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February 23, 2023Two days and eight hours after Theresa Hohenberger and Marilyn Freund climbed into a sedan in Atlantic, Iowa, (halfway between Omaha and Des Moines) they were standing among the 1,000 faithful waiting outside to get a seat to the dedication Mass of the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine in Oklahoma City.
Beginning at 5 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 17, the first pilgrims arrived to claim a spot in a line that grew throughout the morning to reach the west end of the plaza back to Tepeyac Hill along Shields Boulevard and curving north.
People traveled from across Oklahoma, the United States and from Guatemala where Blessed Stanley Rother served in a mission before being martyred during a violent civil war in 1981. His heart is still enshrined there.
While the shrine church filled with guests, those who waited outside for a seat appreciated the warm sunshine in 30-degree temperatures. Many expressed excitement and joy at being present for an historic event for the Catholic Church in the United States.
“He’s the first American-born martyr, a blessed. It’s a beautiful occasion,” Hohenberger said. “We saw Pope John Paul II in ’79 in Des Moines, so this is kind of the same, but a little bit warmer today.”
“We’re blessed to see this,” Freund added. “How often do you get to see a priest who will be a saint?”
Nearby stood Brian Stalford and other parishioners from Saint Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Del City who contributed to the campaign to build the shrine, and the Hernandez family who watched construction of the shrine as they drove by on Interstate 35.
“I missed his beatification, and I was so upset, so this time I told my boss I’m taking off, I didn’t ask! I’m just excited. It makes my heart so happy. I am already tearing up and I forgot my Kleenex!” said Olivia Hernandez from Midwest City, who plans to attend Sacred Heart Catholic Church at the shrine.
At 10:30 a.m., the doors opened, and the line of people filled the sanctuary, which accommodated nearly everyone. More than 2,000 faithful and guests filled the church and an outdoor space broadcasting the Mass on large screens.
Before the ceremony began, representatives responsible for building the shrine symbolically handed over the shrine church to Most Rev. Paul S. Coakley, Archbishop of Oklahoma City, and Father Don Wolf, rector of the shrine and pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
Once the main doors were opened, the procession began and included more than 300 participants – 37 bishops, 147 priests, 93 deacons and 12 seminarians.
The bishops, priests and deacons filled the transepts of the church with Archbishop Emeritus Eusebius Beltran, who launched the Rother Cause, and Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Pope Francis’s apostolic nuncio to the United States, seated on the front row. Members of the Rother family, including Blessed Stanley’s sister, Sister Marita Rother, sat at the front of the main pews of the sanctuary along with invited leaders and dignitaries, including Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt.
“This monumental new place of worship in South OKC will be a pilgrimage for Catholics everywhere and a spiritual home for our residents, especially our city’s thriving and fast-growing Latino community. Congratulations and thank you to Archbishop Paul Coakley and the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City for adding a new landmark to our community,” Mayor Holt posted on social media.
Following the blessing of the altar and sanctuary with Holy Water, the presentation of the Lectionary and the readings in English, Spanish and Vietnamese, Archbishop Coakley spoke in his homily about the true reason for the shrine.
“Today, we gather to dedicate a church. A church that has been built to give honor and glory to God. Yes, we honor Blessed Stanley Rother here, but none of this ultimately is about Blessed Stanley. It’s not about the beautiful art and architecture that speaks so eloquently of God’s goodness and mercy and beauty. We gather here to honor the God who created all of this and the God who is glorified in his saints. We honor Blessed Stanley because we are giving glory to God,” he said.
“(Blessed Stanley) was an ordinary guy, an ordinary man from Okarche, Oklahoma, but God chooses the ordinary. He was a good shepherd. Long before Pope Francis coined the beautiful expression, Father Rother – or as he was known in Guatemala Padre Francisco or Padre Apla’s – had already ‘taken on the smell of his sheep,’ learning the languages of his people. This man who had been asked to leave seminary because he couldn’t master ecclesiastical Latin, mastered Spanish and a rather obscure and rare Mayan dialect called Tzʼutujil. I wish we could submit that as a miracle!”
Archbishop Coakley used his homily to reach out to families and young men in Oklahoma and beyond who may feel called to a heroic, impactful and radical life as a priest, with Blessed Stanley’s fidelity to his calling and the Holy Spirit as inspiration.
He reminded those in attendance that Blessed Stanley now needs a verified miracle to be considered for sainthood.
“It is our responsibility, it’s our privilege to work to make Blessed Stanley Rother better known to spread his cult as we call it in the Church, to increase devotion to him. And it shouldn’t be hard. The more we know about his life, (the more) we find in Stanley Rother a very attractive figure, so relatable, a real every man,” he said.
“I hope we will bring him all of our needs, those of our families, our parishioners, and ask his heavenly intercession in the presence of God, before the throne of Christ. Ask with confidence, ask with boldness. If you need a special favor, a healing, a miracle, remember so does Blessed Stanley.”
As with all dedications of churches, the shrine’s altar and walls were anointed with sacred chrism oil, the altar and the church were incensed, the linens were placed and the candles lit.
Communion was distributed throughout the sanctuary and outside before Archbishop Coakley inaugurated the tabernacle with the new ciborium.
At the end of Mass, most of the faithful remained to pray and to visit the chapel where Blessed Stanley is entombed. The chapel was dedicated on Feb. 13 with priests from the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa.
Sister Raphael Marie with the Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ from the Diocese of Amarillo was among those who stayed after Mass.
“I’ve never seen the dedication of a church and it was so moving. I was moved to tears, and also just Blessed Stanley Rother’s story and his love for the people. He’s a saint of the people, a saint for modern day. It’s so important to bring people into a personal relationship with Jesus and through the gifts of the Holy Spirit and that’s what Blessed Stanley Rother did, he brought people the love of Jesus. I’m so inspired by his story.”
The pilgrim center and museum, which features personal belongings of Blessed Stanley and tells the story of the Oklahoma farm boy turned missionary priest and martyr, remained open.
The shrine church provides Mass daily in English and Spanish, and the first pilgrims arrived at the shrine at 9 a.m. the next morning from Nebraska. On Feb. 19, a special Mass was celebrated by Most Rev. Gonzalo Villa, Archbishop of Santiago de Guatemala, for the Guatemalan people of Oklahoma City and for those who traveled from Santiago Atitlan where Blessed Stanley was pastor of Saint James the Apostle Catholic Church.
“Pilgrims will travel from near and far to visit this holy site to pray and to rededicate their lives to God,” said Leif Arvidson, executive director of the shrine. “We pray that, through the time they spend here learning and praying, they will come to know and to love Christ even more.”
Diane Clay is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.
“We’re excited! This is such a historic event, and we’re glad we could bring our kids here.”
Kristi and Joseph Powell
Saint Joseph Catholic Church
Norman
“This is so big, especially for us here in Oklahoma. I’m so excited, just being here right now and having a chance to be inside. I’m just super excited and it’s a blessing to be a part of it.”
Alicia Rios
Saint Joseph Catholic Church
Norman
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”
Izzy Rios
Saint Joseph Catholic Church
Norman
“This is so incredible! If I had to describe it to a non-religious person, I’d tell them it’s like going to Disney World! He’s not a celebrity, he’s a regular person … I mean, this could be all of us! His choice to say ‘yes’ to the Lord and continue to walk with him … this could be all of us. The fact that we’re all coming together for this is really quite incredible.”
Nora Duggan
Lubbock, Texas
“We came in from Tulsa last night and stayed at a hotel. We were here as soon as they would let us in, and we’ve been waiting in line since. Oh, it’s so exciting! We were in Oklahoma City five years ago for the beatification and we decided we had to be here for this too!”
Tonya Marlow
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux Catholic Church
Tulsa
“I’m just excited. I was born and raised Catholic, and I think it’s very poignant and important that we’re here and it’s certainly a mark in history for our faith. Being Hispanic as well, the impact that this church is going to have is important for the community and I am excited to see how it’s going to grow and I’m excited to be a part of its origin.”
Jennifer Hixson
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Oklahoma City
“I work in oil and gas and my company drilled a well right outside Okarche, and I started hearing a lot about Blessed Stanley Rother. After learning more and more about him, I just knew I had to come to this!”
Cindy Marhanka
Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church
Dallas, Texas
“Seeing thousands of people come together to support Blessed Stanley’s cause is absolutely beautiful. I mean, look at how one small town farm boy has united us, not just Catholics but people of all faiths!”
Lacey Dale
Albuquerque, NM
“I had never been to a church dedication, so seeing this in and of itself was so moving! Seeing the anointing of the altar and the lighting of the tabernacle candle were such spiritual and moving moments. The procession of so many priests, bishops, etc., and gathering of so many faithful … it brought tears to my eyes. Then, adding that it is a shrine to Blessed Stanley Rother added to the wonder of it all. It was a beautiful, moving, spiritual day that I will never forget!”
Annie Jones
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux Catholic Church
Tulsa
Quotes compiled by Sally Linhart, freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.
Photo: Chris Porter/Sooner Catholic.
Clck HERE to see more photos.
