Oklahoma News

Photos: Catholic Church Beatifies Father Stanley Rother At Cox Convention Center

KGOU

Published September 23, 2017 at 7:48 PM CDT

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The Catholic Church beatified Oklahoma-born priest Stanley Rother on Sept. 23, 2017. More than 20,000 people attended the ceremony at the Cox Convention Center in downtown Oklahoma City.

Nomin Ujiyediin / KGOU

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Dancers perform outside the Cox Convention Center before the beatification ceremony for Father Stanley Rother. Rother was a Catholic priest who worked in Guatemala for more than 13 years.

Nomin Ujiyediin / KGOU

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Sister Marita Rother speaks to reporters before the beatification of her brother, Stanley Rother. She credits the siblings’ upbringing with inspiring both of them to join the church.";

Nomin Ujiyediin / KGOU

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Cups of communion wine and clergy members await the beatification ceremony for Stanley Rother at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City.

Nomin Ujiyediin / KGOU

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Rosemary Metzler of Tulsa touches a rosary to a relic of Stanley Rother. “He did some amazing things because of his faith in God, and I guess it means that all of us can do something amazing,” she said.";s:

Nomin Ujiyediin / KGOU

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Clergy members walk toward the stage at the Cox Convention Center. According to the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, almost 600 priests, deacons and other clergy and members of religious orders attended the event.

Nomin Ujiyediin / KGOU

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Choir members sing a hymn at the beatification of Stanley Rother. The ceremony included prayers in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Filipino, Korean and Tzu’tujil, a Mayan language spoken in Guatemala.";

Nomin Ujiyediin / KGOU

More than 20,000 people gathered in the Cox Convention Center on Saturday to witness the beatification of an Oklahoma-born priest.

Father Stanley Rother was born in Okarche, Okla. in 1935. He served as a missionary in Guatemala for 13 years, introducing the people of Santiago Atitlan to farming techniques and establishing a radio station, among other services.

During that country's civil war, Rother braved violence from government soldiers and guerilla fighters. He was killed by three gunmen in 1981. In 2016, the Catholic Church recognized Rother as a martyr.

Attendees of the beatification ceremony included Catholics from Oklahoma, as well as bishops and cardinals from Italy and South Africa, hundreds of clergy and a delegation from Guatemala.

Rosemary Metzler of Tulsa was among the attendees. She said Rother serves as an example to all Oklahomans. "He was a courageous man, just a simple farm boy from Okarche, Oklahoma, and he did some amazing things because of his faith in God. And I guess it means that all of us can do something amazing," she said.

The beatification is the last step before canonization as a saint. In order for Rother to be declared a saint, the church must first verify a miracle associated with his legacy.

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