Stanley Rother: The Making of a Saint

It’s been 45 years since the night three masked men broke into the rectory of Father Stanley Rother. Rather than go quietly, the 46-year-old priest fought back, but his effort was no match for two bullets. He was shot to death. The assassins were never caught. That was July 28, 1981. His death brought a terrible grief to the parishioners of Saint James (Santiago), whose lives had been changed and given hope by the missionary efforts of an Oklahoma farm boy. Upon hearing that his body would be sent back for burial, they had a request: “Let his heart remain with us.”

And so it happened. The priest’s body was sent back to Oklahoma, except for his heart which was removed and placed in a glass jar in an alcove. This shepherd would keep his promise to remain with his flock. Its presence became the focus of many prayers in the village of Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala.

That may sound macabre to modern folks, but in the nearly 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church, it was not unknown. Relics are important.

I am skipping his biography – not because it is unimportant, but – because I want to encourage you to see the feature length documentary, “American Martyr: The Stanley Rother Story” which is showing this week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at various theatres. (In Fort Smith, it will show at 7 p.m. each evening at the Malco Fort Smith).

I do wish to tell is what happened on the 10th anniversary of his death when three bishops, in Santiago Atitlan to commemorate his sacrifice, opened the glass jar.

His heart had not decayed. It was as if no time at all had elapsed.

“His heart is still liquid!” one of the bishops shouted to the crowd gathered outside. A large crowd of witnesses was stunned for a moment, and then cried for joy.

I know this to be true, for I was there.

*  *  *

            I was the editor of The Eastern Oklahoma Catholic, at that time a bi-weekly newspaper for the Diocese of Tulsa. I worked directly for the Most Rev. Eusebius Beltran, the second Bishop of Tulsa. I was thrilled to be invited on the trip to Guatemala to chronicle the 10-year anniversary. We spent ten days in this beautiful Central American country. Our first night was in Guatemala City, the capital, in a very American-style hotel.

That night, guerrilla fighters blew up an electrical substation somewhere near the capital, and the power went out for several hours. The drawn-out civil war between the Guatemalan government and leftist guerillas had not ended and it did not bring out the best of either side. There were atrocities committed, each side blaming the other for the violence and mayhem. We were aware of this before we left the U.S. but we were assured that the country had calmed enough for us to safely visit.

Our arrival belied that assurance. Upon our arrival at the airport, we were met by young men wielding automatic rifles (machine guns), who escorted us to Customs for processing. It was unnerving, but I chalked it up to a “safety first” policy.  The explosion and power outage later that night rattled our nerves, and the newspapers in the morning, though in Spanish, left more doubts. Our group could talk of little else as we prepared to board a chartered bus after breakfast.

There were two groups of pilgrims, one from Tulsa and another led by Archbishop Charles Salatka of Oklahoma City. We would worship together in Santiago Atitlan but otherwise had parallel travel plans. The Tulsa bus took us on a “scenic route” to the resort town of Panajachel, but first we would visit Antigua, (it means antique, or old), which from 1543 to 1773 was the capital city.

Later that afternoon we would wind down the mountainous highway into Panajachel, staying at a beautiful, tranquil inn that would be our home base for several days. This was on the north side of Lake Atitlan. The following morning we took a large 45-minute ferry ride south across the lake to Santiago Atitlan.

A Land of Volcanoes

The views were enthralling. Lake Atitlan is ringed by mountains, three of them volcanoes. What’s more, the lake itself fits inside a caldera not quite a mile above sea level. It’s 1,120 feet deep – the deepest lake in Central America. It was formed 84,000 years ago when Los Chocoyos volcano erupted. Two rivers keep it filled. It’s good for fishing, and that helps provide protein for the Mayan people. Local fishermen used crude wooden john boats to ply their trade.

Upon our arrival we were swarmed by dozens of welcomers, all speaking Spanish and many eager to sell us blankets, jackets, jewelry and such. It was my first experience at “haggling” and I was not very good at it. The locals seemed disappointed with my pitiful skills.  A couple of people who had been there before attempted to instruct me in the local rules of commerce. It helped, but my American shopping reflexes (used to price tags and paying whatever the merchant demands) did not want to be easily put aside.

The first order of business was a tour of the Church of Santiago (St. James), meeting with Father Thomas McSherry, the replacement missionary priest from Oklahoma, and then the Oklahoma bishops met with the local ordinary, Bishop Eduardo Fuentes of the Diocese of Solola to plan the next day’s 10th anniversary Mass. The rest of us wandered about the city, admiring the cobblestone streets and the bustling mercantile district. I had my Pentax 35mm camera clicking non-stop.

The next day, July 28, would occasion a celebration Mass at the Church of Santiago. But before that we gathered near the rectory. The three bishops entered that special area set aside for Father Rother’s heart and were in there for several minutes.

When they emerged, the announcement was made. Father Stanley’s heart was still liquid. Pliable, lifelike.  From a scientifical point of view, quite impossible. The jar was not hermetically sealed. It was not refrigerated. There was no embalming. The heart had been fair game for bacteria and the vagaries of highland humidity for years.

The Catholic perspective on this? Father Stan Rother’s remains were exhibiting special signs of God’s grace, of sanctity. Already considered a martyr because he knew he was on a “death list” and yet refused to abandon his flock, there was now a heaven-sent affirmation of his martyrdom.

In other words, he might well be a saint.

A Brief Explanation of Sainthood

What is a saint?

If you are Christian, it’s what you dearly wish to be. A saint is someone who has attained Heaven, who lives forever in the friendship of Christ, who enjoys the “beatific vision,” and who rejoices in communion with all the other saints and angels who populate this region of God’s Kingdom. In fact, it should be your goal in life to become a saint, and to help your family members become saints.

There are countless saints. Scripture says they are beyond numbering (Revelation 7:9). They represent all those saved throughout the centuries. We don’t know most of their names.

But some are known, given as examples to inspire us and to offer help to us. The Roman Catholic Church does not make snap judgments as to who merits sainthood; in fact, it is extremely plodding in its deliberation of sainthood “causes”. There are procedures for such things and it usually takes decades for sainthood to be declared. Even with martyrdom, the Church prefers to validate a miracle or two, to establish proof that the would-be saint, with the approval of Almighty God, has interceded for someone on earth. That a miracle has taken place.

The process of naming saints is not really meant for those who have died. They already know who and what they are. Naming saints is a benefit for the living.  Stanley Rother died in 1981 and few who knew of the circumstances of his death doubted that he was in Heaven as a martyr for the faith. Consequently, his cause was taken up by many Oklahoma Catholics and, 36 years later, in 2017, he was “beatified” – a first step toward canonization.

The Church allows people to pray to Blessed Stanley, especially those in Oklahoma or who visit his official shrine in Oklahoma City. The investigation into his life, his holiness, virtues and martyrdom continue. Will Stanley Rother become a saint? It’s hard to know. There are many “blessed” named by the Church who have never been fully declared a saint. What is usually needed is a miracle or two.

This was reported by KOCO-5 News in November 2017:

One of the most widely reported miracles attributed to Blessed Stanley Rother involves Sandra McGougan, who suffered a life-threatening brain injury in 1992. At age 22, she experienced a rupture of an extra set of veins in her brain stem, leaving her unresponsive and near death. Doctors initially considered organ harvesting due to her critical condition. Her family called a priest to pray at Rother’s grave, seeking his intercession. After three days, Sandra regained consciousness and eventually recovered the ability to walk, talk, and live a normal life. Medical professionals involved declared her recovery unexplainable by science, and the case was submitted to the Vatican as evidence of a miracle.

That miracle solidified Stanley Rother’s beatification. He needs a second bonafide miracle. In 2023, Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley wrote:

“The next step in Blessed Stanley’s Cause is canonization, which would give the Church its first saint from Oklahoma! Praying for his intercession is the most important way we can help this happen. If you need a miracle in your life or in the life of someone you love, remember that Blessed Stanley needs a miracle too!”

With the release of the new movie, it’s possible that more people will be encouraged to pray for Blessed Stanley’s intercession. They will be encouraged to document these prayers and their experience with healing, if one should occur. Ultimately, it’s all up to the Will of God.

In conclusion

            We spent 10 days in Guatemala, saw several villages and cities, and came away thoroughly charmed by this rugged country. I am pleased to say that the civil war did eventually end. Santiago Atitlan is still a place of pilgrimage and, of course, tourism, but it is no longer an Oklahoma mission. Perhaps owing to the influence of Blessed Stanley Rother, the parish has been able to stand on its own, and has had a multitude of religious vocations.

            I would love to return someday, but this week I will at least go to Fort Smith to see Blessed Stanley’s documentary.

The Moment is Over

The moment is over.

Yes, Tuesday was a wonderful reminder that conservative principles and common sense – when articulated well – still win elections.  But Tuesday was a couple of days ago and the progressive left is in a hurry to make America pay for it.

So, buckle up buttercup. There is no time for a victory lap. There was another attempt to federalize (that is, make sure only Democrats win) state and local elections. It got filibustered, thank God, but how long the filibuster will last is anyone’s guess.  And Speaker Pelosi is hell-bent on finding the right combination of giveaways and political perks to push through Joe Biden’s “human” infrastructure legislation. It already contains enough poison to sicken the American economic system – and our civil liberties – for decades. Perhaps even forever.

Word leaked out today that the massive bill still contains the provision requiring banks to report on transactions totaling $600 or more. This isn’t to monitor the uber wealthy; it’s to monitor you.  It also isn’t certain whether this is for an individual transaction, or cumulative transactions.  Do you want the IRS (the government) snooping into your finances?  This isn’t to catch the wealthy cheating on their taxes. This is to compile information, a dossier if you will, about you, your spending habits and how you live your life. Everything an out-of-control government needs in order to regular and control you, and not that far down the road.

Meanwhile, the Biden Administration has offered to settle a lawsuit brought against the government by the ACLU by paying certain individuals who crossed the southern border into the U.S. for the indignity of having their families separated. The offer? $450,000 per person, presumably with a cap for each family.

The creation of instant millionaires. What a country!

The ACLU and the Biden people aren’t exactly on opposite sides of this lawsuit, obviously. Where a reasonable person would expect our government to take the case to court and let justice prevail, the Biden bunch says, to effect, “We surrender. Not one cent for defense, but millions for tribute,” turning the historical adage upside down.

We can debate how illegal aliens are compensated when they are mistreated – if they are mistreated – but it’s insanity to offer instant wealth while hard-working Americans are struggling to buy groceries and gasoline.

Frankly, it’s an insult to everyone past and present who has played by the rules and asked for nothing but an equal opportunity to succeed. I’m not much for playing the victim game, and I don’t think we create good citizenship by encouraging it.

Both the $600 bank reporting and the proposed $450,000 per aggrieved migrant are examples of government overreach. Both need to be shouted down from the rooftops.

Now is not the time for self-congratulations. It is time for diligence, networking and prayer. We haven’t won back our freedom yet.

Taxing Paper Wealth

A new front has opened in class warfare

The Biden Administration is very busy. It’s hard to keep up. Once upon a time – in previous presidencies – there was an outrage of the month. The pace quickened and it was an outrage of the week, then the day. Now it is the outrage of the hour.

Sometimes it’s difficult to focus on one particular egregious policy or action, there are so many from which to choose. But two recent reports stand out. One threatens to upend the dynamic that drives American economic progress. The second stands out as a slap in the face to all who pay taxes and want to have faith in the judicial system. (I will deal with that in the next post.)

President Biden has “expressed support” for an annual tax on the unrealized capital gains of “the wealthy.” That probably sounds swell to a lot of people who have been taught to despise the wealthy (but not the wealth).  But there’s a huge problem here, as Elizabeth Dellinger of Fisher Investments explains:

… economists from the Office for Management and Budget (OMB) see it differently, apparently. Their report redefined income as the increase in wealth from one year to the next—a bizarre methodology that introduces a lot of oddities, in my view. This would be a mere academic curiosity if Congressional Democrats weren’t jawboning about taxing wealthy individuals’ unrealized capital gains as they scramble to rewrite the reconciliation budget bill.

And:

Much of the current push stems from the notion that wealthy people aren’t paying their “fair share,” which the OMB’s analysis aimed to demonstrate. It estimated “the average Federal individual income tax rate paid by America’s 400 wealthiest families, using a relatively comprehensive measure of their income that includes income from unsold stock.” (Italics mine.)

Thing is, these families are not sitting on mountains of gold coins like Scrooge McDuck. Their wealth is predominantly assets—illiquid (businesses, art) and liquid (stocks, bonds). Increases to that wealth exist on paper only. The current proposal to tax unrealized gains would include real estate, which is also quite illiquid—you can’t sell it in a minute and expect to get fair value. Nor is there a way of tracking its market value day by day. Like all illiquid assets, rising property values are one step away from imaginary.

What happens if this new tax becomes law?

First, lawsuits. Not all billionaires have under-the-table sweetheart deals with the administration, and they aren’t going to take a full-frontal assault on their wealth without fighting back. Nor should they. Leftist hopes to destroy American capitalism could be dashed against the rocks of the Constitution, but the damage to the economy would linger.

Second, changes in behavior. The uber-wealthy are smart and they employ smart people to help them cope with such insanity. They may expatriate to less greedy countries, taking their wealth – not to mention their initiative and the jobs their wealth provides – to greener pastures. The loser in this will be America. Very few jobs are created by people on food stamps. Unemployment will rise; businesses and factories will close. Few will want to invest in a market that could bring upon you catastrophic taxes.

Third, at first the law would be for the billionaire class. It would not stay that way, especially if revenues fall below expectations. Those who would grow government will not be satisfied until these taxes on “paper wealth” are extended downward. Remember your history: the original federal income tax was capped at 7 percent for those considered uber wealthy in 1913. Oh, those were the days!

Ms. Dellinger explains that

… there are two simple reasons capital gains taxes have preferred rates. One is incentivizing long-term investment, which drives job creation. The other is to account for inflation, which can offset a large chunk of long-term returns.

Inflation, which is rocketing now, is the best friend of the socialist mastermind. It provides a never-ending opportunity to “do something,” whether it is instituting new, expensive programs that dictate what people can and cannot do, or increases in taxation when “paper wealth” rises because of inflation.

You see, inflation is not a defect in the current economic situation, it is a feature. But only if you want bigger government and don’t give a damn about capital markets, free enterprise or freedom itself.

There is already too much money (much of it created digitally) chasing too few goods (some of it waiting offshore to be unloaded) which means prices rise. I expect soon to hear calls for wage and price controls, which will solve nothing.

When markets take a downturn, as they will, and the unrealized gains turn into unrealized losses, will the government offer tax credits or rebates? Hell, no! The flow from the private sector to the government is one-way only.

Understand, punishment for the rich will only punish everyone. Whether there are enough intelligent people left to comprehend this, who knows? Whether there are enough men and women in Congress with the common sense and courage to say no, we shall soon see.

Shining light on dark Lord Fauci

Let us acknowledge what is proven to be true: Dr. Anthony Fauci believes that he is not only above criticism and suspicion for anything that he has said or done, he believes that his is the final word on all things medical. In his dual roles as chief medical advisor to the President and head of NIAID (National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases), he wields great power.

With great power comes great responsibility but Fauci acts more like a Sith Lord than a humble public servant. (Think Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine.) So henceforth we shall call him Lord Fauci, a master of the dark side of biomedical research and applications.

There are calls for his resignation and/or arrest with the disclosure of records that reveal that NIH, through a third-party, did indeed fund research into “gain of function” of exotic bat viruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Yeah, that lab. Some $3.1 million was spent in 2014, nearly $600,000 sent to the Wuhan lab itself.  The letter contradicts Lord Fauci’s sworn testimony before Congress last May that no such research ever took place. It also vindicates Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has been most vocal in calling out Lord Fauci’s mendacity.

In fairness, the latest revelations do not prove that the United States, working through NIH and Chinese officialdom, created the Covid-19 virus. But it certainly doesn’t rule out the possibility. As of now, there is a lot more smoke. Somewhere, there is a fire.

Adding more impetus to the demands for Lord Fauci’s ouster is a second report that details how NIAID did experimental research on 44 beagle puppies, spending $1.68 million to force feed them an experimental drug after first infecting them with parasites, all this in a lab in Tunisia, North Africa. After four or five months, the dogs were killed and dissected. But it gets worse: early in the “study,” the puppies had their vocal cords cut, apparently so lab workers did not have to hear their howls of pain.

All this will be nothing compared for the howls from animal rights groups, understandably. Beagle pups? Really?  This is Lord Fauci’s agency over which he has direct control. In a sane world, in a just world, there would be consequences for this man who has been in his job for far too long.

In a recent interview with Chris Wallace of Fox News, Lord Fauci was asked why he was such a polarizing figure.

Instead, Fauci said he could not think of a single reason why he is polarizing.

“Well, I’m not so sure I could answer the latter because I can’t think of anything,” Fauci said, “but I’m sure some people will.”

How about this:

“I think what people have to appreciate, that indeed you do have personal liberties for yourself and you should be in control of that,” Fauci said recently. “But you are a member of society, and as a member of society, reaping all of the benefits of being a member of society, you have a responsibility to society.”

“I think each of us, particularly in the context of a pandemic that’s killing millions of people, you have got to look at it and say, ‘There comes a time when you do have to give up what you consider your individual right of making your own decision for the greater good of society,'” he explained.

There are a dozen other examples, including how it is too soon to determine whether American should be allowed to gather together for Christmas. But let’s just rest the case against Lord Fauci at this point. He has lied to Congress, gave money through a third party to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and has no respect for the Constitutional freedoms afforded to citizens of the United States. Oh, and he kills beagle puppies.

For the sake of his soul, I will pray for him. For the sake of our country, Lord Fauci should be removed from his posts and brought to justice.