'The Shrine Is For All': Mass Commemorates 1 Year Since Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine Dedication

Members of the Catholic community gathered Saturday morning at the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine to recognize the first anniversary of its dedication.

"It's a place where people can come and find peace in prayer," Executive Director Miguel Mireles said. "The shrine is for all."

Related Story: Thousands Gather For Stanley Rother Shrine Dedication

The Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine is dedicated to the first U.S.-born Catholic priest martyr.

"It's a call for folks to come and give glory to God for this beautiful space," Mireles said.

"The Blessed Stanley shrine is for everyone,” Mireles said. “We encourage everyone to come, Catholics, non-Catholics to come."

He says this is a space to learn about the life and service of the Oklahoma native.

"A young man who grew up in Okarche, Oklahoma in a farming family,” Mireles explained. “An Okarche Catholic family."

Blessed Stanley went on to become a Catholic priest before he was killed in Guatemala in 1981.

"He gave his life for the people of Guatemala, and he gave his life for the church, spreading the gospel," Mireles said.

If he is canonized by the Catholic church, he will be the first U.S.-born priest to become a saint.

"That's a great win for the Catholic church, a great win for the United States, and a great win for Oklahoma,” Mireles said. “One of our own becoming a saint."

Mireles says there's no timeline on when Blessed Stanley will be canonized, but he's confident it will happen.

For now, the Shrine celebrates one year and many more to come.