when does a saint become a saint?

I love the many photos of Father Stan with children

baptizing parishioner at Santiago Atitlán parish

Since my post yesterday, remembering the anniversary of Father Stanley Rother’s martyrdom, I’ve been thinking about how the ordinary work and devotion of one person can, truly, change and affect an entire community—and beyond.

Officially, the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City has presented Father Stan’s cause for canonization to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome, making him a Servant of God.

But in reality, the people of Santiago Atitlán are not waiting for an official declaration. They already affirm Padre Apla’s (Francis in their native Tz’utujil language) a saint—their saint, and they come to him daily asking for his help and intercession, much as they did during the 13 years that he served them as their priest.

Father Stan’s death, like his life, is simply one more outward sign of his deep and abiding holy love for them.

“He was a courageous missionary, who in spite of the violence that surrounded him, did not leave his flock. He is a great example for me, someone who gave his life for the People of God,” told me Sister Ambrosia, a member of the Hermanas Misioneras de la Eucaristía, Missionary Sisters of the Eucharist, who remembers and survived the years of violent social unrest in Guatemala.

“I can’t tell you how much I admire him. He could have returned to his country, but instead he remained with his people here. He represents Jesus,” Sister Ambrosia emphasized, “who gave His life for all of us. All of Guatemala already knows that he is a saint.”

Father Stan visits with a parishioner

Present day Santiago Atitlán parishioner at Memorial Mass for Padre Apla's

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note: check out Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley's column (July 28, 2011) on Father Stanley Rother, reprinted here.

2 noteworthy anniversaries: Father Rother and my Michelle & Conor

At 1:30 am on July 28, 1981, three Spanish-speaking Ladino men (non indigenous) snuck into the rectory of Santiago Apostol (St. James) church in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala.  They immediately went to the priest’s room, but he wasn’t there. They then seized and battered the 19-year-old brother of the associate pastor, whispering to the terrified young man that they would kill him if he did not take them directly to the pastor.

He led the attackers downstairs, knocked at the door of a utility room, and called out, “Father, they are looking for you.” Aware of the threat to the young man, Father Stanley Rother opened the door and let in his killers.

The young man fled, hearing Rother cry out moments later, “Kill me here!” There was a shot. Then another. Then silence.

46-year-old Oklahoma priest Stanley Francis Rother was one of 13 priests—and the first American priest—slain during Guatemala’s 36-year-guerrilla war, a tragedy that claimed an estimated 140,000 lives. On that fateful day in July, troops also killed 13 townspeople and wounded 24 others in this isolated village on the shores of the majestic Lake Atitlán.

No one has ever been prosecuted for his killing.

Writing a biography of Servant of God Stanley Rother is my current book project.  I’ve blogged about his story a few times, like here and here.

As we remember Father Stan’s death 32 years ago today, please join the Church of Oklahoma in praying that he be declared a saint by the universal Church.

Prayer for Father Stanley Rother’s cause for canonization:

Heavenly Father,source of all holiness,in every generation you raise upmen and women heroic in love and service. You have blessed your Churchwith 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 presencewith us as Shepherd. If it be Your will,may he be proclaimedby the universal Church 

as martyr and saint,living now in your presenceand interceding for us all.We ask this through Christ our Lord.Amen

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Today is also the FIRST anniversary of my youngest daughter Michelle & her Conor. Please join me in saying a prayer for this young couple? They're beautiful inside and out!

remembering Stanley F. Rother, on the 50th anni of his ordination

50 years ago today (may 25), Servant of God Stanley Francis Rother was ordained a priest for the then-Diocese of Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

As you may recall, my current book project is a biography of Father Rother, an Oklahoma missionary whose cause for canonization is in progress.

Oklahoma farm boy Stanley Rother was shot to death on July 28, 1981, while serving the poor of Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala, earning him a Martyr's crown.  He was 46.

I am taking a break today from our French pilgrimage tales to remember, honor, and offer prayers of thanksgiving for the gift of his life and his priesthood.

I also remember in prayer Father Tom Connery, classmate of Father Rother in the seminary, and all others who also celebrate today their 50^th anniversary of ordination.

a young Father Rother, standing at Lake Atitlán, 

in his beloved Guatemala

In honor of this exceptional and joyful commemoration, I am quoting below a description of Father Rother’s ordination day, as told by the great Oklahoma journalist and historian, Father David Monahan: 

"The twisting, bumpy, 10-year journey to priestly ordination ended for Stanley Rother on May 25, 1963, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cathedral in Oklahoma City. Family members and friends of the 10 men to be ordained squeezed into the cathedral. 

Ordinations carry their own drama. The Roman Catholic Church, after extended testing and education of those moving toward ordination, nods affirmatively to the candidates joining the ranks of the ministerial priesthood of Jesus Christ. Each candidate is called by name. Each one literally answers that summons. 

“Franciscus Stanislaus Rother,” the bishop’s assistant called loudly. Stanley responded with a firm “Adsum” (I am here). The candidates lay face down on the floor as the chanted Litany of the Saints poured over them repeatedly asking the champions of Christ to pray for those being ordained. 

Then Bishop Victor Reed prayed over the 10, begging the Holy Spirit to rush upon them. In silence, he laid his hands on their heads one-by-one in a rite which goes back to the roots of the faith community in Jerusalem. 

Later in the ceremony, Stanley’s hands were smeared with fragrant chrism in a special rite to consecrate those hands for their holy work: celebration of the Eucharist, baptism, anointing of the sick, blessings. He knelt before the bishop, placed his hands in the bishop’s hands, and solemnly promised obedience and respect to Bishop Reed and his successors. 

Finally, the newly ordained priests vested with the traditional priestly liturgical garments, and celebrated the Eucharist with the bishop. 

Immediately following the ordination Mass, the new priests gave individual blessings to their parents, other family members, friends, and other priests. One can imagine the proud joy with which Gertrude Smith Rother and Franz Rother knelt before their oldest child to receive his blessing. They were followed by Sister Marita, Jim and Mary Lou, Tom, and many other Rothers. 

In his diary, Stanley summed up the day with: “Very excited.” For the reticent Father Stanley Rother that emotional state translates into something like extreme delight or overwhelming happiness."

icon available through the 

Father Stanley Rother Guild

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And would you join us in praying for the Canonization of Father Stanley Rother, Oklahoma Martyr?

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

keep your eye on the ball

I have described myself before as a slow processor, and I've also learned that there are many of us out there! 

Over at ShirtofFlame.com, for example, author Heather King describes herself as, 

"one of those people for whom every week of experience takes two to process (which partly explains why I need to spend a lot of time alone)." 

Since this is my first Holy Week as a blogger, I don’t know what is the proper or regular protocol as far as balancing these things. But I've discerned that in order for me to enter Holy Week fully and with my whole heart, it's going to be important that (at least this year), I make a point of fasting from blogging, Facebook, Twitter, and most anything related to electronics. 

As a basketball fan, I'm already fairly distracted by march madness. 

Holy Week, especially the Easter Triduum, is a treasured time for our family, and this year we will have all of our grown children and their families (yes, including Elenita and the Twinkies!) celebrating with us. How blessed am I?! It will be our family version of march madness.

But before I sign off for Holy Week, I want to point out a couple of things. 

First of all, as I’ve already written here before, my current book project is a biography of Servant of God Fr. Stanley Francis Rother, an Oklahoma priest who was killed while ministering at an Oklahoma mission in Santiago de Atitlán, Guatemala.

And Wednesday of Holy Week – March 27 – is Father Rother's birthday.  So I’d like to tell you a little bit about his final Holy Week and how important it was for him. 

Each year, Fr. Rother sent a Christmas letter for publication in the two Oklahoma diocesan newspapers. In his final Christmas letter of 1980 he pointed out, 

“This is one of the reasons I have for staying in the face of physical harm. The shepherd cannot run at the first sign of danger. 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.” 

A month later, and six months before his death, Fr. Rother and another local priest left Guatemala under threat of death after witnessing the abduction of a parish catechist. 

But Fr. Rother returned to his beloved community in Santiago Atitlán in time to celebrate Holy Week with them, ignoring the pleas of those who urged him to consider his own safety. Not only did he know in his heart that the shepherd cannot run, he also lived with his entire being what it meant to be "a sign of the love of Christ" for his people.

That July, in a statement read in all the nation’s parishes, the Guatemalan bishops denounced “a carefully studied plan” by the government “to intimidate the Church and silence its prophetic voice.”

At 1:30 am on July 28, 1981, three Spanish-speaking Ladino men (non indigenous) snuck into the rectory of Santiago Apostol (St. James) church in Santiago Atitlán, beating Father Rother and shooting him twice in the head.

Please pray for me as I continue to work on this beautiful life story. 

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On a completely different subject, I was asked yesterday to be one of the contributors for a Lenten "discussion" in the New York Times section called "Room for Debate."  The topic is: "Is there a point in giving up something for Lent?"

I will try to remember to post a link to the final product here, but since I'll be offline and it will be published on Good Friday, I'd like to ask #1, for your prayers as I ponder  and discern what to say--and #2, if you happen to think of it, please drop by the NYTimes and leave a friendly comment?