“The shepherd cannot run”

A Christmas letter from Bl. Stanley Rother

Each year, Blessed Stanley sent a Christmas letter for publication in the two Oklahoma newspapers: The Sooner Catholic of Oklahoma City and the Eastern Oklahoma Catholic of Tulsa. This unusually frank and haunting letter places side-by-side feelings of Christmas cheer with the violence happening to the people of Santiago Atitlán.

Merry Christmas! Peace in 1981!

May this holiday season be one of peace and love for all our friends. This year of 1980 has indeed been different here in our parish in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala. The pre-Lent and Lenten seasons were normal. We suspended baptisms during all of Lent and gave the catechists an intensive course on the sacrament, the responsibility of both the parents and godparents etc. Parents and godparents are now given a lot more preparation and it is done by zones in town.       
    
We had the pleasure of having Cliff and Gertrude Sousa of Bartlesville here for Holy Week and two weeks after Easter. They contributed their talents to various necessities such as maintenance and painting and also had time to take lots of pictures and watch the local ceremonies. We appreciate their efforts to tell about our work here in the 3-part series in the “Eastern Okla. Catholic” and their talks and slide shows to varied groups. Also during the summer, Sisters Charlotte Rohr and Marian Wilson spent six weeks in the missions and we thank them for their help in the baptism index and getting the altar linens better organized. 

The retableau was finished on schedule but the pictures and article that I promised haven't been realized. I guess I am waiting for an expert such as Fr. Monahan to come down here and do the job for me. Don’t you have a vacation planned in this direction in the near future? 

The parish hall is still in limbo, has not yet surfaced. We have bought the steel structure, have ordered and paid for the doors and windows, and have much of the steel we need, but haven't actually started building. We presented a petition to Adveniat (German bishops), and they promised us $22,000 and have given us the first half of the money. We are just not sure what to do with our present situation.

In most areas it is generally difficult to get the services of religious. In early May I had the pleasant surprise of a group of religious that actually came and asked for a place to work. After some quick arrangements and stretching the permission a little, they moved into their convent in early September. They are seven professed Indian Sisters, Missionary Carmelites of St. Teresa, along with a Mexican Sister and a Guatemalan as directors. Most of their work will be with the women, girls, the sick, alphabetization, catechism, liturgical music, banners, etc. The Sisters have been victims of local thieves already, twice. Once the thief actually crawled thru a first-floor window into the Chapel. The convent and rectory are gradually being made more secure and are getting to look like a maximum security complex.

I am sure that many of you have heard rumors and saw articles about our area during the past month or two. Some is true, sad to say, some exaggerated, some false and some that hasn't been told. The purported reason for the presence of the army in our immediate area is to drive out and protect us from communist guerrillas. But there aren't any around here. A group did come into town in early June for about 2 hours and made some promises to those who were around. There seemed to be interest on the part of some in their presence here. So far we have ten men that have disappeared. The director of the radio was one of the first and then later the station was broken into and looted. There is no set pattern for those being taken. In our town are a number of informers who are paid by the authorities to be spies etc. They are paid for names turned in if these are later captured. The denunciations are sometimes because of envy, vengeance or just downright greed. A good friend of mine just happened to be in the wrong place when several others were picked up. He left a wife and three children. The wife and one child have active TB and the baby is only six-weeks-old. Another man left seven children. The Sisters, the other priest and myself have not been threatened. My associate has felt that he has been followed etc. but no direct threats. We have to be careful where we go and what we say to anyone. A nice compliment was given to me recently when a supposed leader in the Church and town was complaining that “Father is defending the people.” He wants me deported for my sin. 

This is one of the reasons I have for staying in the face of physical harm. The shepherd cannot run at the first sign of danger. Pray for us that we may be a sign of the love of Christ for our people, that our presence among them will fortify them to endure these sufferings in preparation for the coming of the Kingdom. Thanks to all for your support and prayers for us in the past weeks and months, 

“Peace”
Stanley F. Rother