Redland Catholic

Cause for Canonization of Fr. Stanley Rother

The cause for canonization of Father Stanley Francis Rother will be officially begin October 5, 2007. 

At 7 p.m on October 5, 2007, Archbishop Eusebius Beltran will celebrate Mass at Holy Trinity Church, Fr. Rother's home parish in Okarche Oklahoma.  Immediately afterwards he will commission the Canonizaton Committee for the Cause of Saitnhood for Reverend Stanley Francis Rother.   

More details on the Archdiocese of OKC's Fr. Stanley Rother page and here.

This is an important step in a long process.  Here is the prayer approved by Archbishop Beltran for Fr. Rother's cause:

Heavenly Father,
source of all holiness,
in every generation you raise up
men and women heroic in love and service.

You have blessed your Church
with the life of Stanley Rother,
priest, missionary, and martyr.
Through his prayer, his preaching,
his presence, and his pastoral love,
you revealed Your love and Your presence
with us as Shepherd.

If it be Your will,
may he be proclaimed
by the universal church
as martyr and saint,
living now in your presence
and interceding for us all.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen

More on Stanley Rother

Well, apparently newsok.com removed the feature on Fr. Stanley Rother last night after I posted.  Here are the links to the newsok.com articles about him:

http://www.newsok.com/article/2774909/

http://www.newsok.com/article/2774908/

http://www.newsok.com/more/photos/?gallery_id=2004

http://www.newsok.com/article/2774551/

*Update* Added image of Sacred Heart - an apt portrayal of "The heart of a martyr."

Click below for other links. (Image Source)

The Shepherd Cannot Run at the First Sign of Danger

July 28th marks the 25th anniversary of the murder of Oklahoma misisonary priest Father Stanley Rother.  A collection of his letters published in 1984 reveal the kind of priest he was. 

As I was reading the book, I was struck by the contrast between the mundane descriptions of life at the mission and the chilling accounts of violence (perpetrated by the right-wing government and leftist guerrillas alike).  Most of his letters mention things like the goings-on at the mission, what he had for lunch, why his dinner was burned, how the farm is doing, or the latest construction project.  Then they go on to describe the latest kidnappings, murders, or missing persons.  He closes most of his letters by asking for prayers for his safety.  Fr. Rother didn't want people to worry about him, especially his parents.  In September, 1980, however, he wrote a letter to Archbishop Salatka clearly outlining the dangers he was facing.  He was concerned not about himself, but about his associate pastor,  a native of the area, and needed the Archbishop's help in obtaining a visa for him.

The Oklahoma Gazette has an interesting article about him, and NewsOK.com has been featuring him this week (scroll down and you'll find it on the left-hand sidebar).

Here are a few quotes from his letters:

"What can we do but our work, keep our heads down, preach the gospel of love and non-violence, etc."

Preparing for the arrival of a group of nuns -"I put down linoleum in the new kitchen and dining room...I put in some cabinets and installed a sink..."

"I still don't want to abandon my flock when wolves are making random attacks."

"The people were terrorized and hundreds took refuge in the Church at night...We had a couple guys stay with us at night too to keep watch..."

"Those taken in Atitlan are now 10."

"A nice compliment was given to me recently...'Father is defending the people'."

"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."

"The prayer from last Sunday's (3rd Sunday of Advent) gospel meant a lot to me. 'And the poor have the good news preached to them.'  So be it."

"For these 11 that are gone, there are eight widows and 32 children..."

Archbishop Beltran on Father Stanley Rother

Archbishop Beltran is currently leading a pilgrimage to Santiago Atitlan.  Here is an excerpt from the Archbishop's Homily published in the Sooner Catholic July 9th:

Today as we celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the death of Father Rother, I invite you to pray for his canonization.  I am personally convinced that Father Rother was a martyr and therefore is now in heaven with God.  However, that is only my own personal conviction.  It is our Holy Father, the Pope alone, acting on behalf of the Universal Catholic Church, who can officially and authentically declare him a saint.  For this reason, I have authorized a special short prayer petitioning for the canonization of Father Stanley Rother.  I have brought this prayer card to distribute to you at this Mass.  Therefore, those of you who have already received a prayer card are invited to join me now:

Heavenly Father,
source of all holiness,
in every generation you raise up
men and women heroic in love and service.

You have blessed your Church
with the life of Stanley Rother,
priest, missionary, and martyr.
Through his prayer, his preaching,
his presence, and his pastoral love,
you revealed Your love and Your presence
with us as Shepherd.

If it be Your will,
may he be proclaimed
by the universal church
as martyr and saint,
living now in your presence
and interceding for us all.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen

Oklahoma Saint?

Anastasia reports on the memorial Mass held yesterday in Okarche for Fr. Stanley Rother, a missionary priest from Oklahoma serving in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala.  He was murdered during the early morning hours in his rectory on July 28, 1981.  This must have happened just before my family moved back to Oklahoma the summer between my first and second grade years, because I don't remember hearing about it on the news.  While I do remember hearing about him quite often from then on (my parents sent me to Catholic schools) I don't think I ever learned much about him until recently.  See my link to Anastasia's article and to the Archdiocese's web page for more about him.  Jimmy Akin's blog featured a blurb about him yesterday that addressed one of my concerns: he was not interested in liberation theology.  In fact, he was one of the more conservative priests among the others serving in the area.  Some of the comments on his post are interesting - what criteria must be met for a person to be a martyr?  This is beyond my ability to answer.  This article at newsok.com also features highlights from the memorial Mass last night.   I am going to try and get a copy of a book of his letters compiled by Father David Monahan to read more about him.  Based on the small amount of biographical information I have read, he had a deep love for the people of Santiago Atitlan.  My archdiocese has opened the cause for his canonization.  I will post more if I can find more about him as the anniversary of his death approaches.