Each year, on July 28, the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, the Diocese of Tulsa, the Diocese of Little Rock, Ark., and parishes in the Diocese of Sololá in Guatemala celebrate the feast day of Blessed Stanley Rother.

The day is celebrated with festivals and a special Mass at the Bl. Stanley Rother Shrine in Oklahoma City and Bl. Stanley's childhood parish of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Okarche, Okla. His feast day also is celebrated in his mission parish of Saint James the Apostle in Santiago Atitlan and the parish of Saint Martin de Tours in Cerro de Oro. 

The feast day marks the anniversary of Blessed Stanley's murder in his rectory in Guatemala during a bloody civil war in the country in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Blessed Stanley was killed July 28, 1981. While Blessed Stanley feared for his life, he did not want to leave the parishioners he loved, saying "A shepherd cannot run at the first sign of danger."

Learn more about Blessed Stanley, his life and his martyrdom by clicking here. Find out more about the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine by clicking here and follow the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine Facebook page here. 

Mass for the Feast Day of Blessed Stanley Rother will be celebrated at 6 p.m. Friday, July 28 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 211 West Missouri in Okarche. 

Mass for the Feast Day of Blessed Stanley Rother will be celebrated at 7 p.m. Friday, July 28 at the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine, 700 S.E. 89  in Oklahoma City.



Blessed Stanley Rother Feast Day Week 2023

The Feast Day for Blessed Stanley Rother is July 28. There will be a week of activities at the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine to commemorate the Shepherd Who Didn’t Run.

In addition to the Feast Day schedule, daily Mass will be celebrated at 12:15 p.m. Monday – Saturday, and tours in English and Spanish will be available 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29. 

Evening prayers in honor of Blessed Stanley Rother are at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 25 (Spanish) and Wednesday, July 26 (English). 

The family day and picnic will include games, a puppet show, bounce houses and more! 

The evening prayers at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 25 (Spanish) and the Feast Day Mass at 7 p.m. Friday, July 28 at the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine will be live-streamed. 

Read Fr. Don Wolf's latest "From the Amen Corner" column! He talks about the events for the 2023 Blessed Stanley Rother Feast Day week and about his cousin, Blessed Stanley Rother. Click HERE to read the column.

Click HERE for more information about Feast Day events.