Praised be Jesus Christ! “First impressions, second thoughts, and the third degree” – that’s a phrase from the longtime Wisconsin State Journal sports writer Andy Baggot and it works well when a column is going to be a bit more wide-ranging than usual. First up is the remarkable story of Father Stan Rother. You may already know that Pope Francis announced on December 2nd that this holy priest has been formally recognized as the first martyr born on American soil. At our annual class gathering a classmate from Father Rother’s home diocese of Oklahoma City regaled us with some very edifying stories. Father Rother was born on March 27, 1935 on his family farm outside of Okarche, Oklahoma. When the Rothers brought their baby boy for baptism, the pastor asked what name they had given the child: “Stanley Francis” the parents responded. The old German pastor Monsignor Zenon Steuber noticeably halted and with a disapproving look answered back, “There is no saint named Stanley. He will be Francis Stanley.” Now that Father Rother’s path to beatification has been opened, it seems we may soon have a Saint by the name of Stanley after all! After enduring some significant academic struggles during his years in seminary, Father Rother was ordained and later sent to the missions in Guatemala. He served with great distinction though the times were rife with danger and instability. As the political situation deteriorated, Father Rother witnessed one of his catechists being abducted just outside the parish church at dusk – sadly, there was nothing he could do. Tortured bodies were sometimes found, but many were never seen again. Father Rother knew that his name was on a death list. When he came home for Christmas with his family in 1980 those closest to him noticed how distant and absent he seemed. As he walked the land he once worked on his family’s farm, he was strikingly listless and without vitality. Eventually he determined to go back – he said at that time that “the shepherd cannot run at the first sign of danger.” So against all advice he returned. Masked gunmen came for him in July of 1981. Father Rother knew their routine and he put up significant resistance, telling the men that they’d have to “do it here” and that he would not go with them. Shots rang out and Father Stan was killed in his rectory bedroom. The men were never identified or caught. At the request of the people of the mission who deeply loved him, they asked the family if Father Stan’s heart could be buried at the church. The family permitted it. The rest of his body was returned home and is now buried in the Catholic cemetery of Okarche, Oklahoma. And now Father’s extraordinary sacrifice has been officially recognized, meaning that he’s on his way to being beatified. What a blessing for the Church in America! Now please allow what is often called a non sequitur: Recently someone passed along the following for our ongoing growth in church etiquette: “In the document, Instruction On Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of Priests, put out by the Vatican on August 15, 1997, we read, "In eucharistic celebrations deacons and non-ordained members of the faithful may not pronounce prayers — e.g. especially the eucharistic prayer, with its concluding doxology — or any other parts of the liturgy reserved to the celebrant priest. Neither may deacons or nonordained members of the faithful use gestures or actions which are proper to the same priest celebrant. It is a grave abuse for any member of the non-ordained faithful to "quasi preside" at the Mass while leaving only that minimal participation to the priest which is necessary to secure validity" (ICP Practical Provisions 6 §2).” For the record, the only gentle correction for us is that solely the priest is to pray in the orans position (i.e. with arms in the form of a cross) during the “Our Father.” I just thought you’d like to know. May God bless us with holiness in our priests and in our people, that we may worship Him in word and deed!
Your friend in Christ, Father Martin
Your friend in Christ, Father Martin
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