BLESSED STANLEY ROTHER SHRINE COMPLEX
$39.5 MILLION or more

To honor Oklahoma’s native son, the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine will serve as his final resting place. The Shrine will include a 2,000-seat church, chapel for devotional prayer, religious education classrooms, and large indoor and outdoor ministry facilities.

Once constructed, the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine will be the largest Catholic church in Oklahoma, allowing for large diocesan events such as ordinations, the Rite of Election, high school graduations, and other events!

The new facilities will also serve the growing Hispanic community. Masses at Sacred Heart, Saint James the Greater, Little Flower and other nearby parishes serving the community are overflowing. Masses at the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine will help alleviate this overcrowding and will be celebrated in both English and Spanish. Located near the crossroads of America, just south of l-40 and I-35, the shrine will serve as a strong, visible and welcoming presence of the Catholic Church in Oklahoma.

BLESSED STANLEY ROTHER ENDOWMENT FUND

The campaign will add funds to the Catholic Foundation of Oklahoma’s Blessed Stanley Rother Endowment Fund to provide ongoing support for the maintenance and operations of the Shrine and related ministries. Revenue generated from the endowment will supplement weekly offertory collections, gifts, and purchases by Shrine visitors.
 

A CHURCH FOR ALL

Standing as a beacon of faith and a visible sign of the Church’s presence in Oklahoma, the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine Complex will be a resource for the whole archdiocese. It will welcome people from across central and western Oklahoma as well as visitors and pilgrims from around the world.

The church at the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine is designed in the Spanish mission style, echoing
Blessed Stanley’s church in Santiago Atitlán.

"The Church is a sign and instrument of the unity God intends for the human race. As such the Church is a people gathered together into the unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to share in the
very holiness of God, who is love.”

-Archbishop Paul S. Coakley

MINISTRY BUILDING

In addition to the church, the Shrine complex 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 an event hall to host large archdiocesan gatherings, receptions, and retreats for pilgrims visiting the Shrine.
 

BLESSED STANLEY ROTHER MUSEUM AND PILGRIM CENTER - $5 MILLION or more

Above and beyond the archdiocesan campaign to build the Shrine church, chapel, and ministry facilities, we seek to build the Blessed Stanley Rother Museum and Pilgrim Center. Located on the campus of the Shrine, the goal of the museum is to tell the story of Blessed Stanley Rother’s life of missionary discipleship. The museum will serve as an archive for materials related to his life, martyrdom, and beatification. Perhaps, one day, it also will contain information related to his canonization.

The Pilgrim Center will be the first arrival point upon reaching the Blessed Stanley Rother 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, and the museum will feature artifacts from every stage of his life.

STRENGTHENING PARISHES

“The parish is the presence of the Church in a given territory, an environment for hearing God’s word, for growth in the Christian life, for dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach, worship and celebration. In all its activities, the parish encourages and trains its members to be evangelizers.”

-Pope Francis

LOCAL PARISHES - $9 MILLION or more

Strong parishes are the foundation of a thriving and vibrant Church. In local parishes, we come to know and encounter Christ in the Mass and sacraments. The parish is our spiritual home, where we experience faith through baptism, grow in love through fellowship, and serve through stewardship and ministry. Each parish experiences unique challenges and opportunities. Through the One Church, Many Disciples campaign each parish will retain 20 percent of funds it raises up to its campaign goal for local parish ministry and facility priorities. In addition, parishes will retain 50 percent of funds collected over their goals.

EMERGING PARISH FUND - $1 MILLION or more

As a growing archdiocese, we need to expand current parishes and found new parishes in areas experiencing population growth. Land in central and western Oklahoma, especially in growing urban areas, is becoming increasingly expensive. The archdiocese plans to purchase land in growth areas for future parishes before it becomes cost-prohibitive. Additionally, the fund will assist new church construction at existing parishes.

EVANGELIZATION FUND - $1 MILLION or more

Resources will be immediately available through an Evangelization Fund for special projects focused on spreading the Gospel, faith formation and discipleship. New programs will be developed to help us more effectively reach young adults and adults who have disengaged from the Church. These efforts will include ongoing discipleship, religious education, faith formation, and other leadership development programs based on principles proven to re-engage people with their faith. The goal of each project is to become self-sustaining over time.

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

-Matthew 28 :19

FAITH FORMATION

Funds raised will be added to four permanent endowments at the Catholic Foundation of Oklahoma to ensure long-term funding for ministries in four areas of faith formation. Endowment funds will grow over time through investment gains and additional gifts from donors.

Saint John Vianney Fund for Seminarian Education - $1 Million or more

The archdiocese is blessed to have 18 young men who have accepted God ‘s call to enter priestly formation. Named for the patron saint of priests, this fund will provide ongoing annual support for seminarian education.

“The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus. When you see a priest, think of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

-Saint John Vianney

Saint Thomas Aquinas Fund for Catholic Schools - $1 Million or more

The hallmark of Catholic education includes the shared values of truth, faith and reason. Catholic schools aim to educate the whole person; forming the mind, body and spirit.

“The greatest kindness one can render to [anyone] consists in leading [them] to truth.”

-Saint Thomas Aquinas

Saint John Paul II Fund for Youth, Young Adult, and Campus Ministry - $1 Million or more

This fund supports ministries to strengthen young adults and college students. A strong Church tomorrow requires today’s youth to remain active and engaged members of the Church in their adulthood.

“Dear young people, let yourselves be taken over 
by the light of Christ, and spread that light wherever you are.”

-Saint John Paul II

Saint Therese of Lisieux Fund for Catechists and Adult Discipleship - $1 Million or more

This fund will help catechists come to a deeper understanding of what it means to be Catholic and enrich adults on their journey to becoming missionary disciples.

“Above all it’s the Gospels that occupy my mind when I’m at prayer. I’m always finding fresh lights there.”

-Saint Therese of Lisieux

CATHEDRAL RENOVATION - $1.5 MILLION or more

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. It is the seat of the archbishop and the place where many important archdiocesan liturgical celebrations take place. Because the Cathedral is central to the liturgical life of the entire archdiocese, it should be a place to draw people in with its grace and beauty. Extensive repairs have been made to the roof and structure of the church. The interior of the church was water-damaged prior to the repairs and needs to be updated and revitalized. This will be a shared project with the Cathedral Parish paying for 50 percent of the costs in addition to raising its fair share of the overall archdiocesan campaign goal.

PRIESTS’ RETIREMENT - $1 MILLION or more

As good shepherds, priests dedicate their lives to the pastoral care of others. They are with us in times of joy and times of need. In their retirement, it is up to us to respond with generosity and love to ensure comfortable living arrangements and dignified care for each priest in his later years.