Hidden in the crypt of the Bascilia of St. Bartholomew are the relics of the first martyr of the United States, Father Stanley Rother. Fr. Stanley served as a missionary in Guatemala during civil war and refused to abandon his parishioners amidst military violence, even to the point of death.
FR. MOSES
Rector, Basilica of St. Bartholomew
He decided he could not escape as a pastor. A shepherd does not flee in the face of evil like Jesus, the good shepherd takes care of his sheep. So Father Stanley returned and continued to serve indigenous peoples until the end. He was killed on the night of 1981.
Fr. Stanley is just one of the several great American Martyrs hidden in the Basilica of St. Bartholomew on an island in the middle of the Tiber River.
Next to the relics of Fr. Stanley is the chasuble of Saint Oscar Romero. St. Romero was named Archbishop of San Salvador during a dictatorship that saw death squads hunting down everyone speaking out against the military regime.
Over radio, Archbishop Romero denounced the Salvadoran death squads and urged for peace. On March 24, 1980, he was murdered while celebrating mass in a hospital chapel.
No person has ever been prosecuted or charged for the killing St. Oscar Romero, who was elevated to sainthood by Pope Francis in 2018.
On the side alter is a light blue sweater that belonged to Sister Dorothy, who served as a missionary in Brazil. While there, she helped poor farmers keep their land and livelihood amidst threats from ranchers and gangs to give up the land.
On February 12th, 2005, two hired gunmen approached Sister Dorothy and began threatening her. Knowing that she would soon be killed, she took out her Bible and began to pray the Beatitudes.
FR. MOSES
Rector, Basilica of St. Bartholomew
We have Dorothy Stein's T-shirt that she wore…She was a very religious woman, and one that prayed and prayed until the very end.
The “Commission of New Martyrs” was established by Pope Saint John Paul II for the Jubilee of 2000. The commission's purpose is to maintain the testimonies, witnesses, and relics of the martyrs of the 20th century.
FR. MOSES
Rector, Basilica of St. Bartholomew
We say next to the memory of the apostle Bartholomew collects the memory of the new martyrs by the will of John Paul II. John Paul II, for the occasion of the Jubilee of 2000, established a Commission to investigate the situation of Christians in the world. What comes out is a great collection of nearly 12,000 profiles and stories of men and women who have given their lives because of the gospel, because of Jesus Christ.
However, for Fr. Moses and the community of St. Egidio that maintains the basilica, the relics of these American martyrs are more than just a commission. The relics serve to inspire every pilgrim that walks through the doors of Basilica of St. Bartholomew.
CRT
