Welcome To St. Andrew Online

The Church of St. Andrew the Apostle is a Catholic community of faith located in Moore, Oklahoma. Our patron saint is depicted in the Fourth Gospel as a follower of John the Baptizer who became one of Jesus' first disciples. It was Andrew who told his brother Simon, "we have found the Messiah, Come and see."  The parish has a long, rich history of serving Moore and southwest Oklahoma City.

Our Mission

Grateful for God's unconditional love, we make Christ's mission our own by:

• Worshipping God in Spirit and Truth
• Serving the Lord in the needy and the poor
• Sharing the Good News near and far
• Loving other as God loves us

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We Practice Stewardship

• We make a commitment of our Time to grow in the practice of our faith on Ash Wednesday
• We make a commitment of our Talents & Abilities to serve the needs of the church on Pentecost Sunday
• We make a commitment of our Treasure to support the works of the church on the First Sunday of Advent

The Scriptures offer us two measures or standards for giving. Faithful Israelites in the Old Testament followed the standard of the Tithe. They offered ten percent of their wealth to God so that He could prosper them with the balance. While Jesus endorsed this standard as a faithful Jew, He also challenged his followers to give their all. At St. Andrew’s we suggest to our faithful members that they do their best to offer 5% for the works of the church here in our parish and 5% for the works of the greater church. The latter includes the Archdiocesan Development Fund (ADF), Catholic Charities, and the myriad of special collections spread throughout the year.

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NEW: Father Jack Recommends

From time to time Father Jack will recommend something to help inform and inspire.

July 21, 2008 - How much does the Father love us?

From the Pastor's Desk: June 13, 2009

My Flesh Is Real Food, My Blood Is Real Drink

Of all the truths that have been handed on to us from the Apostles, none is more important than the centrality of the Eucharist in the life of those called to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. A great many believers will speak about the importance of worshipping God, but they are often talking about different things. They may be referring to listening to and studying God’s Word, or to singing hymns of praise, or listening to a great sermon, choir, or band. But as Catholics we believe that Jesus taught us how to worship God in spirit and in truth by gathering on the Day of the Lord (Sunday) to offer God a perfect sacrifice of praise. We call this holy and living sacrifice The Eucharist or The Mass. At his last supper with the apostles, Jesus instructed them to do this in memory of Him. Do what? We remember His saving death and resurrection when we Take and Eat….Take and Drink. And as often as we eat His body and drink His blood we proclaim His death until He comes again in glory!

When we celebrate the Eucharist, Jesus acts as our great high priest in leading us in worship through the ministry of the bishop or priest. Jesus is also acting through the members of His priestly people whom He has gathered for worship. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the words which Jesus spoke at the last supper, Christ becomes present in His body and blood, soul and divinity. I can assure you that we stand only with the Orthodox Churches in holding this central truth. So while it may be “nice” and may make us “happy” that people we know and love are at least going to some church on Sunday we should harbor no illusion that it doesn’t make any difference how God is worshipped.

It is at this point that some may wish to object that the only important thing is “love”. We do indeed have an obligation to love other Christians, but that love does not require us to dismiss what has been handed on to us from the apostles. We don’t believe that the Bible is the only authority, despite its great importance. We also believe in what has been handed down to us as sacred traditions. How we worship comes to us both from the bible and tradition.

Jesus has given Himself to us wholly and entirely in the sacrament of His Body and Blood. He does so in order to make us holy and loving as He is holy and loving. As Catholics we are nourished by both Word and Sacrament so that we can go forth in peace each week to love and serve the Lord. How can we ever be grateful enough for the most holy sacrament of the altar?

We Hold These Truths...

St. Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 11: Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have died.

In incorporating this important teaching into its practice, the church came to insist that Christians who accuse themselves of grave sin must first repent and confess any such sins to a priest in order to receive communion worthily. This is in accord with the power which Jesus gave to his apostles on the night He rose from the dead: “Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven…..”

The Penitential Rite at the beginning of Mass is not a form of the sacrament of penance. It is, rather, an expression of our profound gratitude to God who stands ready to forgive us our sins and bring us to everlasting life….as often as we repent of them and confess them. It does, however, bring with it forgiveness of venial sins.

Each communicant is free to receive Holy Communion in one’s hand or on one’s tongue. Neither practice is more reverent or correct than the other. In order that we may receive more reverently, each communicant should bow slightly prior to partaking of both the Body and the Blood.

Each communicant is free to receive the Body and Blood of Christ under the form of bread or wine or both. Individuals who need to avoid gluten may receive the whole Christ under the form of the wine alone. While Catholics are not obligated to receive communion under both forms, it is highly encouraged. After all, Jesus did say, Take and Eat, Take and Drink.

When we receive Holy Communion we are united not only with Christ Himself, but with all the members of His Body. This means that we can be united with our loved ones who have fallen asleep in the hope of rising again.

Catholics have an obligation to refrain from eating and drinking ONE HOUR prior to receiving communion. Taking water does not break the communion fast.

Chewing gum during the celebration of the Eucharist constitutes an act of irreverence and does break the communion fast.

Read More from Fr. Jack Feehily in the Pastor's Desk Archive

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We Have A Catholic School

All Saints Catholic School serves the four parishes in Cleveland County. It is located just four miles south of St. Andrew’s on Telephone Rd. in Norman, OK.

The curriculum at each grade level is comprehensive and integrates high quality academics with Christian leadership and living. In addition to providing excellence in academic training, All Saints shapes its holistic curriculum around four primary purposes: to teach doctrine, to develop community, to foster worship, and to encourage the service of others

At All Saints, students are free to express and celebrate their faith in God. For information about enrollment call 447-4600.

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