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September 19, 2019Archbishop Coakley on Sept. 6 officially signed the contract with The Boldt Company of Oklahoma City to build the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine. The signing comes two months before the groundbreaking ceremony, which will be Sunday, Nov. 3.
“The shrine will be a place of welcome, serving all people in our community and pilgrims from around the world,” Archbishop Coakley said. “The Boldt Company recognizes that this project is about much more than constructing a building; it is a labor of faith and devotion to honor one of our own. To better understand Blessed Stanley’s life and martyrdom, a representative from Boldt accompanied me to Guatemala this summer to walk where Blessed Stanley walked and to meet the people he loved and served. I am excited to include them in this celebration.”
Representing Boldt at Friday’s signing were Tony Yanda, director of operations, Chris Holmes, preconstruction manager, and Tina Fairless, marketing manager.
“Boldt is humbled and blessed to be a part of something so sacred and inspirational that will honor Blessed Stanley and those he served. We look forward to our partnership with the archdiocese to ensure the shrine is built with excellence,” Yanda said.
The shrine is being built to honor Blessed Stanley Rother, the first martyr from the United States and the first U.S.-born priest ever beatified by the Catholic Church. It will be a place of pilgrimage where the faithful will come to honor Blessed Stanley at his final resting place.
The $40 million shrine is the signature element of the first-ever capital campaign for the archdiocese, “One Church, Many Disciples.” The site will include a 2,000-seat church, a chapel where Blessed Stanley will be buried, an education building, an event space and several areas designated for shrines and devotion. The site will be developed over time.
Along with the Spanish colonial-style church – which will be the largest Catholic Church in Oklahoma – an additional element will be a museum and pilgrim center, which will be an additional $5 million. The center will welcome thousands of visitors each year to an experience that leads them through the life, witness and martyrdom of Blessed Stanley.
The church will host many large diocesan events and will help accommodate the growing Hispanic population whose parishes are significantly overcrowded.
The design architect for the project is Franck & Lohsen Architects in Washington D.C. They are supported by local architectural firm ADG. The general contractor is The Boldt Company with Cooper Project Advisors serving as the owner’s representative.
The groundbreaking event will be 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the future site of the shrine. The event will include kid and family activities and is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.
To sign up for updates on the shrine, view a video tour or to give a gift to the Catholic Foundation of Oklahoma’s Blessed Stanley Rother Endowment Fund, go online to archokc.org/shrine or call (405) 709-2745.
Media members wanting to cover the groundbreaking, must go online to archokc.org/mediacredentials to sign up. For further questions, contact Diane Clay at dclay@archokc.org.
Diane Clay is editor of the Sooner Catholic.
