

06/06/2026

June 7 – Rick Adkinson, the author of the trilogy detailing the American Army in the European Campaign during WWII, reminded everyone that the fighting in France, Belgium, and Germany was bloody from its beginning in June 1944 to its last day in May 1945. In the American Army there were as many casualties in May of ’45 when the fighting ceased as there had been in June of ’44 when the soldiers splashed ashore at Normandy and fought through the hedgerows there. As he put it: it was awful to the last bloody minute. We shouldn’t forget.

06/06/2026

June 6 – As we’ve been reminded a hundred times, it was 82 years ago today the soldiers of the Allied Armies waded ashore on a portion of the Normandy Coast to begin the invasion of Europe. It was to have been June 5th but bad weather delayed it by a day. We look at the black-and-white newsreels and feel our distance from this display of bravery and resolve. Despite our remove, it is our responsibility to bear the price of memory so that what was accomplished then might not be forgotten now. And we should also remember the whole panoply of support and innovation that made it happen. It was the effort of nations and peoples, not simply of armies and navies. When President Roosevelt asked God’s blessing on this endeavor, he was speaking the prayer buried in millions of hearts, both among those who were ordered into battle to set the continent free as well as among those longing to be set free.

06/06/2026

June 5 – On this date in 1945, US Army Air Force bombers destroyed 50% of Kobe, Japan in one bombing raid. It was a continuation of its campaign to destroy the capacity of Japan to wage war by burning down every city worth the effort. All pretense of precision bombing, which had been touted as the ‘humane’ response to modern warfare, had been wholly abandoned in favor of achieving the greatest general destruction of as much area as possible. US General Curtis LeMay told his subordinates: Unless we win this, we’ll all be hung as war criminals. War is bad, unimaginably so, even when it’s waged by the good guys.

06/06/2026

Happy Ordination Anniversary, Monsignor Rick!

Today, we celebrate a special milestone—34 years ago, Monsignor Rick was ordained to the priesthood. For more than three decades, he has faithfully answered God's call.

Thank you, Monsignor Rick, for all that you do for the Cathedral and for the countless lives you have touched throughout your priesthood. Your leadership, guidance, and unwavering commitment to the Church are a blessing to our parish community and beyond.

Please join us in congratulating Monsignor Rick on his 34th Ordination Anniversary and keeping him in your prayers today.

Photo Credits: OKC Archdiocese Archives

06/05/2026

06/05/2026

This pilgrim of the shrine not only met Blessed Stanley Rother, but worked alongside him in Guatemala.

John Anderson, a doctor originally from Oklahoma City, but visiting the shrine for the first time from Minnesota, worked as a doctor with Blessed Stanley in Guatemala in the mid 1970s. John is now a primary care physician, but while in Guatemala held the title as Director of the Emergency Room at St. Anthony's Hospital. Today, he joined for daily Mass and spoke with Monsignor Wolf.

John's presence at the shrine reminds us all not only of the impact that Blessed Stanley had on those in his life, but it also reminds us how recent and close to home Blessed Stanley's life story is for all people of faith, especially here in Oklahoma.
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Este peregrino del santuario no solo conoció al Beato Stanley Rother, sino que también trabajó junto a él en Guatemala.

John Anderson, un médico originario de Oklahoma City que visitó el santuario por primera vez desde Minnesota, trabajó como médico con el Beato Stanley en Guatemala a mediados de la década de 1970. Actualmente, John es médico de atención primaria, pero mientras estuvo en Guatemala ocupó el cargo de Director de la Sala de Emergencias del Hospital St. Anthony. Hoy participó en la Misa diaria y conversó con Monseñor Wolf.

La presencia de John en el santuario nos recuerda no solo el impacto que tuvo el Beato Stanley en las personas que formaron parte de su vida, sino también cuán reciente y cercana a nuestro entorno es su historia para todas las personas de fe, especialmente aquí en Oklahoma.

06/04/2026

June 4 – In 1942 the Battle of Midway began on this date. It tested the resolve and the capacities of the US Navy in contest with the Navy of the Empire of Japan. As much as anything, it was a demonstration of the capriciousness of battle and the fickle nature of contest on the oceans. John Updike wrote that WWII was a ‘tale of Troy’, the ‘central myth of the 20th Century with endless angles.’ Eric Larabee opined that naval battle is the ultimate chess board, open and obvious to the participants, with only the variabilities of time, distance, and maneuver to solve. This battle all those years ago seemed to confirm his evaluation. Which is why, when pondering the work of God in the world, we should spend some time knowing the fate of armies and the strategy of navies; they are as much the product of the divine among us as agriculture, business, or education.

06/03/2026

Happy birthday to our faithful shepherd Archbishop Paul Coakley!

Archbishop Coakley has been an integral part of the life of the shrine since it's very beginning, and we thank him for his dedication and love he shows not only to the shrine, but also to the pilgrims and mission of the shrine. May God's blessing be upon archbishop as he celebrates this special day!

06/03/2026

Happy Ordination Anniversary Fr. Jose Avina Barajas! Thank you for answering “yes” to God’s call. May he continue to bless you and strengthen you.