Stanley was born in Okarche, Oklahoma, where his parents were farmers. In his youth, he helped a lot at the farm and got to know the various aspects of farming. After his ordination, he served for five years as an assistant priest in Oklahoma. When he learned a priest was needed for the diocesan mission in the highlands of Guatemala, in Santiago Atitlán, he volunteered to be sent there as a missionary. When he arrived, Stanley was part of a team of twelve missionaries, fathers, sisters, and laypersons. One by one they returned home, eventually leaving only Stanley to continue the work of the mission. The local people loved him as their father and shepherd. With his farmer’s background, Stanley helped to work the fields with his own hands, while giving advice on crop variation and irrigation. He also assisted with medical care in the clinic of the mission, which he later helped to develop into a hospital. Stanley was murdered by three armed men who broke into the presbytery during the night of 28 July 1981. #blessedstanleyrother #beatostanleyrother #stanleyrother #theshepherdwhodidntrun #oklahoma #guatemala #saints #catholicsaints #onlinesaints
