Stanley Francis Rother was a Catholic priest from the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. For thirteen years, he served as a missionary in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala. A beloved champion of the indigenous Tz’utujil people, Fr. Stan was Martyred on July the 28th, 1981, shot twice by unknown assailants thought to be linked with the Guatemalan Army.
Fr. Stan’s work amongst the Tz’utujil had encouraged them to be more self-sufficient, healthier, and perhaps more assertive of their human rights. In 2016, the Vatican judged his murder a result of “a hatred for his faith,” and declared him a Martyr of the Church. In 2017, Fr. Stan was Beatified, the final step before Canonization as a Saint.
His Feast day is July the 28th.