On Sept. 23, 2017, Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, celebrated the Rite of Beatification for Blessed Stanley Rother during a Beatification Mass in downtown Oklahoma City. Blessed Stanley Rother is the first martyr for the United States and the first U.S.-born priest to be beatified.

In Saint Ann Retirement Center’s grand theater, a crowd of more than 75 gathered on Aug. 13 to hear the story of a modern miracle. Father Marvin Leven, an Oklahoma retired priest, and Sandra Rother McGougan, related the 1992 story of Father Stanley Rother’s healing intercession. McGougan said on that July 3, she was stricken by a mysterious brain ailment; her mother, Kay Rother, received a call that Sandra had suddenly fallen ill and was taken to a nearby hospital.

The church of Saint James the Apostle in Guatemala houses a small chapel dedicated to Blessed Stanley Rother. Next to the chapel is a small room where residents of this poor community receive the blessing of improved eyesight.

All 11 Courts of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas (CDA) were represented at the annual Oklahoma state workshop held Aug. 18 at the Catholic Pastoral Center in Oklahoma City. This year’s workshop theme was titled, “Lessons from a Cupcake.”

“Callings come when we least expect them,” began Jim Caviezel, during a recent talk at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. Before an audience of more than 700 people, Caviezel shared his testimony of adoption and redemption throughout his personal and professional life.

This is the story of a Lawton denizen: a nun, a pianist, a music director, a teacher, a believer, a life-long learner, and a dear friend to many. When contacted for an interview, she was shocked. “Why would you want to write a story about me? Why don’t you write a story about Jesus? I haven’t done a lot.”

The introduction says, “This book is for you,” and it is speaking to the Catholic boys and girls for whom it is written. The book is “The Catholic Faith from A to Z” by Sophie de Mullenheim with illustrations by Madeleine Brunelet. Children and their parents will find many hours of joyful learning between its covers.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Turning an archaeological discovery into an appealing, informative site for tourists takes more than just digging interesting remains and ruins out of the dirt. That's why experts from the Vatican Museums and the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology turned to a string of outside professionals to help spiff up a site unearthed near the Basilica of St. Paul's Outside the Walls 11 years ago.