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Preface to the Revised Edition

I consider myself genuinely privileged to be the person, to be the author, who gets to tell the story of Father Stanley Rother, the martyr from Okarche, Oklahoma. From book signings and radio shows, to speaking at women’s conferences and parish events — the desire of people to know more about our first American martyr has been boundless.

Two things have become clear to me since I first wrote this book. First, we are all in great need of the witness of humble servants like Blessed Stanley Rother. As a faithful man who dared to love Jesus with everything he had, he is a testament to the difference that one person — even an ordinary person like me — can, and does, make. And as a diocesan priest, Blessed Stanley has touched the hearts of seminarians and parish priests hungry for that zealous witness of what the priesthood is and what it can be.

The second thing that is undeniable is that the Holy Spirit wants Blessed Stanley Rother’s story told! As a Church, we need Stanley Rother’s servant spirit, his faith witness, his ordinary story — especially at this particular moment in our history. His beatification is nothing short of Divine Providence, and an exceptional gift to the Church — especially the Church of the Americas.

In his 1959 encyclical titled Sacerdotii Nostri Primordia (From the Beginning of Our Priesthood), Pope John XXIII presented the life of St. John Vianney as a model for priests and seminarians.

The pope concluded that encyclical with a prayer that, throughout the world, the French Curé d’Ars “will stir up the pious zeal of priests and of those whom God is calling to take up the priesthood” (119). Ironically, it is a prayer that undoubtedly graced and guided Stanley Rother, who that year had just failed the first year of theology at one seminary and was begging God to find him a new seminary home.

The words Pope John XXIII meant for St. John Vianney are uncannily appropriate for the steadfast trust of our first American martyr: “How could anyone help being moved deeply with a life so completely dedicated to Christ shining so clearly there before him?” (80).

Blessed Stanley Rother, the first U.S. priest to be beatified, has already had a profound impact on all who have heard his story. This is not only because of the witness of his death as a martyr, but even more significantly because his life, his devotion, and his priestly service make him an ideal patron for all missionary disciples.

One final thought — a request. Please help me spread the story of Blessed Stanley Rother’s life!

Go to StanleyRother.org to learn more about the sainthood cause and see the plans for the beautiful Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine being built in Oklahoma City — the church that will serve as his final resting place. You can also sign up to receive updates from the archdiocese on the cause for Stanley Rother’s canonization.

Above all, please pray for a miracle through the intercession of Blessed Stanley Rother. Bring him your petitions. He is a good listener, a brother in the faith who wants to help you!

María Ruiz Scaperlanda

December 2018