Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine

BLESSED STANLEY ROTHER SHRINE

BY: LINDSAY CUOMO

Now open for a year, the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine continues to welcome visitors, or pilgrims as the church calls them, to share in the story of “an ordinary Oklahoman who did extraordinary things.”

The Shrine consists of three parts: a Pilgrim Center, which houses a museum and gift shop, Tepeyac Hill, a recreation of the hill in Mexico where Mary appeared to Saint Juan Diego, and the Shrine Church and Chapel, where Blessed Stanly is reposed.

“While this is a Catholic shrine, it is for everyone,” invited Miguel Mireles, the executive director for the shrine. “We want to share the story of Blessed Stanley with everyone because it is such a great story about an ordinary man from Okarche, Oklahoma, who does extraordinary things - a man of God with a love of farming who goes to Guatemala and falls in love with the people and progresses their lives. And because of that he gave his life.”

Mireles said the shrine was built to also recognize Oklahomans and the kindness that Blessed Stanley and many fellow Oklahomans are known for.

“I am a transplant here and the people of Oklahoma are very friendly and encouraging, they want you to feel at home,” he shared. “And that is what the shrine is too, we want you to feel at home here.

“The shrine also provides is an escape from the everyday drum of the city, of life. You come onto the campus, and you are taken to a different place where you can reflect and have some time to yourself.”

The shrine is open to visitors seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. No admission is charged. Daily mass is held Monday through Saturday at 12:15 p.m. and four times on Sundays.

Mireles recommends starting your tour at the Pilgrim Center, where you’ll find an engaging museum that recounts the life of Blessed Stanley.

“When people come and spend some time here, they leave a little different, you see something different in them,” Mireles shared. “Are they going to become Catholic? I don’t know but maybe we planted a seed for them to think about what they are doing to better themselves and be more like Blessed Stanley.

“The same folks that designed the bombing memorial museum designed our museum, so it is very well done,” he shared. “It is bilingual and self-paced so you can take your time to learn about the different times in his life from his childhood in Oklahoma to his martyrdom.”

The sanctuary and chapel are beautifully designed and furnished in the style of the Spanish Colonial period and visitors are welcome to tour both spaces. While the architecture and décor can easily grab visitors’ attention, an interesting feature to look out for is underfoot.

“The Saltillo tiles were handmade in Mexico, sun dried in big fields, and because they are in a field when they were wet sometimes you can see animal tracks in them,” Mireles said.

The construction of the shrine took two and half years, which was proceeded by a multi-year fundraising effort by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.

Tepeyac Hill is a place of reflection. The gradually sloping path features native grass and plants and at the top are bronze painted statues of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego, created by Georgina Farías Nicolópulos, an artist from Mexico City, Mexico.

“Along the path, there are benches and places to stop and rest,” Mireleas said. “Curiosity gets a lot of folks, especially Tepeyac Hill. When I ask them what brought you in today, they say ‘well I have been driving by and I felt called to stop and see what this is.’ What better way to share a little bit of Oklahoma with people?”

The shrine will host events on Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, Good Friday and Easter. Another event to note, the shrine will celebrate the life and legacy of Blessed Stanley on his Feast Day on July 28. To learn more about the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine, visit rothershrine.org.– SMS

Blessed Stanley Rother

Stanley Francis Rother was born in 1935 in Okarche, Oklahoma. While in high school, he began considering the vocation of priesthood and was ordained in 1963. He served as an associate pastor for five years in Oklahoma before requesting permission to join the staff of Oklahoma diocese’s mission in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala.

While serving in Guatemala, there was a civil war between government forces and the guerrillas. During this conflict, Father Rother’s name appeared on a death list. For his safety, he returned to Oklahoma, but only for a short time.

Three months after he returned to Guatemala at his own request in 1981, he was executed.

Father Rother was formally recognized by the Vatican in Rome as martyr in 2016 and was beatified in 2017.