Father Stanley Rother will be beatified Sept. 23

Father Rother is the first recognized martyr to be born in the United States

Published: March 21, 2017

Courtesy Sooner Catholic

Father Stanley Rother, a priest of the Diocese of Oklahoma City who was martyred in Guatemala in 1981, will be beatified Sept. 23 in Oklahoma.

Courtesy Sooner Catholic

Father Stanley Rother, a priest of the Diocese of Oklahoma City who was martyred in Guatemala in 1981, will be beatified Sept. 23 in Oklahoma.

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City announced that one its native sons, Father Stanley Rother, a North American priest who worked in Guatemala and was brutally murdered there in 1981, will be beatified Sept. 23 in Oklahoma.

“It’s official! Praised be Jesus Christ! Archbishop Coakley received official word this morning from Rome that Servant of God Father Stanley Rother will be beatified in Oklahoma City in September!” the archdiocese announced March 13 on its website.

Pope Francis recognized Father Rother’s martyrdom last December, making him the first martyr born in the United States.

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor said the Mass will take place at 10 a.m. at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City.