Archbishop Paul Coakley announced the groundbreaking for the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine will be Sunday, Nov. 3.
The event will be held from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the future site of the shrine at S. 89 between Shields Boulevard and Interstate 35 in Oklahoma City. The event will include activities for families and children and is free to the public.
“The groundbreaking for the shrine will be a significant moment in the life of the Church in Oklahoma and for the broader community,” said Most Rev. Paul S. Coakley, Archbishop of Oklahoma City. “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 is the signature element of the first-ever capital campaign for the archdiocese, “One Church, Many Disciples.” The site will include the 2,000-seat church, a chapel where Blessed Stanley will be buried, an education building, an event space and several areas designated for shrines and devotion. The site will be developed over time.
Along with the Spanish colonial-style church – which will be the largest Catholic Church in Oklahoma – an additional element will be a museum and pilgrim center, which will be an additional $5 million. The center will welcome thousands of visitors each year to an experience that leads them through the life, witness and martyrdom of Blessed Stanley.
The church will host many large diocesan events and will help accommodate the growing Hispanic population whose parishes are significantly overcrowded.
To RSVP for the groundbreaking, e-mail rsvp@archokc.org. The RSVP will help with an accurate count of participants. No tickets are required.
To sign up for updates on the shrine, view a video tour or to give a gift to the Catholic Foundation of Oklahoma’s Blessed Stanley Rother Endowment Fund, go online to archokc.org/shrine or call (405) 709-2745.
