{"id":4671,"date":"2010-07-21T22:19:20","date_gmt":"2010-07-21T22:19:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/deaconsbench\/2010\/07\/a-saint-for-oklahoma.html"},"modified":"2010-07-21T22:19:20","modified_gmt":"2010-07-21T22:19:20","slug":"a-saint-for-oklahoma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2010\/07\/a-saint-for-oklahoma.html","title":{"rendered":"A saint for Oklahoma?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A priest some consider a modern martyr is on the path to sainthood.<\/p>\n

Fr. Stanley Rother was murdered in Guatemala nearly 30 years ago, and his cause has now been sent to Rome.<\/p>\n

From Zenit: <\/a><\/p>\n

\nFather Rother (1935-1981) was a priest of the Oklahoma City Archdiocese sent in 1968 to work in a Guatemala mission supported by the Oklahoma local Church since four years before.<\/p>\n

\"Fr-Rother-2.gif\"<\/a><\/span>He served as pastor of the Santiago Atitlan parish, working with the indigenous Tzutuhil people. He translated the New Testament into their language, and regularly celebrated the liturgy in their tongue.<\/p>\n

At age 46, on July 28, 1981, he was killed amid the social unrest in Guatemala under a dictatorship that resulted in many people losing their lives in defense of the faith. He was shot by unknown assailants in the rectory of his church.<\/p>\n

Father Rother of course knew his life was in danger in Guatemala, but he chose to stay with his people anyway. In total, he served there for more than a dozen years.<\/p>\n

In fact, a few months before his murder, Father Rother returned to Oklahoma after having been told he was on a “death list.” He spent time with his family, helping his parents on the family farm. He had a portrait of himself made for them. On Sundays, he would help with Masses.<\/p>\n

But after just a few weeks in Oklahoma, he told his archbishop, “My people need me. I can’t stay away from them any longer.” And he returned to Guatemala.<\/p>\n

He took more precautions than ever before, changing his bedroom in the rectory to a downstairs room with a heavy door.<\/p>\n

But the conflict was intense. Just a few days before his murder, a statement from Guatemalan bishops was read at Sunday Masses, in which the prelates publicly denounced a plan to silence the Church. They decried the government’s inaction in investigating the murder of nine priests and hundred of catechists.<\/p>\n

Two weeks later, Father Rother was added to that number; he was shot twice in the head.<\/p>\n

When his father was told about the priest’s death, he responded: “We are real proud of him. He felt his people needed him and he went back.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Read more at the link.<\/a> <\/p>\n

After his death, his body was buried in Oklahoma but, at the request of his parishioners in Santiago Atitlan, his heart and his blood were buried in Guatemala.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A priest some consider a modern martyr is on the path to sainthood. Fr. Stanley Rother was murdered in Guatemala nearly 30 years ago, and his cause has now been sent to Rome. From Zenit: Father Rother (1935-1981) was a priest of the Oklahoma City Archdiocese sent in 1968 to work in a Guatemala mission…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hanging-with-saints"],"yoast_head":"\nA saint for Oklahoma? - The Deacon's Bench<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2010\/07\/a-saint-for-oklahoma.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A saint for Oklahoma? - The Deacon's Bench\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A priest some consider a modern martyr is on the path to sainthood. 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