Father Stanley Rother’s gift of presence: Interview with María Ruiz Scaperlanda

SDG Original source: The Catholic Spirit

Catholic writer María Ruiz Scaperlanda is an enthusiastic voice for Blessed Stanley Rother—one you can hear in the documentary American Martyr, which features her prominently.

Scaperlanda served on the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City’s historical commission for Fr. Stanley’s cause, helping to gather information for the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints of the Roman Curia. She is also the author of the biography The Shepherd Who Didn't Run: Fr. Stanley Rother, Martyr from Oklahoma. She and her husband Michael Scaperlanda, chancellor for the archdiocese, have executive producer credits for the documentary, which is presented by the archdiocese.

I spoke with her recently by phone. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

I understand that you were born in Cuba, grew up in Puerto Rico, and now live in Oklahoma, is that correct?

All of that is correct, yes.

It might seem superfluous to ask a Latina Catholic living in Oklahoma what drew her to an Oklahoma priest martyred in Latin America—but I’d still like your answer!

My kids went to Catholic school here. I credit Oklahoma Catholic school teachers with keeping the story of this man alive. My kids would come home and tell me cool stories about a diocesan priest from Oklahoma who was killed in Guatemala, and my journalistic senses were very interested in all those details!

So the stories from your children—that was the first you heard about Fr. Stan?

Yes. When the archdiocese opened the cause for Fr. Stan, they needed people who speak Spanish, which is my first language. The archbishop [Eusebius Beltran] asked me if I would be involved in the historical commission. Later, on a pilgrimage to Guatemala, I met the new archbishop [Paul Coakley], and he said to me, “You know, we need a good biography that people can pick up and get to know him.” So I dove into Fr. Stan because of assignments! Doing his biography was quite a privilege.
Continue reading at The Catholic Spirit
Documentary, Interviews, Priestly, Religious Themes, Saints & Beati

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<em>American Martyr</em>: An Oklahoma priest&rsquo;s unlikely bond with persecuted Mayans in war-torn Guatemala ARTICLE

American Martyr: An Oklahoma priest’s unlikely bond with persecuted Mayans in war-torn Guatemala

As with most martyrs, while Fr. Stan may be remembered first of all for how he died, what matters most is how he lived. American Martyr: The Stanley Rother Story is concerned with what matters most.