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The Shepherd Who Didn't Run - 2nd Edition by María Ruiz Scaperlanda (Paperback)
About this item
Highlights
- 2016 CPA Book Awards Winner!
- Author(s): María Ruiz Scaperlanda
- 272 Pages
- Religion + Beliefs, Christianity
Description
About the Book
2016 CPA Book Awards Winner! The moving story of a simple parish priest from Oklahoma who would not abandon his Guatamalan parish and was martyred during the Guatamalan Civil War at the age of 46.Book Synopsis
2016 CPA Book Awards Winner! 3rd Place, Biography category
"The shepherd cannot run at the first sign of danger." - Fr. Stanley Francis RotherFr. Stanley Rother was true to his word. He did not run. And was martyred at the age of 46.
Fr. Stanley arrived in Guatemala in 1968, and immediately identified with his parishioners' simple, farming lifestyle. He learned their languages, prepared them for the Sacraments, and cared for their needs. Fr. Stanley, or "Padre Francisco" as he was called by his beloved Tz'utujil Indians, had found his heart's calling.
After nearly a decade, the violence of the Guatemalan civil war found its way into the peaceful village. Disappearances, killings, and danger became daily occurrences, but despite this unrest Fr. Stanley remained hard at work, building a farmer's co-op, a school, a hospital, and the first Catholic radio station, used for catechesis.
In early 1981, his name was on a death list, so he returned to Oklahoma and was warned not to return. But he could not abandon his people, so he went back, and made the ultimate sacrifice for his faith.
"Pray for us that we may be a sign of the love of Christ for our people," said Fr. Stanley, "that our presence among them will fortify them to endure these sufferings in preparation for the coming of the Kingdom."
Also available in Spanish.