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September 12, 2024The Oklahoma State Department of Health recently gifted the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine a unique relic – a delayed birth certificate signed by Blessed Stanley himself. This document, now a second-class relic, was issued before his mission to Guatemala and has been entrusted to the shrine as it ages out of the state’s system.
The certificate details how in 1963, Blessed Stanley Rother applied for a delayed birth record due to challenges in locating his original document. After providing necessary evidence, including a mother’s affidavit, baptismal certificate and medical record, the delayed certificate was created and signed by Stanley F. Rother.
State Commissioner of Health Keith Reed emphasized the document's historical significance, expressing confidence in the archdiocese’s preservation of this piece of history.
“For this reason, the State of Oklahoma State Department of Health is releasing the original delayed record to the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City,” Reed said.
Natasha Seymour, archivist for the archdiocese, coordinated the donation and expressed gratitude for the state's recognition of the document's importance.
"I think it's wonderful that we have partners at the State Department of Health who recognized the importance of this document and found it appropriate to entrust us with the safety of Blessed Stanley Rother's delayed birth certificate,” Seymour said. “Every document of Blessed Stanley's life allows us to see a clearer picture of the man that means so much to all of us."
The shrine offers the faithful and pilgrims a tangible connection to Blessed Stanley Rother’s legacy, and this relic will be another method by which to do that. The Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine and the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City will preserve the document as a testament to the hometown reality of Blessed Stanley’s journey and unwavering faith.
