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Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine

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Coordinates: 35°22′33″N 97°29′52″W / 35.375699°N 97.497842°W / 35.375699; -97.497842
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Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine
Map
Location700 SE 89th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73149
United States
DenominationCatholic Church
Websitewww.rothershrine.org
History
DedicatedFebruary 17, 2023[1]
Relics heldStanley Rother
Architecture
Architect(s)Franck & Lohsen Architects[2] ADG[2]
StyleSpanish Colonial style
GroundbreakingNovember 3, 2019[3]
Specifications
Capacity2,000[2]
Nave height103 ft.[2]
Floor area35,000 sq. ft.[2]
Administration
ArchdioceseOklahoma City
Clergy
RectorFather Don Wolf[4]

The Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine is a Roman Catholic shrine dedicated to Stanley Rother, Oklahoma-born priest, missionary, and martyr. The shrine, which serves as a church, a museum, and a pilgrimage site, is located along I-35 on the south side of Oklahoma City, in the United States. In its first year of operation, the shrine saw roughly 120,000 pilgrims and visitors.[5]

History

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The 53-acre property on which the shrine now stands was previously a 9-hole golf course, which was purchased by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City in 2016.[6] After Stanley Rother was beatified (declared "Blessed") in 2017,[7] the archdiocese began the process of designing and building a shrine in his honor on the property in southern Oklahoma City.

A groundbreaking ceremony took place on November 3, 2019,[3] and construction truly began in April of 2020.[2] Work was led by Tony Yanda, senior director of operations with the project's general contractor, The Boldt Co.[2] Despite the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on construction,[8] completion of the project was only slightly delayed.[2][9]

The dedication Mass was celebrated by Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul S. Coakley on February 17, 2023, with roughly 3,000 attendees from around the world.[10] In the week leading up to the dedication, the shrine hosted a variety of milestone events, including the transfer of the body of Stanley Rother from Oklahoma City's Resurrection Memorial Cemetery to the altar of the shrine's chapel.[11] Among attendees of the dedication week's events were dozens of bishops as well as members of the Rother family, including Stanley's sister, Marita Rother.[12]

In its first year of operation, the shrine saw roughly 120,000 pilgrims and visitors.[5]

Offerings and campus

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Mass at the shrine in January 2024

The shrine currently features a 35,000 sq. ft. church, which is the largest Catholic church in the state of Oklahoma.[2] The church was built in the spanish colonial style, inspired by the parish where Stanley Rother lived, served, and died in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala.[13]

On the east side of the church is a smaller chapel, where the body of Rother rests within the altar.[13] The apse of the chapel features a mural, designed by EverGreene Studios of Brooklyn, N.Y.[13] The mural depicts Rother's arrival into heaven, where he is welcomed by Jesus Christ and a collection of other martyr-saints.[13]

Apse mural in the Chapel of the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine

In an adjacent building known as the Pilgrim Center, the shrine has a museum, dedicated to telling the story of Rother's life and legacy.[14] The museum was designed by Exhibit Concepts, who also designed the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial Museum, and includes many of Rother's belongings.[14]

Continued construction and development is planned for the shrine, including a rectory and a two-story ministry building with classrooms and space for events.[2]

Stanley Rother

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Main article: Stanley Rother

Stanley Rother was an American Roman Catholic priest from Okarche, Oklahoma who was murdered in Guatemala in 1981, where he had served as a missionary priest since 1968. In 2016, Pope Francis confirmed that Rother had died a martyr, leading to Rother's beatification on September 23, 2017, in Oklahoma City. He is the first U.S.-born priest and martyr to be beatified by the Catholic Church, and is only the second person to be beatified on American soil.[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Hinton, Carla (February 17, 2023). "The Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine is officially open. What to know". The Oklahoman. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j McNutt, Kathryn (February 16, 2023). "'LABOR OF FAITH': Rother shrine will draw the multitudes to OKC". The Journal Record. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "History of the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine". Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  4. ^ "Staff". Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Hinton, Carla (February 11, 2024). "A year later, Blessed Stanley Rother shrine offering worship, fellowship in spectacular setting". The Oklahoman. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  6. ^ Hinton, Carla (June 11, 2016). "Catholics plan to build church at south Oklahoma City golf course". The Oklahoman. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  7. ^ Ruiz Scaperlanda, Maria (September 2023). "St. Anthony Messenger: Blessed Stanley Rother". Franciscan Media. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  8. ^ Stover, Michael (2020). "Dealing With The Construction Impacts Of COVID-19". American Bar Association. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  9. ^ Raache, Hicham (August 23, 2022). "Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine dedication pushed back three months". KFOR-TV. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  10. ^ Hinton, Carla (February 17, 2023). "'A work of love by many.' Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine is dedicated in Oklahoma City". The Oklahoman. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  11. ^ Hoke, Doug (February 12, 2023). "Photos: Body of Blessed Stanley Rother moved to new shrine ahead of dedication". The Oklahoman. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  12. ^ McKeown, Jonah (February 17, 2023). "'He was a good shepherd': Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine dedicated in Oklahoma City". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  13. ^ a b c d Holt, Avery (July 13, 2023). "'A closer look at the elements of the Bl. Stanley Rother Shrine". Sooner Catholic. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  14. ^ a b "Staff". Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  15. ^ Ross Jr., Bobby (September 23, 2017). "First beatification Mass for US-born priest and martyr draws thousands". Religion News Service. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
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35°22′33″N 97°29′52″W / 35.375699°N 97.497842°W / 35.375699; -97.497842

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