Bl. Stanley Rother Shrine dedication week rescheduled for February

Tepeyac Hill blessing and dedication Dec. 12


OKLAHOMA CITY – Archbishop Paul Coakley on Aug. 22 announced the rescheduling of the Mass and dedication of the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine to Friday, Feb. 17, to ensure all non-construction items are ready, and necessary staff members are in place for the shrine to open immediately following the dedication. 

The blessing of Tepeyac Hill on the northwest corner of the shrine campus to Our Lady of Guadalupe and Saint Juan Diego will be celebrated Dec. 12, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

“I am thankful The Boldt Company and contractors will be meeting their deadlines this fall, giving us ample time to ensure the shrine, museum and pilgrim center will be open to the public the day of the dedication,” Archbishop Coakley said. “This is a once in a lifetime project and we want it to be ready to properly serve our Catholic community, especially our growing Hispanic population, and to welcome pilgrims from around the world on Day 1. It will be worth the wait!”

The dedication of the shrine church originally was scheduled for Nov. 4. All festivities, Masses and the vigil with Blessed Stanley’s casket at The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help that were originally scheduled the week before the dedication will move to the week of Feb. 12. More details of the events will be available on social media, in the Sooner Catholic newspaper and in parish bulletins.

The first Masses at the shrine campus for Sacred Heart Catholic Church will be the weekend of Feb. 18-19. Weekend Masses will continue at the Shartel location of Historic Sacred Heart until February and continuing after the shrine opens.

Shrine rector Father Don Wolf said his parishioners are preparing for their move to the new location and are excited to begin celebrating Mass in the new shrine.

“It became clear we needed more time once construction was completed to get the shrine, the museum and the parish offices ready to go. This will be a magnificent place of pilgrimage for generations of people who will come to honor Blessed Stanley and glorify God,” Father Wolf said. “Taking an extra few months to get this perfect is the right thing to do.”

The shrine is named for Blessed Stanley Rother (ROW-THER), an Okarche farmer who in 1963 became a priest of what was then the Diocese of Oklahoma City and Tulsa and served as a missionary in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala. In 1981, Father Rother was murdered in his rectory during a violent civil war. The perpetrators have never been caught. In 2016, Pope Francis declared him a martyr for the faith – the first recognized Catholic martyr from the United States. He was beatified in 2017 in Oklahoma City.    

The $50 million shrine and pilgrim center and grounds is the signature element of the first-ever capital campaign for the archdiocese – One Church, Many Disciples. The site eventually will include the 2,000-seat church, a chapel where Blessed Stanley will be entombed, an education building, an event space and several areas designated for shrines and devotion. The site will be developed over time. 

“This amazing church will serve as a beacon for anyone who passes by or visits or worships here. In this church, we endeavor to show Christ, to exalt Christ, and to manifest Christ to his people. The dedication will be an exciting event for the Catholic faithful and for the people of Oklahoma,” said Leif Arvidson, executive director of the shrine.

Along with the Spanish colonial-style church – which will be the largest Catholic Church in Oklahoma – additional elements at the shrine site will be a Tepeyac Hill and a museum and pilgrim center. Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City is where Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Saint Juan Diego in 1531. Statues of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Saint Juan Diego will be placed on top of the hill. The pilgrim center and museum 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 in Oklahoma City with Cooper Project Advisors serving as the owner’s representative.  

For more details and updates on dedication events, visit archokc.org/shrinededication. For more information about the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine, visit rothershrine.org.