WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump issued a message July 28 marking the 45th anniversary of the martyrdom of Blessed Stanley Rother, the first American-born martyr to be beatified by the Catholic Church.
Blessed Rother was born in Okarche, Oklahoma, in 1935, becoming a priest of what was then the Diocese of Oklahoma City-Tulsa in 1963. Five years later, he joined the diocese’s mission staff in Santiago Atítlan, Guatemala, where he spent the remainder of his life and ministry.
He was martyred on July 28, 1981, when three gunmen killed him at his parish rectory in Santiago Atitlán. His cause for canonization was opened in 2007, and in 2016, Pope Francis officially recognized his martyrdom, clearing the way for his beatification the following year.
In his statement, Trump called Blessed Rother “an Oklahoma farm boy, the first American-born martyr beatified by the Catholic Church, and a champion of human dignity who heroically laid down his life to bring the light of Jesus Christ to a people plagued by horrific darkness.”
In the years since his martyrdom, Trump said, Blessed Rother “has stood as a living testament to the power of courage, sacrificial service, and fidelity to God.”
“The Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine in Oklahoma City now stands as a major site of pilgrimages, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors,” Trump said. “He has inspired widespread devotion among Catholics. He remains a source of immeasurable pride for his beloved home state of Oklahoma.”
“And every day”, the president continued, “countless priests, pastors, chaplains, and spiritual leaders faithfully look to Father Rother as they strive to carry out his immortal legacy of fortitude, charity, humility, service, generosity, and perseverance.”
Trump publicly identifies as a nondenominational Christian, while first lady Melania Trump is Catholic. Vice President JD Vance is the second Catholic to hold that office.
Trump has previously issued statements honoring other Catholic feast days, including the feast of St. Michael the Archangel, Sept. 29, and the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8.
A film scheduled to be released in theaters nationwide Aug. 25-27, “American Martyr: The Stanley Rother Story,” tells the story of Blessed Rother through those who knew him — parishioners, catechists and family members — as well as those currently involved in his cause for canonization, filmmakers said.
