Who we are . . .
Stanley Rother Catholic Worker (SRCW) provides emergency assistance for people in Tulsa and the surrounding area when other social services are lacking. Our focus is on being responsive to the needs of an individual through direct encounter. We integrate with at-risk communities so we can be a source of help when a need arises. We are a non-profit, non-hierarchical group that emphasizes egalitarian values and communal decisions. Both those providing and receiving support are considered members of SRCW.
For more information about what we do, please see our Projects page.
What is Catholic Worker?
The Catholic Worker movement was started by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin, inaugurated by the publication of The Catholic Worker newspaper on May 1, 1933. A guiding principle of the movement is that every person should be treated with equal dignity. Catholic Workers strive to enact Christ’s charity and justice through the Works of Mercy. They are committed to prayer, nonviolence, voluntary poverty, and hospitality to those who are homeless, hungry, or seeking refuge.
Who was Stanley Rother?
Bl. Stanley Francis Rother was an Oklahoma-born priest, who was martyred in Guatemala on July 28, 1981. Five years after being ordained to the priesthood in 1963, Rother applied to become a missionary to Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala. While there, Rother learned to say Mass in the local language, eventually translating the New Testament. In addition to his parishioners’ spiritual needs, Rother sought to aid their educational, medical, and physical needs. Increasing violence against the Church and threats to his life led Rother to reluctantly return to Oklahoma in early 1981, but he soon asked for permission to return. He was murdered just after midnight on July 28 in his room of the parish rectory. Rother was beatified in Oklahoma City in 2017.