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Love in a Fearful Land: A Guatemalan Story
This book is Henri Nouwen's account of his pilgrimage to Santiago Atitlan, a Mayan town deep in the highlands of Guatemala. There an American priest, Father Stanley Rother of Oklahoma City, was murdered by a death squad.
In traveling to Rother's parish, Nouwen hoped to learn more about this modern martyr, about the faith that drew him there, and the love that held him there -- even though his life was at risk.
This richly illustrated edition of Love in a Fearful Land appeared on the 25th anniversary of Father Rother's death. In commemorating his witness, it also celebrates the truth that we are all, Christians North and South, members of the same body of Christ.
In traveling to Rother's parish, Nouwen hoped to learn more about this modern martyr, about the faith that drew him there, and the love that held him there -- even though his life was at risk.
This richly illustrated edition of Love in a Fearful Land appeared on the 25th anniversary of Father Rother's death. In commemorating his witness, it also celebrates the truth that we are all, Christians North and South, members of the same body of Christ.
128 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1985
6 people are currently reading
169 people want to read
About the author
Henri J.M. Nouwen
452 books2,135 followersHenri Jozef Machiel Nouwen was a Dutch Catholic priest, theologian, psychologist, professor, and spiritual writer whose work profoundly shaped contemporary Christian spirituality. Born in Nijkerk, the Netherlands, in 1932, Nouwen pursued religious studies and was ordained a priest in 1957. His intellectual curiosity led him to study psychology at the Catholic University of Nijmegen and later at the Menninger Clinic in Kansas, where he explored the connection between faith and mental health. Throughout his life, Nouwen remained committed to integrating pastoral care, psychology, and spiritual theology in a way that addressed the emotional and existential needs of believers.
Nouwen held teaching positions at prestigious institutions including the University of Notre Dame, Yale Divinity School, and Harvard Divinity School. He authored over three dozen books and hundreds of articles, with notable works such as The Wounded Healer, The Return of the Prodigal Son, Life of the Beloved, and The Inner Voice of Love. His writing, often rooted in personal vulnerability and spiritual struggle, resonated with readers across denominations. Nouwen openly explored themes of loneliness, identity, intimacy, and the human desire for love and belonging, making his voice especially relatable and influential.
Though he was a gifted academic and popular speaker, Nouwen found his deepest calling later in life through his involvement with L’Arche, a network of communities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. After a transformative stay at the original L’Arche community in France, Nouwen accepted an invitation to become the pastor of L’Arche Daybreak in Richmond Hill, Ontario. There he developed a close bond with Adam Arnett, a core member with severe disabilities, which inspired the book Adam: God’s Beloved. At Daybreak, Nouwen discovered a deep spiritual home and a community that helped him embrace his humanity in profound ways.
Throughout his life, Nouwen wrestled with issues of identity, including his sexuality and his longing for connection, though he remained faithful to his vows. His openness about depression and inner conflict gave depth to his pastoral message, and his ability to turn personal struggle into shared spiritual insight made him one of the most beloved spiritual writers of the 20th century.
Henri Nouwen died in 1996 of a sudden heart attack, but his legacy endures through his writings, the Henri Nouwen Society, and the continued global reach of his message of belovedness, vulnerability, and compassionate community. His books remain bestsellers, widely read in seminaries, churches, and among individuals seeking a more intimate walk with God.
Nouwen held teaching positions at prestigious institutions including the University of Notre Dame, Yale Divinity School, and Harvard Divinity School. He authored over three dozen books and hundreds of articles, with notable works such as The Wounded Healer, The Return of the Prodigal Son, Life of the Beloved, and The Inner Voice of Love. His writing, often rooted in personal vulnerability and spiritual struggle, resonated with readers across denominations. Nouwen openly explored themes of loneliness, identity, intimacy, and the human desire for love and belonging, making his voice especially relatable and influential.
Though he was a gifted academic and popular speaker, Nouwen found his deepest calling later in life through his involvement with L’Arche, a network of communities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. After a transformative stay at the original L’Arche community in France, Nouwen accepted an invitation to become the pastor of L’Arche Daybreak in Richmond Hill, Ontario. There he developed a close bond with Adam Arnett, a core member with severe disabilities, which inspired the book Adam: God’s Beloved. At Daybreak, Nouwen discovered a deep spiritual home and a community that helped him embrace his humanity in profound ways.
Throughout his life, Nouwen wrestled with issues of identity, including his sexuality and his longing for connection, though he remained faithful to his vows. His openness about depression and inner conflict gave depth to his pastoral message, and his ability to turn personal struggle into shared spiritual insight made him one of the most beloved spiritual writers of the 20th century.
Henri Nouwen died in 1996 of a sudden heart attack, but his legacy endures through his writings, the Henri Nouwen Society, and the continued global reach of his message of belovedness, vulnerability, and compassionate community. His books remain bestsellers, widely read in seminaries, churches, and among individuals seeking a more intimate walk with God.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 28, 2015
“We diocesan priests have lost our historical sense. If Stan (Fr. Rother) had been a Jesuit, twenty books would have been written about him by now.” -Fr. John Vesey to his fellow priests during a Tulsa-Oklahoma City clergy week 5 June 1984
Love In A Fearful Land was the first biography I read about Father Stanley Rother after my initial pilgrimage in 2009 to Okarche, OK, his hometown, a little farming town along highway 3. Since then I’ve returned to Okarche every year on the anniversary of Father Rother’s martyrdom, July 28th to go to Mass and participate in whatever festivities his home parish of Holy Trinity puts on. Okarche is also famous for Eischens Bar. They claim to be Oklahoma’s oldest bar but most people who go there could care less about their age; they go for the mouth-watering chicken. Eischens is one of two places in Oklahoma you are supposed to visit before you die. Yes, the chicken is good, but I recommend you also go down the street and see where an American martyr went to church. Holy Trinity is amazingly beautiful and there is a small collection of pictures and other memorabilia belonging to Father Stan.
Although Love In A Fearful Land wasn’t what I was expecting – a straight biography of the martyred Father Stanley Rother it is an interesting and worthwhile book, because it brings together in one book three incredible priests who never had the chance to meet. The author, Fr. Henri Nouwen, the best known of the three, has written over forty spiritual books and yet he was in the middle of a writing slump at the time Fr. Vesey asked him to tell the story of a quiet Oklahoma farm boy who became a priest, traveled to Guatemala in the late 1960s and fell in love with the people there. Writing this book brought Fr. Nouwen out of his slump.
Love In A Fearful Land is agonizingly brief, as was the life of Fr. Stan, this gentle yet strong priest, beloved by his family and friends back home in Oklahoma as well as his parish in Guatemala. Wanting to know more than the book could tell me, I had to content myself with studying the all too few surviving pictures of Father Rother. He is always smiling and so is everyone who is with him. Despite the constant danger he lived in, Fr. Rother was not seeking martyrdom; he just believed a shepherd’s place was with his ‘flock’.
On the night of July 28th shortly after midnight, three men broke in to the rectory and attempted to kidnap Fr. Rother as was the practice of the time. There was a civil war in Guatemala in 1981 and the government was powerless – or claimed it was anyway – to stop roving bands of terrorists from kidnapping anyone perceived as a threat. Once kidnapped, the individuals were brutally tortured, killed and their bodies left by the side of the road or worse yet, never found. It was considered far better not to be taken alive. Father Rother, apparently put up quite a fight before he was shot twice in the head. The room where he died is now used as a chapel by his flock who has already proclaimed him a saint.
He is buried in Okarche; his heart is buried in Guatemala.
Here is the prayer for canonization the Archdiocese of Oklahoma has written in his honor.
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
On the 28th of this month I'm going on pilgrimage to Holy Trinity Church, Father Stanley Rother's home parish, in Okarche, Oklahoma. It's the 28th anniversary of his death in Guatemala. We've been praying for his canonization for many years now, but I've yet to visit his town or parish and ... always wanted to!
Love In A Fearful Land was the first biography I read about Father Stanley Rother after my initial pilgrimage in 2009 to Okarche, OK, his hometown, a little farming town along highway 3. Since then I’ve returned to Okarche every year on the anniversary of Father Rother’s martyrdom, July 28th to go to Mass and participate in whatever festivities his home parish of Holy Trinity puts on. Okarche is also famous for Eischens Bar. They claim to be Oklahoma’s oldest bar but most people who go there could care less about their age; they go for the mouth-watering chicken. Eischens is one of two places in Oklahoma you are supposed to visit before you die. Yes, the chicken is good, but I recommend you also go down the street and see where an American martyr went to church. Holy Trinity is amazingly beautiful and there is a small collection of pictures and other memorabilia belonging to Father Stan.
Although Love In A Fearful Land wasn’t what I was expecting – a straight biography of the martyred Father Stanley Rother it is an interesting and worthwhile book, because it brings together in one book three incredible priests who never had the chance to meet. The author, Fr. Henri Nouwen, the best known of the three, has written over forty spiritual books and yet he was in the middle of a writing slump at the time Fr. Vesey asked him to tell the story of a quiet Oklahoma farm boy who became a priest, traveled to Guatemala in the late 1960s and fell in love with the people there. Writing this book brought Fr. Nouwen out of his slump.
Love In A Fearful Land is agonizingly brief, as was the life of Fr. Stan, this gentle yet strong priest, beloved by his family and friends back home in Oklahoma as well as his parish in Guatemala. Wanting to know more than the book could tell me, I had to content myself with studying the all too few surviving pictures of Father Rother. He is always smiling and so is everyone who is with him. Despite the constant danger he lived in, Fr. Rother was not seeking martyrdom; he just believed a shepherd’s place was with his ‘flock’.
On the night of July 28th shortly after midnight, three men broke in to the rectory and attempted to kidnap Fr. Rother as was the practice of the time. There was a civil war in Guatemala in 1981 and the government was powerless – or claimed it was anyway – to stop roving bands of terrorists from kidnapping anyone perceived as a threat. Once kidnapped, the individuals were brutally tortured, killed and their bodies left by the side of the road or worse yet, never found. It was considered far better not to be taken alive. Father Rother, apparently put up quite a fight before he was shot twice in the head. The room where he died is now used as a chapel by his flock who has already proclaimed him a saint.
He is buried in Okarche; his heart is buried in Guatemala.
Here is the prayer for canonization the Archdiocese of Oklahoma has written in his honor.
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
On the 28th of this month I'm going on pilgrimage to Holy Trinity Church, Father Stanley Rother's home parish, in Okarche, Oklahoma. It's the 28th anniversary of his death in Guatemala. We've been praying for his canonization for many years now, but I've yet to visit his town or parish and ... always wanted to!
May 14, 2023
"Prayer is the martyrdom of those who live"
July 17, 2017
This is another book I am reading "along" with my friend taking classes in spiritual formation (or something like that). In fact, this book was part of the class reading list because her class culminated this particular session by taking a trip to Guatemala - she's just returned. Anyway.
On July 28, 1981 Father Stanley Rother was assassinated in his parish, Santiago Atitlan Guatemala. He had been a part of the community for 13 years and refused to leave them as violence in the area increased and the threat of revolution was becoming more and more of a reality. On July 25, 1984 Father John Vesey took Father Rother's place in the parish and invited his friend, Henri Nouwen, to come and pray with he and his people. It was through this trip that Nouwen heard Father Rother's story, saw firsthand the impact he had on the area and still had post-death, and agreeing with Father Vesey - decided to share Father Rother's story as another example of the modern day martyrs.
Through letters Father Rother sent home to friends and family, articles written about him after he passed, and conversations with people who got to work alongside of Father Rother - Nouwen shares the story of a man's deep love for the residents of Santiago Atitlan and his commitment to them even at the expense of his own life. It is a story that highlights the truth - love wins. Love does win, every time.
On July 28, 1981 Father Stanley Rother was assassinated in his parish, Santiago Atitlan Guatemala. He had been a part of the community for 13 years and refused to leave them as violence in the area increased and the threat of revolution was becoming more and more of a reality. On July 25, 1984 Father John Vesey took Father Rother's place in the parish and invited his friend, Henri Nouwen, to come and pray with he and his people. It was through this trip that Nouwen heard Father Rother's story, saw firsthand the impact he had on the area and still had post-death, and agreeing with Father Vesey - decided to share Father Rother's story as another example of the modern day martyrs.
Through letters Father Rother sent home to friends and family, articles written about him after he passed, and conversations with people who got to work alongside of Father Rother - Nouwen shares the story of a man's deep love for the residents of Santiago Atitlan and his commitment to them even at the expense of his own life. It is a story that highlights the truth - love wins. Love does win, every time.
August 18, 2018
Not Nouwen's best work. It's a very simple reflection, almost like a prayer diary, of a trip Nouwen took to visit a fellow priest-friend in Guatemala. It's a bit hagiographic, repetitive, and not very theologically provocative. The very last chapter of this book, and epilogue of sorts, written by the priest-friend himself upon the book's reissue some years after Nouwen's death, does more to explain some of the limitations of the book. Apparently, Nouwen wrote this book during a period of great anxiety about his writing ability and after a long period of writer's block. As such, I can see that this may have been all Nouwen could accomplish, but it did help to get him out of his writing depression. He would go on to write better and more meaningful books. One thing I will say for the book is that it can introduce in a very simple way the person and story of Father Stanley Rother, who was murdered during his ministry in Guatemala. If you have never heard of Fr. Rother, this book will let you get to know who he is and may inspire you to read something more substantive about him or about Guatemala during these times of trouble.
January 4, 2025
This was a relatively quick read but really packed a punch. This was focused on two United States priests sent to Santiago Atitlàn, Guatemala to head the parish but spoke to the broader impact of the Catholic Church in Guatemala and other Latin American countries during the tumultuous 80s. While I don’t consider myself a religious person, I found this book moving in its beautiful description about faith can unite people and bring them hope in the darkest of times. Also loved the addition of pictures taken by the author’s colleague while they visited one of the priests in Guatemala.
September 13, 2022
I've really appreciated so much of what I've read from Nouwen in the past. I started reading this book to learn about Guatemala. The book is really about Father Stanley Rother and any insight into Guatemala feels tangential or solely contextual. If you're looking for a book about the life of a martyr, this is for you. But you'll likely be disappointed if you're looking for more than a one-dimensional view of Guatemala and its people.
February 28, 2021
A beautiful book about the ministry of Fr. Stanly Rother and Fr. John Vesey in the rural areas of Guatemala. We know today Fr Rother has been officially declared a martyr of the Church and is Blessed Stanley Rother. I believe this beautifully written book shows more about his ministry and how Fr John and all of us are called to humbly stand up for our brothers and sisters in Christ!
December 6, 2015
Simple and challenging true-life account of two priests who worked in (in succession) a rough village in Guatemala during those times when US-backed death squads were carrying out their foul work. Very different kind of book than I've read from Nouwen before, but worth a look, especially as yet another reminder of how deceived I was (and so many US Christians were) about US foreign policy and its horrific disconnect from morality and goodness in the 20th century, especially in Latin America. I wish more US citizens would honestly try to reckon with that shameful legacy, and think about how to keep from repeating it, so many times, so many ways, throughout the rest of the world.
Not to say this is all that political a book. Nouwen keeps such comments to a minimum, except when discussing the (again, horribly shameful!) US State Department's efforts to paint 4 female Catholic workers, who were tortured and murdered by US-backed fiends, as naive and politically manipulated. Even Nouwen has to call that out, to his credit.
The early '80s were such a dark time.
Not to say this is all that political a book. Nouwen keeps such comments to a minimum, except when discussing the (again, horribly shameful!) US State Department's efforts to paint 4 female Catholic workers, who were tortured and murdered by US-backed fiends, as naive and politically manipulated. Even Nouwen has to call that out, to his credit.
The early '80s were such a dark time.
July 14, 2011
This short and simple book tells the compelling story of the martyr Father Stan Rother, killed by government forces in the rectory of the parish he served for 13 years in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala. The 30th anniversary of his death is approaching on July 28, 2011. I recently visited Santiago Atitlan and its beautiful parish, along with the Parque de la Paz (Park for Peace) built by the community, which has a monument for Father Stan, along with a catechist and a community leader who were also killed around the same time, and monuments for the children and youth also killed. Henri Nouwen uses his simple, spiritual style of writing to unfold the meaning of his witness and that of the priest who followed him, Father John Vesey.
August 19, 2014
Stan Rother es un mártir de nuestro tiempo, en cuya actitud la frase "Donde hay AMOR, no hay temor" se hacen una realidad tangible. Nouwen tuvo un don con las letras y palabras. Dios sabe que estoy profundamente agradecida con esta realidad, ya que a través de sus libros puedo no sólo conocer más sobre otros que dan su vida por el Amor, pero también son libros que me dejan mucho material para reflexionar y meditar en el silencio de mi corazón y cómo puedo dejar mi pereza espiritual para realmente hacer de mi vida un DON completo y sincero a otros.
September 3, 2009
Incredible story about a priest from Oklahoma who lived in Santiago for many years and loved the people there. It is the story of how he was martyred. I think everyone should read this book that way they can understand the struggles that other people go through in other countries.
March 31, 2013
Disappointing, to anyone who loves both Nouwen and Guatemala. The story of Father Stan Rother is undeniably important, as much as Oscar Romero. But this book reads more as personal sentiment than compelling narrative.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews