Large Multi-Million Dollar Shrine Honoring the 1st Recognized US Born Martyr Blessed Fr. Stanley Rother is Dedicated in Oklahoma - FULL Video

In Oklahoma, the people remember their Catholic priest named Blessed Stanley Rother who served as a missionary in Guatemala when he was shot and killed, at age 46, by assailants in the rectory of his parish church in July 1981.  This martyred priest's body was brought to a new Catholic Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine in Oklahoma City.

The Reverend William Novak, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, said the blessing before the casket was lowered into the altar in the new shrine's chapel. 

Pope Francis declared him a martyr for the faith in 2016. He is the first recognized martyr from the United States and the first U.S.-born priest to be beatified by the Catholic Church. 

The shrine, with an estimated cost of more than $40 million, was dedicated and the public was allowed into the shrine church and chapel for the first time. Thousands of people, including more than 35 Catholic bishops from across the country; Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the U.S. from the Vatican and a group of clergy and lay people from Guatemala.

The priest's remains, minus his heart, which is still in Guatemala, had previously been buried at the cemetery of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Okarche after his death in 1981. His body was taken from the Okarche cemetery in 2017 for a required examination as part of the canonization process. Rother's remains were temporarily buried at Resurrection Memorial Cemetery at that time before being exhumed on Sunday to be taken to Our Lady's Cathedral, and later, the shrine.

A vespers service celebrated by Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, was standing-room-only.

Many people came from around Oklahoma and the U.S.A to pray and honor Rother.

About the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine 

In 2007, the Cause for Canonization for then Father Stanley Rother was opened. In June 2015, the Vatican in Rome voted to formally recognize Oklahoma’s Father Stanley Rother a martyr. The determination of martyrdom was a critical step in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City’s Cause to have Father Rother beatified, the final stage before canonization as a saint. On Dec. 1, 2016, Pope Francis officially recognized Father Rother as a martyr for the faith. He is the first martyr from the United States and the first U.S.-born priest to be beatified. The Rite of Beatification was held on Sept. 23, 2017, in downtown Oklahoma City – an event attended by more than 20,000 people from around the world.
Standing as a beacon of faith and a visible sign of the Church’s presence in Oklahoma, the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine will be a resource for the entire archdiocese. The shrine will welcome pilgrims from throughout Oklahoma, the United States and beyond.
The shrine church will be designed in the Spanish mission style, mirroring Blessed Stanley’s church in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala, Saint James the Apostle Catholic Church.
Above and beyond the archdiocesan campaign to build the shrine church, chapel and ministry facilities, we are building the Blessed Stanley Rother Pilgrim Center and Museum. The pilgrim center will be the first arrival point upon reaching the shrine and the pathway for pilgrims to reach the main church and chapel.
Inside the 6,000-square-foot facility, pilgrims will find an orientation room with a video documentary, a gift shop and a museum.
The museum will highlight the story of Blessed Stanley Rother’s life and mission. It will feature artifacts from every stage of his life and provide information about his martyrdom and beatification. Perhaps, one day, it also will contain information related to his canonization!
In addition to the shrine church, the shrine grounds will feature a two-story ministry building to respond to the religious education needs of the growing Catholic community. This building will provide much-needed classroom and gathering space, administrative offices and additional space for gatherings, receptions and retreats for pilgrims visiting the shrine.Hundreds gathered tonight for Vespers and an all-night vigil for Blessed Stanley Rother at The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. His casket will lie in state until 5 a.m Monday. #blessedstanleyrother pic.twitter.com/fziPDxllyN

— Archdiocese of Oklahoma City (@ArchOKC) February 13, 2023