纪念斯坦利·罗瑟神父殉难 45 周年的总统致辞

简报和声明
纪念斯坦利·罗瑟神父殉难 45 周年的总统致辞
白宫
2026 年 7 月 28 日
今天，梅拉尼娅和我与美国天主教徒和世界各地的信仰人士一起，纪念斯坦利·罗瑟神父的崇高遗产。他是俄克拉荷马州的农场男孩，是第一位被天主教会宣扬为真福的美国出生的烈士，也是人类尊严的捍卫者，他英勇地牺牲了自己的生命，将耶稣基督的光明带给了饱受可怕黑暗折磨的人们。
罗瑟神父 1935 年出生于俄克拉荷马州市中心，28 岁时被任命为罗马天主教牧师。在任命时，他被灌输了俄克拉荷马州自豪的信仰、纪律、责任和牺牲的职业道德，并采纳了传奇圣奥古斯丁的座右铭：“为了我的利益，我是一名基督徒，为了他人的利益，我是一名牧师。”直到他的最后一口气，这些话都激励着他的生活和祭司事工。
1968年，就在罗瑟神父被任命几年后，他响应上帝对传教生活的呼召，离开美国前往饱受战争蹂躏的危地马拉高地，当时该地区正遭受冲突蹂躏。尽管成千上万的天主教徒在危地马拉内战期间被迫失踪和惨遭杀害，但罗瑟神父仍然花了 13 年的时间，将福音带给那些饱受贫困和暴力蹂躏的人们——翻译圣经，帮助建立一所学校、一家医院和该地区第一家天主教广播电台——无所畏惧地体现了基督“使万民作门徒”的使命。
最终，他无畏的牧区和人道主义工作对危地马拉独裁政权构成了威胁。在他任职十多年后，他的名字出现在黑名单上，这促使他在家乡俄克拉荷马州寻求临时庇护。但尽管面临着压倒性的迫在眉睫的危险，罗瑟神父坚持在几个月后返回危地马拉，拒绝在需要的时候抛弃他的羊群。他在 1980 年的一封信中写道：“牧羊人不能在出现危险迹象时就逃跑。”
四十五年前的今天，凌晨 1:00 左右1981 年 7 月 28 日，三名蒙面男子进入罗瑟神父的教区长住所，向他的头部开了两枪，冷酷地处决了他。他今年 46 岁。
自那场悲剧发生后的近半个世纪里，罗瑟神父成为了勇气、牺牲服务和对上帝忠诚的力量的活生生证明。 2017年，他成为第一位被罗马天主教堂册封为真福的美国出生的殉道者。俄克拉荷马城的祝福斯坦利·罗瑟神社现在是朝圣的主要地点，吸引了数十万游客。他激发了天主教徒的广泛热爱。他仍然是他深爱的家乡俄克拉荷马州不可估量的骄傲的源泉。每天，无数神父、牧师、牧师和精神领袖都忠实地仰望罗瑟神父，努力践行他坚韧、慈善、谦逊、服务、慷慨和毅力的不朽遗产。
今天，我们想起罗瑟神父的一生和殉难是美国丰富的宗教自由传统的成果。为了纪念他，我们再次承诺保持警惕，以便我们与生俱来的自由权利在每一次考验面前都能持续下去。我们深感自豪地承认，美国的传教热情和慷慨精神过去、现在和将来都是人类历史上最伟大的和平、正义和繁荣力量之一。最重要的是，我们祈祷每一个信仰的灵魂、每一个自由的热爱者、每一个真理的追求者都将永远记住斯坦利·罗瑟神父的名字并珍惜他的故事。

Briefings & Statements
Presidential Message on the 45th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Father Stanley Rother
The White House
July 28, 2026
Today, Melania and I join with American Catholics and people of faith all across the world in honoring the towering legacy of Father Stanley Rother—an Oklahoma farm boy, the first American-born martyr beatified by the Catholic Church, and a champion of human dignity who heroically laid down his life to bring the light of Jesus Christ to a people plagued by horrific darkness.
Born in the heart of Oklahoma in 1935, Father Rother was ordained a Roman Catholic priest at the age of 28. Instilled with a proud Oklahoma work ethic of faith, discipline, duty, and sacrifice, upon his ordination, he adopted as his motto the words of the legendary Saint Augustine: “For my benefit I am a Christian, for the benefit of others I am a priest.” Until his very last breath, these are the words that would animate his life and priestly ministry.
In 1968, just years after his ordination, Father Rother answered God’s call to missionary life, departing the United States for the war-torn highlands of Guatemala, then ravaged by conflict. Though thousands of Catholics were forcibly disappeared and viciously murdered during the Guatemalan Civil War, Father Rother nonetheless spent 13 years bringing the Gospel to those devastated by poverty and violence—translating sacred Scripture and helping to build a school, a hospital, and the region’s first Catholic radio station—fearlessly embodying Christ’s commission to “make disciples of all nations.”
Eventually, his intrepid pastoral and humanitarian work emerged as a threat to the authoritarian Guatemalan regime. More than a decade into his ministry, his name appeared on a hit list—prompting him to seek temporary refuge in his native Oklahoma. But even despite overwhelming and immediate dangers, Father Rother insisted on returning to Guatemala only months later, refusing to abandon his flock in their hour of need. “The shepherd cannot run at the first sign of danger,” he wrote in a 1980 letter.
Forty-five years ago today, around 1:00 A.M. on July 28, 1981, three masked men entered Father Rother’s rectory and shot him twice in the head—executing him in cold blood. He was 46 years old.
In the nearly half-century since, in the aftermath of the tragedy that took his life, Father Rother has stood as a living testament to the power of courage, sacrificial service, and fidelity to God. In 2017, he became the first American-born martyr to be beatified by the Roman Catholic Church. The Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine in Oklahoma City now stands as a major site of pilgrimages, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors. He has inspired widespread devotion among Catholics. He remains a source of immeasurable pride for his beloved home state of Oklahoma. And every day, countless priests, pastors, chaplains, and spiritual leaders faithfully look to Father Rother as they strive to carry out his immortal legacy of fortitude, charity, humility, service, generosity, and perseverance.
Today, we are reminded that Father Rother’s life and martyrdom are the fruits of America’s rich tradition of religious liberty. In his honor, we recommit to remaining vigilant so that our birthright of freedom endures in the face of every trial. We acknowledge with deep pride that America’s missionary zeal and generous spirit were, are, and will continue to be among the greatest forces of peace, justice, and flourishing in human history. Above all, we pray that every soul of faith, every lover of freedom, and every seeker of truth will forever remember the name and treasure the story of Father Stanley Rother.