Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine

About the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine

The Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine is a Roman Catholic shrine in south Oklahoma City that honors the gospel witness of Father Stanley Francis Rother, a priest of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City martyred in Guatemala on July 28, 1981. It is the largest Catholic church in the state of Oklahoma, with more than 2,000 seats, a chapel, a 14,000-square-foot museum, a Pilgrim Center, a recreation of Tepeyac Hill, and a zócalo for gatherings. The shrine has two intertwined missions: to promote devotion to Blessed Stanley Rother, the first U.S.-born priest and martyr to be beatified, and to serve as the spiritual home of the growing Hispanic Catholic population of south Oklahoma City, especially through the parish community worshiping there.

History

From the November 3, 2019 groundbreaking to the dedication week of February 12–17, 2023, the shrine rose on a former 60-acre golf course in just over three years. The week began with the transfer of Blessed Stanley's body from Resurrection Memorial Cemetery to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and then to the new shrine chapel, where it was entombed February 13. The chapel was dedicated that day by priests of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa. The main church was dedicated at an 11 a.m. Mass on February 17, 2023, celebrated by Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, with 37 bishops, 147 priests, 93 deacons, and 12 seminarians processing in. The Mass was bilingual, livestreamed on the archdiocese's channels and on EWTN, and attended by thousands more outside on a large screen.

• Groundbreaking: November 3, 2019
• Construction: 2019–2023
• Chapel dedication / entombment of Blessed Stanley: February 13, 2023
• Shrine church dedication Mass: February 17, 2023

Patron: Blessed Stanley Rother

Stanley Francis Rother was born March 27, 1935, in Okarche, Oklahoma, the oldest child of Franz and Gertrude Rother. He was ordained a priest on May 25, 1963, and served five years in the Diocese of Oklahoma City and Tulsa before joining its mission in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala, in 1968. There he learned Spanish and the Mayan Tz'utujil language, helped translate the New Testament, farmed alongside his parishioners, started a school, radio station, and farming co-op, and built an irrigation system. After his name appeared on a death list during Guatemala's civil war, he briefly returned home but came back, declaring that 'the shepherd cannot run.' He was murdered in the rectory on July 28, 1981. His cause was opened in 2007; Pope Francis recognized him as a martyr on December 1, 2016; and he was beatified on September 23, 2017, in Oklahoma City before 20,000 people — the first U.S.-born priest and the first U.S.-born martyr ever beatified.

• Feast day: July 28
• Attributes: palm branch, Tz'utujil New Testament, colorful Tz'utujil-style stole
• Cause opened: 2007
• Recognized as a martyr: December 1, 2016
• Beatified: September 23, 2017, Cox Convention Center, Oklahoma City

Grounds, Art and Architecture

The shrine is the largest Catholic church in Oklahoma, a Spanish Baroque / Spanish Colonial complex designed to echo Father Stanley's beloved mission church in Santiago Atitlán. Franck & Lohsen Architects of Washington, D.C. served as church / design architect, with ADG Blatt Architects of Oklahoma City as the architect of record, and Boldt as construction manager. Inside, the altar, ambo, tabernacle, and tabernacle stand were hand-carved in Italy by Ferdinand Stuflesser 1875 of Ortisei, the apse and dome murals are by EverGreene Studios of Brooklyn, N.Y., and the retablo behind the altar incorporates antique 16th-century Spanish columns and a 19th-century crucifix. Outside, the 50- to 55-foot replica of Tepeyac Hill features Oklahoma-native landscaping and bronze statues of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Saint Juan Diego by Mexico City artist Georgina Farias Nicolopolus.

• Architect: Franck & Lohsen Architects (church architect); ADG Blatt (architect of record)
• Style: Spanish Baroque / Spanish Colonial
• Capacity: 2,000+ in main church; ~150 in chapel
• Materials: stucco, arches, tile roofs, covered arcades, handmade Saltillo tile floors (Coahuila, Mexico)
• Dome mural (Risen Christ with the Holy Innocents welcoming Blessed Stanley): EverGreene Studios, Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Wood carving (altar, ambo, tabernacle): Ferdinand Stuflesser 1875, Ortisei, Italy
• Tepeyac Hill statues: 12-ft Our Lady of Guadalupe and 8-ft St. Juan Diego by Georgina Farias Nicolopolus

Museum & Pilgrim Center

Pilgrims begin their visit at the 6,000-square-foot Pilgrim Center, which houses the gift shop, a video documentary, and the 14,000-square-foot museum. The museum is divided into four themed sections — Father Rother's early life in Okarche and formation, his ministry in Guatemala, the context of the Guatemalan Civil War, and his path to beatification and canonization — with bilingual English/Spanish signage throughout. Exhibits include personal artifacts such as rosaries, stoles, and humble wooden footwear that bring visitors close to Father Rother's daily life.

• Pilgrim Center: 6,000 sq ft
• Museum: 14,000 sq ft
• Four themed exhibit areas (Okarche/seminary, Guatemala, civil war, beatification/canonization)
• Bilingual English/Spanish exhibits and audio
• Free admission; visitors are asked to sign in with name, hometown, and a prayer request

Tepeyac Hill & Our Lady of Guadalupe

On the south side of the campus stands a 50- to 55-foot replica of Tepeyac Hill, the site near Mexico City where the Virgin Mary, under the title Our Lady of Guadalupe, appeared to Saint Juan Diego in 1531. A paved path planted with native Oklahoma grasses leads to the summit, where a 12-foot painted bronze statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe and an 8-foot statue of Saint Juan Diego — both by Mexico City-based artist Georgina Farias Nicolopolus and dedicated in December 2022 — stand overlooking the shrine and grounds. The hill is wheelchair-accessible and is offered as a point of devotion during a visit.

• Paved walking path with native Oklahoma grasses
• 12-ft bronze statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe
• 8-ft bronze statue of St. Juan Diego
• Wheelchair accessible; panoramic view of the shrine campus from the top

Sacraments and Parish Life

The shrine is a shrine, not a parish: parish-based activities such as baptisms, weddings, faith formation, and parishioner registration are normally handled by Sacred Heart Catholic Church, which holds its Sunday Masses at the shrine and whose predominantly Hispanic congregation was formed through the merger of Sacred Heart and Holy Angels parishes. The shrine staff will, however, help connect those who need to complete their sacraments or who are curious about the Catholic faith through a Catholic Questions Interest Form available on the website. A first-class relic of Blessed Stanley Rother is venerated in the chapel.

• Baptism and Weddings: ordinarily celebrated at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, not the shrine
• Parish registration: through Sacred Heart Catholic Church
• Catholic Questions / Inquiry: via rothershrine.org Catholic Questions Interest Form
• First-class relic of Blessed Stanley Rother enshrined in the chapel

Pilgrimages and Visiting

The shrine welcomes individual pilgrims, families, and organized groups of all faith traditions. The Director of Pilgrimage helps coordinate visits for senior citizens, men's and women's organizations, First Communion and Confirmation candidates, school children, and groups seeking a spiritual retreat; group planning is recommended two to three months in advance. The Pilgrim Center, shrine church, and Tepeyac Hill are handicap accessible, and there is no fee to visit — the shrine asks only for the generosity of visitors to support its mission. There is no overnight lodging on site, but the Director of Pilgrimage can arrange local hotel rates for pilgrims, and the Catholic Pastoral Center is another option. The shrine is closed except for liturgies on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

• Shrine, Museum, Gift Shop, and Pilgrim Center open daily 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
• Group Pilgrimage Request Form on the website
• Free admission; donations welcomed
• Handicap-accessible Pilgrim Center, church, and Tepeyac Hill; service animals welcome
• More than 900 parking spaces; bus and RV parking (no overnight bus/RV parking)

Staff and Leadership

The shrine is led by Rector Father Don Wolf (a cousin of Blessed Stanley Rother, who also serves as pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church), Vice Rector Father Scott Boeckman, and Parochial Vicar Father Brannon Lepak, with Deacon Rob Blakely serving on the team. Lay leadership includes Executive Director Miguel Mireles (formerly of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin), Director of Pilgrimage Jason Spoolstra, Director of Sacred Music Stephen Hill, Director of Communications Andrew Darling, Director of Development Jose Marull, Director of Volunteer Services Cynthia Aranda, and additional staff in accounting, facilities, sacristy, gift shop, and front-desk roles.

• Rector: Father Don Wolf
• Vice Rector: Father Scott Boeckman
• Parochial Vicar: Father Brannon Lepak
• Deacon: Rob Blakely
• Executive Director: Miguel Mireles
• Director of Pilgrimage: Jason Spoolstra
• Director of Sacred Music: Stephen Hill
• Director of Communications: Andrew Darling
• Director of Development: Jose Marull
• Director of Volunteer Services: Cynthia Aranda

Support the Shrine

The shrine is funded entirely by donations and is supported in part by the Catholic Foundation of Oklahoma's Blessed Stanley Rother Endowment Fund, which provides ongoing support for maintenance, operations, and related ministries. Visitors are asked to consider a financial gift to support the shrine's mission, and the archdiocese's broader 'One Church, Many Disciples' capital campaign continues to accept gifts that strengthen the shrine alongside parishes, schools, faith formation, and priestly retirement.

• Endowment: Blessed Stanley Rother Endowment Fund (Catholic Foundation of Oklahoma)
• Capital campaign: 'One Church, Many Disciples' (Archdiocese of Oklahoma City)
• Donations accepted via rothershrine.org