Scholarship, grant winners honored

Rita Johnson named Religious Educator of the Year

The Catholic Foundation of Oklahoma held its 2025 Awards Luncheon on June 6 to salute students, parishes and donors across the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.

The event at the Catholic Pastoral Center began with Mass celebrated by Archbishop Coakley and included the announcement of the foundation’s Religious Educator of the Year. The winner was Rita Johnson, who teaches kindergarten and pre-K bible school at Saint Philip Neri Catholic Church in Midwest City.

The other finalists were Laura Howells, who teaches religious education to kindergarteners at Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edmond, and Kristine Moreno, OCIA instructor for teens and sixth graders at Saint Mary Catholic Church in Clinton.

College scholarships comprise $76,280 of the $723,000 the Catholic Foundation awarded in grants and scholarships this year. The scholarships are funded through donor-created endowments.

New scholarship recipients for 2025-26 are: Cooper Bartlett, Saint Matthew Catholic Church in Elk City; Jackson Bichsel, Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Oklahoma City; Emma Bowman, Christ the King Catholic Church in Oklahoma City; Marcos de la Torre Sanchez, San Jose Luis Sanchez del Rio Catholic Church in Laverne; Colton Estes, Saint Matthew Catholic Church in Elk City; Jessin Hardin, Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Hennessey; Charlotte Kennedy, Saint Mary Catholic Church in Guthrie; Gabriel Lewer, Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Enid; Max Pinon, Saint Peter Catholic Church in Woodward; Maggie Stroman, Saint Monica Catholic Church in Edmond; Rodman Villanueva, Saint Mary Catholic Church in Clinton; Adam Williams, Saint Peter Catholic Church in Woodward.

Other Catholic Foundation grants awarded this year include $84,500 for Catholic school educators pursuing advanced degrees or certifications; $189,234 in education grants to 14 schools and the archdiocese’s Department of Catholic Education; $148,615 to improve facilities at 13 parishes; $181,920 in Parish Life Grants at 30 parishes, and $42,500 for five ministries’ pro-life efforts.

The Catholic Foundation’s mission is to procure and build endowments to support parishes, schools and other ministries of the archdiocese. To learn more, visit www.cfook.org.


Photo: (above) Rita Johnson was named Religious Educator of the Year at the 2025 Catholic Foundation of Oklahoma Awards Luncheon. Photo provided.
Catholic Foundation of Oklahoma scholarship recipients for 2025-26 were honored by Archbishop Coakley on June 6 at the Catholic Pastoral Center in Oklahoma City. Photo provided.