Kate Stevenson
American Martyr: The Stanley Rother Story will open in U.S. theaters for two nights on August 25th and 26th. The film tells the tale of the first American Martyr, and his journey from his home in Oklahoma to Guatemala, where he served as a missionary during the civil war.
When the violence in Guatemala increased, his commitment to his ministry was put to the test. He was forced to make a difficult choice that ultimately cost him his life: leave or stay with the people he served. In 1981, masked gunmen broke into his rectory, and murdered him.
Cristiana Marinelli, postulator for his canonization cause, says she's excited for viewers to understand the impact of Fr. Rother's life and sacrifice.
CRISTIANA MARINELLI
Postulator for the Rother Cause in Rome
The audience will go behind his story. People will understand the meaning of his witness, which tells us about courage, about faith, about faithfulness, about love.
Those themes are at the heart of who Fr. Rother was. His dedication to his people went beyond his work as a missionary.
CRISTIANA MARINELLI
Postulator for the Rother Cause in Rome
Because of his love for God and for the people entrusted to him, he felt that his place was there with his people. He wanted to be faithful to them and also to God. This is why he decided to remain there, and this is why he was killed.
The film also shares the very human side of the priest. Marinelli believes it's what makes his story so relatable today.
CRISTIANA MARINELLI
Postulator for the Rother Cause in Rome
He was an ordinary man. So his simplicity, and his roots were very simple. But he also struggled. He struggled with his academic studies for instance. But despite this, he really lived the Gospel with his whole heart.
And his authenticity was felt by the people he served. Over time, the missionary from Oklahoma became one of their own.
CRISTIANA MARINELLI
Postulator for the Rother Cause in Rome
He loved the people so deeply he tried to be part of them: working like them and living like them. He also mastered spanish language and the Tzʼutujii language not only to preach to them, but to preach them really in their language. So all this aspects of his personality and of his life are a very relevant witness and something that I think is a light that still shines today.
Decades after his death, Blessed Stanley Rother’s story continues to offer an example of courage, sacrifice and what it means to remain faithful when faith comes at a cost. And now, the new film is giving audiences across the nation a chance to discover his story.
