Editor's note: This story is part of "Road to Sainthood," an ongoing series about the late Rev. Stanley Rother, the first U.S.-born male and U.S. priest named a martyr by the Roman Catholic Church. His beatification, at a ceremony planned for Sept. 23 in Oklahoma City, will place him one step closer to canonization.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City has launched a $55 million capital campaign and roughly half of the funds from the effort will go towards construction of a new south Oklahoma City church and the Rev. Stanley Rother shrine, expected to draw thousands of visitors from around the world.

The Most. Rev. Paul S. Coakley, archbishop of the Oklahoma City archdiocese, said plans are to build the Rother shrine and new church on archdiocesan property at 9016 Shields Blvd. The archdiocese purchased the 53-acre Brookside Golf Club property near SW 89 and Shields Boulevard for $2.1 million in March 2015.

Peter de Keratry, the archdiocese's executive director of stewardship and development, said the hope is to break ground on the shrine and the as yet unnamed church in five years. He said estimated cost for the shrine and church is about $30 million.