'Hard to say goodbye': Parish has last Mass before merging at new Rother shrine church

All the signs of the beginning of a typical weekend Mass were there, from the friendly deacon welcoming parishioners and the distribution of liturgical books to the altar servers and clergy walking down the aisle in the traditional processional.

However, the recent service at Holy Angels Catholic Church was anything but routine.

It was the last Mass that members of the tight-knit parish would attend in their church building at 317 N Blackwelder.

"I felt kind of emotional," said Omar Pina, an altar server who tried to absorb all the sights and sounds of the small church one last time.

"It was very sentimental for me because this is a place that we cherish and it's a place where I've gotten closer to God. It's kind of hard to say goodbye ― definitely bittersweet."

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The Holy Angels parish is set to merge with Sacred Heart Catholic Church to become the Sacred Heart Parish at the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine, 700 SE 89. Leaders with the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City said merging the two predominantly Hispanic parishes will help alleviate overcrowding at several Oklahoma City churches with large Hispanic populations.

Some Holy Angels parishioners said they were grateful for the opportunity to be part of the new parish that will call the shrine church home. As a new house of worship and the largest Catholic church in Oklahoma (with seating for more than 2,000 people), they said they recognized that the shrine church has much to offer.

Still, Holy Angels members expressed sadness about leaving their familiar and beloved church.

"I feel both sad and happy," said Maria Guerra, a member of the church for 23 years, as tears filled her eyes.

It was the end and the beginning for parish

For the last Holy Angels Mass, Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul S. Coakley joined the church's parishioners and the Rev. Russell "Rusty" Hewes. The service was in Spanish, with the exception of a few remarks by Coakley.

The archbishop said he understood that parishioners were sad about leaving the church, which was established by Oklahoma City Bishop Francis C. Kelley in 1929. Coakley said he would be praying for the church members as they made the transition to the shrine church parish or perhaps other Catholic parishes in the surrounding area.

"I wanted to be with you on this last evening because I know it is a difficult time," he said. "It is the end, and it is the beginning, of the stages of life for this parish. I hope and pray that the path forward will be a time of renewal. What's important is that you continue to follow the Lord closely and allow him to guide you."

Hewes, 60, has been Holy Angels' pastor for eight and a half years. It was he who exhibited the first sign that emotions were running high as Mass drew to a close.

Hewes had given the homily, and he spoke again shortly after Coakley addressed the church. His voice choked with emotion as he said farewell. Parishioner Cruz Godinez walked up to the podium and gave the priest a brief hug and pat on the back, causing all of the church members to give the clergyman a standing ovation.

"I said to them in Spanish that Holy Angels has always been a family," Hewes said after the service.

"When you close a parish, it's kind of life a death in the family. It's tough."

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He will be one of two associate priests at the shrine church, with the Rev. Don Wolf serving as pastor of the merged parish. Hewes said the buildings at Holy Angels and the buildings on the Sacred Heart property at 2706 S Shartel will be used for religion education classes until an education building is added to the shrine campus. However, Hewes said the Holy Angels church, nestled between small neighborhood homes and industrial buildings just west of downtown Oklahoma City, no longer will host weekly Masses and other church services.

Hewes said the parish was definitely experiencing overcrowding, with about 1,500 registered families. He said the church building was probably meant for about 250 people, but sometimes 400 or more attended each standing-room-only Mass, with five masses each weekend. The priest said that meant roughly 1,400 to 2,000 people were at Masses every weekend.

"It's been coming or a while," Hewes said of the coming move to alleviate overcrowding.

Arely Vera, 26, said she grew up at Holy Angels and experienced baptism, first communion and first confirmation there.

Like other parishioners, she expressed mixed emotions.

"It's really sad, but really hopeful," she said. "Here at Holy Angels, we're tight-knit like a family so seeing it go, it's kind of like losing a piece of yourself."

Celia Rangel, 20, said she also was raised in the church and loved seeing all the familiar faces and "Father Hewes."

"It's heart-breaking, but I know that it's for the good," she said of the closure.

Alejandra Godinez, 26, said she made sure she attended the last Mass.

"It was very important for me to say my goodbyes to the parish I grew up in and learned so much from," she said.

Omar's mother, Alicia Carrillo, 43, took time to hug many other parishioners as they walked out of the church. Wiping away that rolled own her cheeks, she said she had been a Holy Angels parishioner for 28 years.

"Here is the first place I came when I came from Guatemala," Carrillo said. "We prayed for a bigger place here — we prayed before for something new, something big here, but Jesus had different plans for us."

Omar spoke along those lines after his mother talked.

"We are happy to go there because it's such a nice place, but we're sad, too" he said of the new parish.

Vera's father, Deacon Sergio Vera-Silva, predicted that the Holy Angels family would be fine in its new home.

"We just need to let the Lord lead us," he said.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Church marks last Mass before heading to Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine