Oscar Romero
Oscar Romero was born in Ciudad Barrios, in El Salvador, in 1917. At the age of fourteen, he ventured out to the town of San Miguel to fulfill his dream of becoming a priest. He eventually worked his way up into the ranks of the bishops and was ordained in 1942.

Throughout most of his career as a priest/bishop, Romero stood by and watched the rich oligarchy and military of El Salvador take advantage of the poor civilians of El Salvador. A totalitarian regime ruled the country and killed thousands of innocent civilians in the name of suppressing communism. Romero agreed with their methods and idea of “peace at any price”.

Romero was the toast of the rich leaders of the country until two events changed his perception of the world he lived in. First, the National Guard raided the village of Tres Calles in Romero’s diocese and brutally killed many of its inhabitants in a search for concealed weapons. These actions angered Romero and he condemned the military’s defilement of human rights during the attack. The other event that turned Romero away from the easy life of the aristocracy was the murder of one of his best friends, Father Rutilio Grande. Grande had tried to enact many of the Vatican II reforms in the country and the military killed him and two of his parishioners in cold blood.

Soon after the attack on Tres Calles, Romero became the archbishop of San Salvador, the country’s capital. To the surprise of the rich and powerful leaders of the country, Romero began to speak out against the actions of the military and wealthy classes instead of further supporting their oppression of the people. The murder of Father Grande had been a sign for Romero to stop his attack on the methods of the powerful. But instead of backing down, Archbishop Romero redoubled his efforts. He organized a single Mass the following Sunday and gathered 10,000 Salvadorans to it. He then excommunicated the men that had killed Father Grande, even though they could have killed him too.
The backlash to Romero’s words and actions was tremendous. The military decreed that anyone found with a Bible or hymnbook would be arrested and killed. Four foreign Jesuit priests were tortured and killed by the military. The government also began a new campaign that told citizens to “be a patriot; kill a priest”. Romero became a member of the government’s death list.

While saying mass at the funeral of his friend’s mother, Romero was gunned down by an unknown assassin. This murder came after Romero’s speech at a mass the day before in which he criticized and spoke out against the Salvadoran government and military. More than 50,000 people attended his funeral.



Accomplishments:

· Nobel Peace Prize Nominee in 1978

· Honorary Doctor of Louvain University in Belgium

· Appointed Secretary General of National Bishops’ Conference in 1967

· Brought World Attention to the Government Crises Occurring in El Salvador and Most of South America

Faith:

Oscar Romero was a man of faith because he fought against injustice even when his own life was in danger. He knew that he would eventually be murdered, but he had so much faith in his mission and his people that he carried on. He believed that if he started to speak out that others would follow. He trusted in humanity as well because he hoped that someone would stop the violence in his country. He had faith that if he sent letters to foreign governments that they would stop sending military aid and arms to his country. He also trusted in God so much that he laid down his life for his message.

I chose Romero because of the intense faith journey he went through and his ability to change. He represents a man of faith because he had a good life before he "converted" and took the side of the poor of El Salvador but he had enough faith in God's message of equality to give up his safety and peace of mind for Jesus.

Sources:

Good information and biography on Romero

Creighton University's site on Romero with some quotes that show the great faith of Romero

Martyrs, edited by Susan Bergman, "Seed of Liberty/ Sign of Hope" written by Carolyn Forche, pages 56-78.