This work is from a series on patrons of Catholic churches. Artist Tim Langenderfer has been reaching out to Catholic parishes at Ramesh’s behest and asking if they would like to have a painting of their patron saint with accompanying prayer cards provided by Ramesh. The parish would also receive a high quality giclée of the original to be hung in the church building.
Tim made the choice to create these portraits in the style of icons, but with a more modern approach. He was influenced by the symbolism and use of color in thankga paintings of the Eastern faiths.
Padre A'Plas is not yet the patron of a church. While engaged in the process of creating portraits, Tim became aware that Fr. Stanley Rother, called Padre A'Plas by the people he served, was beatified by the Catholic church on September 23, 2017 as the first American-born martyr and the first American-born Catholic priest to be so honored. Advocates will continue to place his cause for sainthood before the church. The process could take decades.
This is Fr. Rother's story:
In the early 1960s, Pope St. John XXIII asked churches in North America to aid the people of Central America. The Dioceses of Oklahoma City and Tulsa established a mission in Guatemala, and soon one man from Okarche, Oklahoma answered the call, finding himself in Santiago Atitlán, a poor village in the Central American country.
That man’s name was Stanley Rother; he was a priest and a member of the Catholic Order of Foresters. He belonged to Holy Trinity Parish. Originally from Okarche, the Rev. Fr. Rother grew up on a farm, and had four younger siblings.
In Guatemala, he served the parish of Santiago Apóstol. Fr. Rother was so devoted to his work – and his people – that he learned Spanish and Tzututjil, the indigenous language. The people called him Padre A'Plas, his middle name (Francis) translated to Tzututjil. Most Reverend Eusebius Beltran, Archbishop Emeritus of Oklahoma City, explained that Fr. Rother said Mass in the native language, which was something priests before him couldn’t do.
“He was a critical driving force in developing Tzututjil as a written language, which eventually led to translations of liturgy of the Mass, the Lectionary and the New Testament,” María Ruiz Scaperlanda, author of a biography about Fr. Rother, said. “Five years after he arrived in Guatemala, the same man who failed out of his first seminary because of his inability to learn Latin was able to celebrate Mass in Tzututjil for his parishioners. If that’s not from God, I don’t know what is!”
He immersed himself in the culture, adopting the clothing, eating habits and lifestyle of the locals. Fr. Rother helped develop a local Catholic radio station, a school to educate children and a medical clinic. He used his farming skills to teach people better farming techniques.
In the 1980s, the Guatemalan Civil War that began in 1960 raged on. The death threats and violence were on everyone’s mind. Fr. Rother didn’t speak much about the threats, and he didn’t let them interrupt his service.
The unstable circumstances led to people being kidnapped and killed, including more than 30 of Fr. Rother’s catechists, and often their bodies were brutally defaced. According to Oklahoma Martyr, a documentary that aired on Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA) as a part of its Back in Time series, Fr. Rother would claim and recover the bodies. He did this not only to serve those who were killed, but also to serve their families, bringing them at least some relief from potentially being targeted by those same killers. He properly buried the bodies, living one of the Corporal Works of Mercy.
In the spring of 1981 after learning they were on a kill list, four priests at the mission returned to the United States. Fr. Rother, though, stayed in Guatemala. “The shepherd must not abandon the sheep,” he said.
Soon he did come back to the United States, and he vowed his ministry would be different when he returned to Guatemala. In the few months he was home, his parents could tell his mind was elsewhere, with his people in Santiago Atitlán.
He returned to Guatemala to continue his ministry.
In the early morning hours of July 28, 1981, three sisters who lived nearby in the church heard a gunshot. They came through the house and saw that Fr. Rother had been killed.
Though no one has ever been accused of the murder, many people believe the gunmen were part of the government security forces which occupied the town.
Though his body was buried in Oklahoma, his heart remains in Guatemala – literally. Because he meant so much to the people of Santiago Atitlán and they were so dear to him, church and civil authorities permitted his heart to be interned in the floor of the church sanctuary.
People around the world, including those in Santiago Atitlán and the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, believe Fr. Rother is worthy of sainthood. In 2016, after 35 years of investigation, Pope Francis formally recognized Fr. Rother as a martyr. On September 23, 2017, Fr. Rother was beatified in Oklahoma City.
Now known as Blessed Stanley Rother, he is the first American-born Catholic martyr and the first American-born Catholic priest to be beatified.
Tim made the choice to create these portraits in the style of icons, but with a more modern approach. He was influenced by the symbolism and use of color in thankga paintings of the Eastern faiths.
Padre A'Plas is not yet the patron of a church. While engaged in the process of creating portraits, Tim became aware that Fr. Stanley Rother, called Padre A'Plas by the people he served, was beatified by the Catholic church on September 23, 2017 as the first American-born martyr and the first American-born Catholic priest to be so honored. Advocates will continue to place his cause for sainthood before the church. The process could take decades.
This is Fr. Rother's story:
In the early 1960s, Pope St. John XXIII asked churches in North America to aid the people of Central America. The Dioceses of Oklahoma City and Tulsa established a mission in Guatemala, and soon one man from Okarche, Oklahoma answered the call, finding himself in Santiago Atitlán, a poor village in the Central American country.
That man’s name was Stanley Rother; he was a priest and a member of the Catholic Order of Foresters. He belonged to Holy Trinity Parish. Originally from Okarche, the Rev. Fr. Rother grew up on a farm, and had four younger siblings.
In Guatemala, he served the parish of Santiago Apóstol. Fr. Rother was so devoted to his work – and his people – that he learned Spanish and Tzututjil, the indigenous language. The people called him Padre A'Plas, his middle name (Francis) translated to Tzututjil. Most Reverend Eusebius Beltran, Archbishop Emeritus of Oklahoma City, explained that Fr. Rother said Mass in the native language, which was something priests before him couldn’t do.
“He was a critical driving force in developing Tzututjil as a written language, which eventually led to translations of liturgy of the Mass, the Lectionary and the New Testament,” María Ruiz Scaperlanda, author of a biography about Fr. Rother, said. “Five years after he arrived in Guatemala, the same man who failed out of his first seminary because of his inability to learn Latin was able to celebrate Mass in Tzututjil for his parishioners. If that’s not from God, I don’t know what is!”
He immersed himself in the culture, adopting the clothing, eating habits and lifestyle of the locals. Fr. Rother helped develop a local Catholic radio station, a school to educate children and a medical clinic. He used his farming skills to teach people better farming techniques.
In the 1980s, the Guatemalan Civil War that began in 1960 raged on. The death threats and violence were on everyone’s mind. Fr. Rother didn’t speak much about the threats, and he didn’t let them interrupt his service.
The unstable circumstances led to people being kidnapped and killed, including more than 30 of Fr. Rother’s catechists, and often their bodies were brutally defaced. According to Oklahoma Martyr, a documentary that aired on Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA) as a part of its Back in Time series, Fr. Rother would claim and recover the bodies. He did this not only to serve those who were killed, but also to serve their families, bringing them at least some relief from potentially being targeted by those same killers. He properly buried the bodies, living one of the Corporal Works of Mercy.
In the spring of 1981 after learning they were on a kill list, four priests at the mission returned to the United States. Fr. Rother, though, stayed in Guatemala. “The shepherd must not abandon the sheep,” he said.
Soon he did come back to the United States, and he vowed his ministry would be different when he returned to Guatemala. In the few months he was home, his parents could tell his mind was elsewhere, with his people in Santiago Atitlán.
He returned to Guatemala to continue his ministry.
In the early morning hours of July 28, 1981, three sisters who lived nearby in the church heard a gunshot. They came through the house and saw that Fr. Rother had been killed.
Though no one has ever been accused of the murder, many people believe the gunmen were part of the government security forces which occupied the town.
Though his body was buried in Oklahoma, his heart remains in Guatemala – literally. Because he meant so much to the people of Santiago Atitlán and they were so dear to him, church and civil authorities permitted his heart to be interned in the floor of the church sanctuary.
People around the world, including those in Santiago Atitlán and the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, believe Fr. Rother is worthy of sainthood. In 2016, after 35 years of investigation, Pope Francis formally recognized Fr. Rother as a martyr. On September 23, 2017, Fr. Rother was beatified in Oklahoma City.
Now known as Blessed Stanley Rother, he is the first American-born Catholic martyr and the first American-born Catholic priest to be beatified.
