“One Church, Many Disciples” capital campaign surpasses first goal

Funds will build Rother shrine, strengthen parishes & ministries
 
OKLAHOMA CITY – Archbishop Paul S. Coakley announced on Tuesday that the “One Church, Many Disciples” capital campaign has surpassed its $65 million original minimum goal. The campaign is raising funds in the archdiocese’s 107 Catholic churches in central and western Oklahoma to build a shrine for Blessed Stanley Rother, strengthen parishes and schools, bolster ministries and create endowments for the future.
 
“I have been grateful and humbled by the generosity of families across the archdiocese who have supported this historic campaign,” Archbishop Coakley said. “We have been blessed to have the powerful witness of Blessed Stanley to help guide us as we build upon his legacy for future generations.”
 
Blessed Stanley, a priest from Okarche, Okla., was murdered in 1981 while serving as a missionary in Guatemala. He was declared a martyr by Pope Francis on Dec. 1, 2016, and was beatified on Sept. 23, 2017. He is the first U.S. martyr and the first U.S.-born priest to be beatified.
 
A shrine for Blessed Stanley will be built on SE 89 between Interstate 35 and Shields Boulevard in south Oklahoma City. The shrine will include a 2,000-seat church, a chapel, ministry and classroom buildings, a museum and a pilgrim center. When completed, the shrine will be the largest Catholic church in Oklahoma. It will be visible and accessible from I-35 and is intended to serve as a welcoming symbol of the Catholic Church in Oklahoma.
 
It is anticipated the shrine will bring thousands of visitors every year to Oklahoma from across the country and beyond. In addition to serving as the final resting place of Blessed Stanley, the shrine will serve as the center of ministry for the Hispanic Catholic community in Oklahoma City and will host large celebrations and liturgies for the archdiocese.
 
In addition to the shrine for Blessed Stanley, funds from the “One Church, Many Disciples” campaign will be used to strengthen local church communities, renovate The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, support evangelization efforts, create endowments for faith formation and provide retirement for senior priests.
 
The campaign has received 63 leadership gifts ranging from $100,000 to $7.5 million. One-third of the church communities have completed the campaign; 34 are actively conducting the campaign; and the final 32 will begin the campaign in January. To date, 39 churches in the archdiocese have surpassed their individual parish goals.
 
Due to the extraordinary success of the campaign, Archbishop Coakley recently announced a challenge goal of $80 million. The additional funds will go to the same ministries outlined in the original campaign “case for support.”
 
For more information about the “One Church, Many Disciples” campaign, go online to onechurchmanydisciples.org.
 
Architectural renderings:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/rv2o2ez93way402/AAAOUe1cxL7-Rmo90_TOMooma?dl=0
 
Images of Blessed Stanley Rother: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/shk6deeryct695x/AADjhwa4FvqmCu6yWrn7ixE4a?dl=0
 
Images of Rother Beatification:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gn2904wbzcvvd96/AABAHUTYWG8DbSLiixmpmLYYa?dl=0
 
 
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