{"id":101233,"date":"2026-07-29T00:09:22","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T00:09:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/?p=101233"},"modified":"2026-07-29T00:09:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T00:09:22","slug":"white-house-marks-45th-anniversary-of-martyrdom-of-blessed-stanley-rother","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/es\/learn\/white-house-marks-45th-anniversary-of-martyrdom-of-blessed-stanley-rother\/","title":{"rendered":"White House marks 45th anniversary of martyrdom of Blessed Stanley Rother"},"content":{"rendered":"

The White House issued a presidential message<\/a> commemorating the 45th anniversary of the martyrdom of Blessed Stanley Rother, continuing the administration\u02bcs pattern of recognizing prominent Catholic feast days and observances.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, Melania and I join with American Catholics and people of faith all across the world in honoring the towering legacy of Father Stanley Rother \u2014 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,\u201d President Donald Trump, who is not Catholic, said in the July 28 message.<\/p>\n

Rother was an Oklahoma native who became a missionary priest in 1968, serving in \u201cthe war-torn highlands of Guatemala, then ravaged by conflict,\u201d the message said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThough thousands of Catholics were forcibly disappeared and viciously murdered during the Guatemalan Civil War, Father Rother nonetheless spent 13 years bringing the Gospel to those devastated by poverty and violence \u2014 translating sacred Scripture and helping to build a school, a hospital, and the region\u2019s first Catholic radio station \u2014 fearlessly embodying Christ\u2019s commission to \u2018make disciples of all nations,\u2019\u201d the message said.<\/p>\n

In the late 1970s, Guatemala\u02bcs civil war intensified. Rother was surrounded by extreme poverty and saw parishioners murdered for their faith.<\/p>\n

Amid the conflict, Rother\u2019s name appeared on a hit list, which prompted him to seek refuge in Oklahoma. Despite the dangers, he insisted on returning to Guatemala, \u201crefusing to abandon his flock in their hour of need.\u201d<\/p>\n

On July 28, 1981, three men entered Rother\u2019s rectory and fatally shot him. He was 46 years old.<\/p>\n

Rother was declared blessed by Pope Francis, and in 2017 a beatification Mass was said in Oklahoma City, which houses the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City said in a homily<\/a> July 28 at the Rother Shrine that he was surprised \u201cto wake up to an email that contained a special message from the White House. I don\u2019t know if you\u2019ve seen it or heard about it, but the White House acknowledged this day in honoring the 45th anniversary of the death of Father Stanley Rother. I didn\u2019t know we were on their radar screen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what a \u2026 tremendous honor it is for the Church, for Oklahoma, for our nation, to have this distinction and this recognition of this ordinary martyr, this parish priest, this missionary martyr: Blessed Stanley Rother,\u201d said Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).<\/p>\n

A story of religious liberty<\/h2>\n

The presidential statement highlighted that Rother\u2019s story is a reminder of \u201cAmerica\u2019s rich tradition of religious liberty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn his honor, we recommit to remaining vigilant so that our birthright of freedom endures in the face of every trial,\u201d Trump\u2019s statement said. \u201cAbove all, we pray that every soul of faith, every lover of freedom, and every seeker of truth will forever remember the name and treasure the story of Father Stanley Rother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since his martyrdom, \u201cRother has stood as a living testament to the power of courage, sacrificial service, and fidelity to God,\u201d the message said. \u201cHe has inspired widespread devotion among Catholics.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd every day, 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marking Catholic observances<\/h2>\n

Trump has established a pattern of releasing White House statements addressing significant commemorative Catholic days, along with messages marking observances by other faith traditions such as Judaism and Islam.<\/p>\n

Since Trump began his second term, the White House has released Catholic-focused celebratory statements on the feast of St. Joseph<\/a>, the birthday of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini<\/a>, y St. Patrick\u2019s Day<\/a>, acknowledging the saints\u2019 lives and legacies.<\/p>\n

It also released a message on the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception<\/a>, which appeared to be the first time a U.S. president formally recognized<\/a> the holy day \u201chonoring the faith, humility, and love of Mary, mother of Jesus and one of the greatest figures in the Bible,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n

The president also released a statement on the anniversary of the death of St. John Paul II<\/a>, calling him \u201cone the fiercest defenders of human dignity to ever live\u201d and encouraging \u201cevery American to keep the memory of Pope Saint John Paul II alive for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ahead of the 250th anniversary of the U.S., the president also released a statement regarding the USCCB\u2019s Mass consecrating the nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which the president called \u201ca powerful moment in our national story.\u201d<\/p>\n

While releasing the formal presidential messages on Catholic matters, Trump has also criticized Pope Leo XIV<\/a>, calling him \u201cweak on crime\u201d and \u201cterrible for foreign policy\u201d on his social media accounts amid the Iran conflict.<\/p>\n

The president gained widespread attention in April when he made the comments.<\/p>\n

Despite the online criticism and falsely suggesting that Pope Leo wants Iran to develop nuclear weapons, the president later told reporters<\/a> he has \u201cnothing against the pope.\u201d<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.ewtnnews.com\/world\/us\/white-house-marks-45th-anniversary-of-martyrdom-of-blessed-stanley-rother<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The White House issued a presidential message commemorating the 45th anniversary of the martyrdom of Blessed Stanley Rother, continuing the administration\u02bcs pattern of recognizing prominent Catholic feast days and observances. \u201cToday, Melania and I join with American Catholics and people of faith all across the world in honoring the towering legacy of Father Stanley Rother […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[100],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-101233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christian-news"],"mb":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":101239,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/es\/learn\/forest-fires-in-spain-providence-is-taking-super-good-care-of-us-priest-says\/","url_meta":{"origin":101233,"position":0},"title":"Forest fires in Spain: \u2018Providence is taking super good care of us,\u2019 priest says","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"julio 29, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The territory of the Diocese of Getafe, south of Madrid, Spain, is being especially hard hit by wildfires that have forced thousands of people to shelter in place or evacuate. The natural disaster finds the diocese\u2019s priests on the front lines, welcoming, accompanying, consoling, and praying.In the central area of\u2026","rel":"","context":"En \u00abChristian News\u00bb","block_context":{"text":"Christian News","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/es\/learn\/category\/christian-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Forest fires in Spain: \u2018Providence is taking super good care of us,\u2019 priest says","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Forest-fires-in-Spain-%E2%80%98Providence-is-taking-super-good-care-of-us-priest-says.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Forest-fires-in-Spain-%E2%80%98Providence-is-taking-super-good-care-of-us-priest-says.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Forest-fires-in-Spain-%E2%80%98Providence-is-taking-super-good-care-of-us-priest-says.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Forest-fires-in-Spain-%E2%80%98Providence-is-taking-super-good-care-of-us-priest-says.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Forest-fires-in-Spain-%E2%80%98Providence-is-taking-super-good-care-of-us-priest-says.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","mfb_rest_fields":["title","jetpack_publicize_connections","jetpack-related-posts","jetpack_sharing_enabled","jetpack_featured_media_url"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101233"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101233\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101233"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=101233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}