Blessed Stanley Rother is an American-born candidate for canonization who lost his life as a martyr in the Guatemalan civil war (1960-1996). Fr. Rother was an Oklahoma pastor whose life was focused on the connection of community found in the fields and through interacting with the people.

In 1968, he was assigned a mission from the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City to serve the people of Santiago Atitlán in Guatemala. This community largely spoke Spanish and the Mayan language Tz’utujil, and then-Fr. Rother had struggled academically during his time at seminary.

Although he faced these early setbacks, his dedication to the people of Santiago Atitlán, and their shared values and belief in farming, helped him learn the language and become a centerpiece of the community.

As the Guatemalan civil war continued, Blessed Rother briefly returned to Oklahoma, but the call of his mission was too strong, and he returned to protect his community.

In 1981, after multiple “disappearings” (kidnappings and killings) of catechists in Bl. Rother’s mission, armed gunmen entered his rectory and shot him in his bedroom. Bl. Rother is remembered as the first American-born martyr for his acts in Guatemala.

A new documentary to share his story

Bl. Rother’s story is now being told in a new documentary, “American Martyr: The Stanley Rother Story.” The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Lampstand Story Company have produced the non-fiction feature, which collects the lifelong story of service and community that Rother lived out, from his birth to his untimely death in 1981.

The Good Newsroom spoke with María Ruiz Scaperlanda, author of “The Shepherd Who Didn’t Run: Blessed Stanley Rother,” and the lead promoter for Bl. Stanley’s cause for canonization.

On the need for more American-born saints, Scaperlanda said: “We have not had American causes [for sainthood] move forward for a long time, and that I mean by that is we have three saints who were born in the U.S. and who are canonized, and all three are women … When you speak about American saints, you know there’s a lot like [St. Frances Xavier] Cabrini, for example, but they’re immigrants to the country like I am … We need local, we need contemporary saints that we can relate to.”

She also spoke about how the community in Guatemala sees him. Scaperlanda said he is already seen as a saint to them, adding, “there was one man [in Guatemala] that put it this way: he said, ‘we would go to him with our needs then, and we are just continuing to do that now.'”

Scaperlanda offered a final thought as the cause for Blessed Stanley Rother’s canonization moves forward: “Remind readers that they can go to God through the intercession of Bl. Fr. Stanley Rother. And we need a miracle. So whatever miracle they need, let Fr. Stan be the one who brings it home for them!”

“American Martyr: The Stanley Rother Story” opens nationwide through Fathom Entertainment Aug. 25-27.