The $50 million memorial honoring the missionary murdered by three masked murderers who invaded his rectory during Guatemala's civil conflict is anticipated to attract thousands of pilgrims to his home state.
Blessed Stanley Francis Rother Shrine
The Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine in Oklahoma City is scheduled to hold its dedication mass on Feb. 17, marking the shrine's official opening. The building, designed in Spanish colonial architecture, features a sanctuary with seating for two thousand people, a visitor center, a souvenir shop, a museum, and a smaller chapel that will be used as Rother's ultimate resting place.
A recreation of Tepeyac Hill, the hill near Mexico City where Catholics believe the Virgin Mary appeared to an indigenous Mexican man named Juan Diego in 1531, will also be located on the grounds of the shrine. For the Oklahoma location, an artist was commissioned to make painted bronze statues of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Saint Juan Diego. Each figure weighed thousands of pounds and was cast in bronze.
Paul S. Coakley, the Archbishop of Oklahoma City, stated that the shrine was built without incurring any debt because donations from Catholics sponsored it.
Also Read: California Evangelist's Oklahoma Crusade Met With Overwhelming Response
About Blessed Stanley Rother
The Beatification of Fr. Stanley Francis Rother, who was assassinated for his faith in Guatemala in 1981, was a momentous occasion not only for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City but also for the Catholic Church in the United States. Rother was the first American missionary priest to be beatified.
This was emphasized by Cardinal Angelo Amato, who, on behalf of Pope Francis, officiated over the Rite of Beatification on Sept. 23, 2017, at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City. Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City participated in the ceremony as a co-celebrant. Cardinal Amato, the prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, remembered that during his 1996 apostolic journey to Guatemala, Pope John Paul II gave out a list of 78 people judged to have been martyrs for the faith, and the last name on the list was Fr. Rother.
According to the Archdiocese of Oklahoma, a civil conflict between the government's militaristic forces and the guerrillas raged during his service in Guatemala. Due to its concentration on catechizing and teaching the populace, the Catholic Church was placed in a difficult position. Thousands of Catholics were murdered during this war. Fr. Rother's name eventually surfaced on a death list. For his and his companion's protection, Rother returned to Oklahoma. However, he did not stay long as he was determined to devote his entire life to his people, declaring, "the shepherd cannot run." He returned to Santiago Atitlan to pursue missionary work.
Within a few months, on July 28, 1981, at 1 a.m., three men invaded the rectory, fought with Fr. Rother, and ultimately murdered him. His death astounded the Catholic community. No one has ever been held accountable. The citizens of Santiago Atitlan lamented the passing of their leader and comrade. They requested that Fr. Rother's heart is preserved in Guatemala, where it continues to be venerated.
Related Article: Oklahoma City Catholics Attend Dedication of Sacred Tepeyac Hill Replica; Parishioner Calls Moment 'Historic'
