Bishop Konderla Invites Diocese to Pray for College of Cardinals

Each Vicariate to Host Mass in Anticipation of the Conclave at 6 p.m., Tuesday, May 6

​BROKEN ARROW — In anticipation of the conclave to select a new Pope beginning on Wednesday, May 7, each vicariate within the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma will host a “Mass for the Election of a New Pope” on Tuesday, May 6 to pray for the College of Cardinals as they seek to discern the will of, and be led by, the Holy Spirit.
 
“I would like to invite all of the faithful of the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma to take part in one of these masses being offered on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, to pray for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit among the College of Cardinals as they call forth our next Holy Father,” said Bishop David Konderla in announcing the masses. “This sacred conclave is a testimony to how the Holy Spirit continues to guide the work of the Church. Please join your pastors and other Catholics from across eastern Oklahoma to pray for a fruitful conclave.” 
 
Each vicariate will host “Mass for the Election of a New Pope” at 6 p.m., Tuesday, May 6, at the following parish locations:
 
Western Vicariate: Mass at St. Francis Xavier in Stillwater
Celebrant: Fr. Brian O'Brien
 
Southern Vicariate: Mass at St. John in McAlester
Celebrant: Fr. Jovita Okonkwo
 
Eastern Vicariate: Mass at Holy Cross in Wagoner
Celebrant: Fr. Leo Ahanotu
 
Tulsa South Vicariate: Mass at St. Bernard’s in Tulsa
Celebrant: Fr. Jack Gleason
 
Tulsa North Vicariate: Mass at Church of the Madalene in Tulsa
Celebrant: Fr. Desmond Okpogba
 
Northern Vicariate: Mass at St. John Before the Latin Gate in Bartlesville
Celebrant: Fr. David Carvajal
 
In addition to the six vicariate locations, the 6 p.m. Mass will also be celebrated in Spanish at St. Thomas More and St. Francis Xavier parishes in Tulsa: 
 
Spanish Mass: St. Francis Xavier in Tulsa
Celebrant: Fr. Elmer Rodriguez
 
Spanish Mass: St. Thomas More in Tulsa
Celebrant: Fr. Jose Maria Briones
 
The Holy See released a declaration on Wednesday in which the Cardinals preparing for the upcoming conclave asked Catholics everywhere to pray for them. The Cardinals said they felt “the need to be supported by the prayers of all the faithful,” because they are aware of their responsibility in choosing the next Successor of Peter.
 
“The College of Cardinals gathered in Rome, engaged in the General Congregations in preparation for the Conclave, wishes to invite the People of God to live this ecclesial moment as an event of grace and spiritual discernment, listening to the will of God,” read the statement.
 
“Faced with the enormity of the task ahead and the urgency of the present time,” said the Cardinals, “It is first of all necessary to make ourselves humble instruments of the infinite wisdom and providence of our Heavenly Father, in docility to the action of the Holy Spirit.”