By Robert Medley
Managing Editor
The final beam has been set on the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine in south Oklahoma City.
The shrine is under construction for Okarche’s native son. And the final beam was signed by thousands of Oklahomans before it was hoisted onto the steel frame of the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine in Oklahoma City, the Oklahoma City Archdiocese reports.
A topping out ceremony was Tuesday afternoon at the shrine, located between Interstate 35 and Shields Boulevard on the south side of S.E. 89.
Archbishop Paul Coakley was joined at the ceremony by Shrine Executive Director Leif Arvidson and Boldt Construction’s Tony Yanda.
The beam was lifted into place during the ceremony Tuesday and blessed by The Most Rev. Paul S. Coakley, Archbishop of Oklahoma City.
“We are well on our way to completing this magnificent shrine in Oklahoma City. Lifting the final steel beam into place is an exciting step in construction of the shrine that will be a place of welcome to serve all people,” Coakley said. “The shrine will be a place of pilgrimage where the faithful will come from near and far to glorify God and honor Blessed Stanley at his final resting place, seeking his intercession for their many needs. I am grateful for everyone who has played a part in this project.”
Arvidson congratulated those whose efforts have created the shrine.
“Heartfelt congratulations to everyone who has organized and is executing the construction of this magnificent building and to those who brought us to this important milestone,” Arvidson said.
“We are well underway in building a fitting house of worship, pilgrimage and prayer. Thank you to everyone who has made this possible.”
Rother was shot to death in his own church in Atitlan, Guatemala on July 28, 1981 where he served the poor during a time of political unrest. He was beatified by the Catholic Church in 2018, placing him one step closer to canonization as a saint.
The shrine will include a church that will have about 1,900 seats.
On the grounds of the former Brookside Golf Course, just west of Interstate 35, a mound of dirt on the horizon west of the church being built will soon be a place of meditation with a walking trail to the top of it.
Workers started to pour concrete for the church on Thursday, Oct. 22.
Hundreds of new trees have been planted on the grounds.
There will be walking trails and 24-foot-tall “Tepeyac Hill” that honors Our Lady of Guadalupe.
On Sept. 23, 2017, Rother became the first Catholic martyr for the United States.
Pope Francis issued a decree confirming Rother was to be beatified by the Catholic Church due to the nature and cause of his shooting death during a civil war.
Rother was originally buried near Okarche in the Holy Trinity Cemetery in the area where he grew up. Today, he is buried at Resurrection Cemetery in Oklahoma City.
Tony Yanda, Senior Director of The Boldt Company, the construction firm building the shrine, said the work is on schedule to open in July, 2022.
Blessed Stanley Rother will be buried near the chapel when work is completed.
