{"product_id":"stanley-rother-story-marcus-e-hales-9798194377954","title":"Stanley Rother Story: The American Martyr, His Murder in Guatemala, and the Fight for Sainthood","description":"What would you do if the people you had sworn to serve were being hunted-and your own name appeared on a death list? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor Father Stanley Rother, leaving might have meant safety. Staying meant danger. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBorn and raised on a farm in Okarche, Oklahoma, Stanley Rother seemed destined for an ordinary life. Instead, he answered a call to the priesthood that eventually carried him thousands of miles from home to Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala, where he devoted thirteen years to the Indigenous Tz'utujil people. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHe learned their language. He celebrated Mass among them. He helped translate the New Testament, supported education and healthcare, and lived among families whose lives were increasingly threatened by the violence of Guatemala's civil war. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThen the danger came for him. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs disappearances and killings spread through the community, Rother's name appeared on a death list. He returned briefly to Oklahoma, but the separation did not last. He believed he could not abandon the people who depended on him. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"The shepherd cannot run.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOn July 28, 1981, three men entered the rectory of Santiago Atitlán's St. James the Apostle Church and murdered the 46-year-old priest. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBut his death did not end his story. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe aftermath raised painful questions about who was responsible and why no one was ultimately held accountable. Meanwhile, the people Rother served continued to remember the priest who had chosen to remain with them when fear demanded that he leave. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDecades later, the Catholic Church formally recognized Rother as a martyr for the faith. In 2017, he was beatified in Oklahoma City, becoming the first U.S.-born priest to be beatified and the first recognized martyr born in the United States. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eStanley Rother is the story of an ordinary man whose life became extraordinary through faith, service, courage, and sacrifice. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eInside, you will discover: \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e- The Oklahoma farm boy behind the priest\u003cbr\u003e- His difficult journey to the priesthood\u003cbr\u003e- His life and ministry among the Tz'utujil people\u003cbr\u003e- The Guatemala of civil war, fear, and political violence\u003cbr\u003e- The death lists and growing threats against the mission\u003cbr\u003e- Rother's decision to return after leaving for his own safety\u003cbr\u003e- The final hours before his assassination\u003cbr\u003e- The unanswered questions surrounding his murder\u003cbr\u003e- The long journey from murdered missionary to recognized martyr\u003cbr\u003e- The enduring legacy he left in Guatemala, Oklahoma, and beyond \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis is more than the story of how a priest died. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIt is the story of why he stayed, whom he served, and what his sacrifice came to mean.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Marcus E. Hales\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798194377954\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/23\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 144\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.44lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.31d","brand":"Marcus E. Hales","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":49174565323007,"sku":"9798194377954","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_f46460bb-44b7-4a45-b87f-1619d3f19106.jpg?v=1788960338","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/stanley-rother-story-marcus-e-hales-9798194377954","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}