1980 - Archbishop Oscar Romero shot and killed while saying Mass.

ARCHBISHOP OSCAR ROMERO – HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS

Central American Saint and Martyr

One day last week before morning Mass I knelt in the pew to pray. As I looked down at the seat in front of me I saw a holy card with a picture of Oscar Romero on it. I picked it up and read the back.  Here’s what it said:

St. Oscar Romero

August 15, 1917 – March 24, 1980

Canonized October 14, 2018

“Let us not be disheartened, even when the horizon of history grows dim and closes in, as though human realities made impossible the accomplishments of God’s plans. God makes use even of human errors, even of human sins, so as to make rise over the darkness what Isaiah spoke of. One day prophets will sing not only the return from Babylon but full liberation, ‘The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. They walk in lands of shadows, but a light has shone forth.’ Isaiah 9:1-2”

I looked at the picture once more. I wondered about it. Had I seen it before? I put the card in my purse. I was happy to learn that Archbishop Oscar Romero had been canonized. He was the Archbishop of El Salvador at a time when thousands of people were being killed and hundreds mysteriously disappeared. He spoke out against a ruthless military government and unthinkable human rights violation.

Archbishop Oscar Romero knew he put his own life at risk while trying to protect the innocent.

We need a saint like St. Oscar Romero who will intercede for people like himself. Those who are willing to risk their lives for others.

Here’s an excerpt from his diary written in 1979 “I was in Ciudad Barrios Friday, September 28 and Saturday, September 29, visiting my town, encouraging the Maryknoll Fathers, who recently took over that parish, and the congregation of Carmelite Sisters, who have been helping in that pastoral work for some years now. The memory of my infancy and the contact with old friends renews in my life my enthusiasm to continue the vocation God gave me…” He greatly supported the Catholic foreign missions.

In the 70’s and 80’s I received Maryknoll Missionary magazine every month to keep up with what was going on in their foreign missions around the world. Sad stories. Joyful stories. All the stories were full of hope. At that time, my sister Virginia lived and worked as a Maryknoll Lay Missionary in Lima, Peru. I admired her and was very proud of her for answering God’s call. I remember reading the article in Maryknoll Magazine of the murder of now St. Oscar Romero. A few days after I had discovered the holy cards in the pews, I received a text from Father Adam asking me if I had seen the cards. He thanked me for giving them to him a couple of years ago. I text a simple ‘you’re welcome’ but it took me a while to remember that I had bought these cards to give to Father when Oscar Romero was beatified. I also remembered that the back of the cards had been blank. Father and his staff added the message on the back. No wonder the cards looked familiar.

This Friday, I arrived a little early to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet with a small group of parishioners who gather in church for this devotion every Friday at 3pm. I noticed that there were still Oscar Romero holy cards in the pews. I read the message on the back again. This time the message moved me even more. I felt the need to share my thoughts with the others, so I asked them to please pick one up. I stood up and told them a little about our new saint and his Mission as Archbishop of El Salvador in San Salvador. I told them that in 1980 Archbishop Romero was shot and killed in church while saying Mass.

Then I read the message on the card out loud: “Let us not be disheartened, even when the horizon of history grows dim and closes in, as though human realities made impossible the accomplishments of God’s plans. God makes use even of human errors, even of human sins, so as to make rise over the darkness what Isaiah spoke of. One day prophets will sing not only the return from Babylon but full liberation…” I reminded them how easy it is to get disheartened with disturbing thoughts of dark hearted people who do harm to others. I wondered out loud how God’s plan can be accomplished when these things seem to get worse and worse. Then I repeated the words of the saint, “God makes use even of human errors, even of human sins, so as to make rise over the darkness what Isaiah spoke of.” I asked if this was reassuring to them. It was. Then I concluded that Saint Oscar Romero knew of the many people murdered in El Salvador (30,000 murdered in 1980 alone) and families whose children were stolen from them and other family members who mysteriously disappeared never to be seen again. Yet, St. Oscar Romero never lost hope. Remember his message on the holy card of the joyful return of the exiled Hebrews from Babylon and the promise of full liberation for all.

That Friday as we took out our rosaries to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet. I reminded them to think of their personal intentions and before we began I said as I always do, “we pray for our personal intentions, we pray for ourselves, we pray for the intentions of everyone in the parish, we pray for the whole world.” My personal intention that afternoon was for the safety of all missionaries. I also prayed that comfort be given to those who suffer persecution and death simply because they were born in a country experiencing a violent time in history.

“Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, says Doctors Without Borders, ‘are awash in violence on a scale rarely seen outside war zones’ and ‘citizens are murdered with impunity,’ it notes, and ‘kidnappings and extortions are daily occurrences.’ Small wonder that so many ordinary men and women would be willing to take their children and set off on foot across hundreds of miles in hopes of reaching safety in the U.S.” Chicago Tribune October 22, 2018 

St. Oscar, pray for us

To learn more on the life and teachings of St. Oscar Romero open these links

https://maryknollmagazine.org/2018/09/archbishop-romero-saint-world/

https://maryknollsociety.org/mission-stories/stories/john-spain-remembers-oscar-romero/