Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine
| Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine | |
|---|---|
| File:Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine (Oklahoma City), April 2024.jpg | |
| Location | 700 SE 89th Street Oklahoma City, OK 73149 United States |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Website | www.rothershrine.org |
| History | |
| Dedicated | February 17, 2023[1] |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Franck & Lohsen Architects[2] ADG[2] |
| Style | Spanish Colonial style |
| Groundbreaking | November 3, 2019[3] |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 2,000[2] |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Oklahoma City |
| Clergy | |
| Rector | Father Don Wolf[4] |
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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
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
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, New York.[13] The mural depicts Rother's arrival into heaven, where he is welcomed by Jesus Christ and a collection of other martyr-saints.[13]
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
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
References
- Back to citation Hinton, Carla (February 17, 2023). "The Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine is officially open. What to know". The Oklahoman. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
- Back to citation occurrence 2.0 Back to citation occurrence 2.1 Back to citation occurrence 2.2 Back to citation occurrence 2.3 Back to citation occurrence 2.4 Back to citation occurrence 2.5 Back to citation occurrence 2.6 Back to citation occurrence 2.7 McNutt, Kathryn (February 16, 2023). "'LABOR OF FAITH': Rother shrine will draw the multitudes to OKC". The Journal Record. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
- Back to citation occurrence 3.0 Back to citation occurrence 3.1 "History of the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine". Retrieved March 1, 2023.
- Back to citation "Staff". Retrieved March 1, 2023.
- Back to citation occurrence 5.0 Back to citation occurrence 5.1 Hinton, Carla (February 11, 2024). "A year later, Blessed Stanley Rother shrine offering worship, fellowship in spectacular setting". The Oklahoman. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
- Back to citation Hinton, Carla (June 11, 2016). "Catholics plan to build church at south Oklahoma City golf course". The Oklahoman. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
- Back to citation Ruiz Scaperlanda, Maria (September 2023). "St. Anthony Messenger: Blessed Stanley Rother". Franciscan Media. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
- Back to citation Stover, Michael (2020). "Dealing With The Construction Impacts Of COVID-19". American Bar Association. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
- Back to citation Raache, Hicham (August 23, 2022). "Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine dedication pushed back three months". KFOR-TV. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
- Back to citation 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.
- Back to citation Hoke, Doug (February 12, 2023). "Photos: Body of Blessed Stanley Rother moved to new shrine ahead of dedication". The Oklahoman. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
- Back to citation 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.
- Back to citation occurrence 13.0 Back to citation occurrence 13.1 Back to citation occurrence 13.2 Back to citation occurrence 13.3 Holt, Avery (July 13, 2023). "'A closer look at the elements of the Bl. Stanley Rother Shrine". Sooner Catholic. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
- Back to citation occurrence 14.0 Back to citation occurrence 14.1 "Staff". Retrieved March 1, 2023.
- Back to citation Ross Jr., Bobby (September 23, 2017). "First beatification Mass for US-born priest and martyr draws thousands". Religion News Service. Retrieved October 10, 2017.