Sooner Catholic

Advent is the time of joyful preparation for Christmas. It is also the time of personal resolutions recommended by the Catholic Church as a form of deepening one’s prayer life by performing corporal and spiritual acts of mercy in anticipation of the Messiah. Resolutions can take the form of prayer, fasting, and/or almsgiving.

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In the middle of Advent are two special Marian Feast Days: the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8, and the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12.

The Tax Credit Scholarship program is a boon for students and Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. This year, 568 students – 12 percent of overall Catholic school enrollment – received an opportunity scholarship to attend one of the 18 archdiocesan schools.

Hailing proudly from the Blackwell/Tonkawa area, Stephen Aloysius Leven was an Oklahoma legend for a variety of reasons. Born on April 30, 1905, near Blackwell, this bright, personable young man spent his childhood as one of nine children in Ponca City as his father toiled as a sharecropper.

In October, archdiocesan priests spent one week on a silent retreat in Kansas to reinvigorate their spiritual vigor and zeal. The retreat motto was, “Rest, renew, restore and respond to the Word of God.”

A movie commonly watched around Christmas is the comedy, “Home Alone.” It is far from a comedy, however, for anyone who has ever lost a child for 5 minutes, an hour or longer. It is every parent’s, grandparent’s or guardian’s worst possible nightmare.  

Advent is a time when the world prepares to celebrate the coming of Christ in human incarnation. Often the true meaning of Christmas is lost to a secular society. People get caught up in all the preparations and the message and transformational power of Advent escapes some people.

The 10th National Eucharistic Congress is scheduled for July 17-21, 2024, in Indianapolis, Ind. It will serve as the launch for the fourth, and final, stage of the Eucharistic Revival initiative of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

A Very Giving Christmas is a gift distribution program for low-income families from Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. The program takes different approaches based on the community and the familial need.

The National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO) is announcing the annual Retirement Fund for Religious collection, scheduled in parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City on Dec. 16 and 17.

November is the month dedicated to prayers for vocations. Each year, the archdiocese promotes the annual Seminarian Education Appeal to the faithful, asking for financial support for the formation of future priests.  Currently, 18 seminarians for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City attend several different seminaries across the U.S. and in Rome. 

Many men feel a call from God to serve the Church through the Sacrament of Holy Orders – to serve the Church faithfully as a priest. Others feel called to the Sacrament of Matrimony – to help their spouse get to Heaven and raise a family with Catholic values. Those who enter the married life can still serve in an ordained ministry, however, and men interested in leadership in their parish can become a deacon. Men can discern that call through the archdiocesan Permanent Diaconate Program.

What is the Parental Choice Tax Credit? Beginning in tax year 2024, a refundable income tax credit is allowed for certain Oklahoma taxpayers who pay, or expect to pay, tuition and fees to an eligible private school on behalf of an eligible student. An eligible taxpayer is someone who is subject to the tax laws of the state of Oklahoma, and who is a biological or adoptive parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, legal guardian, custodian or other person with legal authority to act on behalf of the eligible student.