Groundbreaking set for Rother shrine
A shrine to the former Okarche priest who was murdered in Guatemala is one step closer to reality.
The Most Rev. Paul S. Coakley, archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, on Tuesday announced that the groundbreaking for the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine will be Nov. 3. at SW 89 and Interstate 35.
The event from 3 to 5 p.m. will include children' s and family activities. It is free and open to the public.
Rother was serving as a priest with the Oklahoma City Diocese when he was killed in his parish rectory in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala.
“The ground breaking for the shrine will be a significant moment in the life of the Church in Oklahoma and for the broader community ,” Coakley said. “The shrine is being built to honor Blessed Stanley Rother, an Oklahoma original and the first U.S.-born priest and martyr ever beatified. It will be a place of pilgrimage where the faithful will come from near and far to honor Blessed Stanley at his final resting place and to seek his intercession for their many needs. It will be a place of welcome, serving all people.”
The $40 million shrine will include a 2,000-seat church, a chapel where Blessed Stanley will be buried, an education building, an event space and several areas design at ed for shrine sand devotion. The Spanish colonial-style church will be the largest Catholic church in Oklahoma. The property also will include a $5 museum and pilgrim center where visitors will get an experience that leads them through the life, witness and martyrdom of Blessed Stanley, the archdiocese said in a news release. The church will help accommodate the growing Hispanic population whose parish es are significantly overcrowded, the release said.
Design architect for the project is Fran ck &L oh sen Architects in Washington, D.C ., supported by the local architectural firm ADG. The general contractor is The Bold t Company in Oklahoma City with Cooper Project Advisors serving as the owner' s representative. To RSVP for the groundbreaking, email rsvp@archokc.org. Tickets are not required.