"What if Holiness is a Friendship You Accept?" | July 19, 2026

A martyr’s anniversary is not just a date on a calendar, it is a spiritual mirror. As we approach the 45th anniversary of Blessed Stanley Rother’s martyrdom, we slow down and ask what his witness still does to the Church today, from Oklahoma to Guatemala, and why we keep praying for his canonization. We also get practical about language: canonization is not a mystical shortcut or a hype machine. It is the Church recognizing a real holiness that can guide all of us toward the goodness of God. We also make an important distinction between imitating and duplicating. A saint’s holiness should animate your life, not dictate your alarm clock, and the John Wesley example shows why copying details can miss the point while still leaving the heart unchanged. ************Father Don Wolf is a priest of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. Living Catholic also broadcasts on Oklahoma Catholic Radio several times per week, with new episodes airing every Sunday.