The Rev. Matthew J. Brown, O.S.B., recently reached a milestone that few have accomplished.
Father Brown, a Benedict monk at St. Gregory’s Abbey, recently celebrated his 60th anniversary of ordination into the priesthood with the Benedictine community, friends, and family members. Special guests in attendance were the Most Rev. Eusebius J. Brown, Archbishop of Oklahoma City, and the Most Rev. Edward Slattery, Bishop of Tulsa.
The diamond jubilee celebration was held in the afternoon and commenced with a Mass presided by Bishop Beltran, and assisted by Deacon James Conway, Fr. Brown’s cousin, of Marlow at the packed abbey church.
During the celebration, Bishop Beltran commended Fr. Brown’s many years of ministry and service to the people of Oklahoma and California. The Rev. Lawrence Stasyszen, O.S.B., abbot of St. Gregory’s Abbey, also thanked Fr. Brown for his dedication and contributions to the Benedictine community.
Fr. Brown’s birth name was Joseph Patrick. He was born on March 16, 1922 in Fletcher to Joseph and Ann Brown. He grew up in a house built by his grandfather in the early 1900s. He was baptized in Elgin and attended Fletcher Public Schools 12 years.
Fr. Brown said that as a child, his parents always maintained a religious atmosphere at home. He recollected that he had two aunts who were in the convent. “They prayed that some day I’d become a priest and suggested I say a prayer for vocational grace everyday,” said Fr. Brown.
The religious and Catholic upbringing eventually bore fruits. Not only did Fr. Brown become a priest, but his sister Eugenia is also a Benedictine nun at St. Joseph’s Convent in Tulsa.
After graduation from high school, Fr. Brown attended St. Gregory’s College. He graduated in 1942 and joined St. Gregory’s Abbey as a novitiate, where he received the name Matthew.
After completion of the novitiate, Fr. Brown studied philosophy and theology with some of the professors from Europe at St. Gregory’s. He was ordained on March 19, 1949.
Shortly after his ordination, Fr. Brown was assigned to pastoral work at Our Lady of Lourdes parish in East Los Angeles, Calif., where he stayed for nine years.
He returned to St. Gregory’s Abbey in 1958 and served in many different capacities for the next 11 years. He was appointed Brother Master with the responsibility of overseeing the lay brothers as they joined the abbey. In addition, Fr. Brown also was in charge of the food service and maintenance of the college and abbey. Other positions he held included subprior at the abbey and working at the business office.
While at the abbey, Fr. Brown also served as pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Church in McLoud for seven years.
In 1969, he was assigned to Our Lady of Lourdes in Los Angeles as an associate pastor. The following year he was made pastor when Fr. Robert Dodson, then pastor, was chosen as abbot of St. Gregory’s Abbey in Shawnee.
Fr. Brown enjoyed pastoral ministry. He recalled that the large parish in Los Angeles kept him busy. He said that with the help of three associate pastors, they ministered to 2,700 families and operated a grade school with an enrolment of about 960.
“I’d hear 100 confessions every week and perform baptisms every other week,” Fr. Brown said. “One time, I had 14 baptisms at one time!”
Many parishioners said Fr. Brown regarded his enthusiasm in bringing people into the Catholic Church as one of the most rewarding aspects of his vocation as a priest. He was also instrumental in recruiting a number of students from Los Angeles to come to St. Gregory’s College and join the Benedictine community.
His dedication to pastoral ministry continued when he was appointed pastor of St. Benedict parish in Shawnee in the summer of 1976, with the newly ordained Rev. Bernard O’Rourke, O.S.B., as his assistant.
After three years at St. Benedict Church, he was assigned pastor of St. Stephen Church in Holdenville of the Tulsa diocese with St. Joseph Church in Wewoka as a mission. Fr. Brown served in Holdenville for 19 years. While at Holdenville, he also celebrated a weekly Mass at the John H. Lilley Correction Center for nine years.
Fr. Brown’s unyielding desire to provide pastoral care to the people was evident when on Jan. 1, 1998, at the age of 75, he accepted the assignment of pastor of Sacred Heart Church of Konawa, with missions of St. Joseph Church in Wewoka and St. Mary Church in Wanette.
Sacred Heart Church was special to Fr. Brown and the Benedictine monks because of its historical connection with the Benedictine community and its proximity to the historical site of the original monastery complex founded by the early Benedictines when they first arrived in Indian Territory in 1875. Fr. Brown remained pastor there until summer of 2008, at which time he returned to St. Gregory’s Abbey to reside.
A reception was held in honor of Fr. Brown at the SGU cafeteria after the celebratory Mass. This was followed by Vespers (evening prayers) at the abbey church.
Following Vespers, a festive dinner was served at the abbey dining hall for Fr. Brown’s family, friends, relatives and specially invited guests.
Bishop Slattery led the invocation before dinner and thanked Fr. Brown for his unswerving dedication and for the many people that he has brought to the Paschal Mystery.
During the dinner, Abbott Stasyszen read an apostolic blessing from the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI and presented a special rosary personally blessed by the pope to Fr. Brown in honor of his diamond jubilee celebration.
In commemoration of his 60th anniversary as a priest, Fr. Brown celebrated a special Mass at his birth parish St. Ann Church in Elgin on Sunday, March 29 for his family, friends and parishioners of St. Ann Church, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Sterling and Mother of Sorrows Church in Apache.
