Today my friends in El Salvador are joining together to remember and honor Monseñor Óscar Romero, martyred 29 years ago and still alive in his people. I am with them in spirit today.
In this icon by Br. Robert Lentz, OFM, San Romero - as he is often called in El Salvador - holds and protects the infant Jesus, imaged as a Salvador child, while the helicopters of the Army and death squads fly overhead.
Below, a brief outline of his life and martyrdom from Wikipedia:
Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez (August 15, 1917 – March 24, 1980), commonly known as Monseñor Romero, was a priest of the Roman Catholic Church in El Salvador. He later became prelate archbishop of San Salvador.
As an archbishop, he witnessed numerous violations of human rights and began a ministry speaking out on behalf of the poor and victims of the country's civil war. His brand of political activism was denounced by the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church and the government of El Salvador. In 1980, he was assassinated by gunshot while consecrating the Eucharist during mass. His death finally provoked international outcry for human rights reform in El Salvador.
In 1997, a cause for beatification and canonization into sainthood was opened for Romero and Pope John Paul II bestowed upon him the title of Servant of God. The process continues. He is considered the unofficial patron saint of the Americas and El Salvador and is often referred to as "San Romero" in El Salvador. Outside of Catholicism Romero is honored by other religious denominations of Christendom, like the Church of England through its Common Worship. He is one of the ten 20th-century martyrs from across the world who are depicted in statues above the Great West Door of Westminster Abbey, London.
Susan
ReplyDeleteWhen you return to El Salvador maybe you could look up this very interesting organization: the Equilibrium Fund. It is teaching women in the central American countries about the planting and use of their Maya nut tree. For more info and the San Salvador contact: http://www.theequilibriumfund.org/
Buenos dias,
Lindy
I also would like to share an interesting point of Mons. Romero's life. He was incredibly humble and modest in his living style. He had a simple room with a twin bed and very little furniture. He also died consecrating the Eucharist, one of the most sacred moment for me as a Catholic.
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