Description
Father Stanley Rother was true to his word. He did not run. And he was martyred at the age of 46.
Father Stanley arrived in Guatemala in 1968, and he immediately identified with his parishioners' simple , farming lifestyle. He learned their languages, prepared them fo the sacraments, and cared for their needs. Father Stanley - or "Padre Francisco", as he was called by his beloved Tz'utujil Indians - had found his heart's calling.
After nearly a decade, the violence of the Guatemalan civil war found its way into the peaceful village of Santiago Atitlan, disappearances, killings, and danger became daily occurrences, but despite this unrest Father Stanley remined hard at work, building a farmers' co-op, a school, a hospital, and the first Catholic radio station, used for cathechesis.
In early 1981, his name was on a death list, so he returned to Oklahoma and was warned not to go back to Guatemala. But he could not abandon his people, so he went, and made the ultimate sacrifice for his faith.
"Pray for us that we may be a sign of the love of Christ for our people", said Father Stanley, "that our presence among them will fortify them to endure these sufferings in preparation for the coming of the kingdom".