Our Parish Patron – St Oscar Romero
‘Sentire cum Ecclesia (Feel with the Church)’ – Motto of St Oscar Romero
This sculpture is by the British artist, Rory Young.
Oscar Romero (1917-1980) was made Archbishop of San Salvador in 1977. This was a time of great political conflict within San Salvador, with electoral fraud, cover-ups and state-sanctioned violence rife. Romero began to speak out against the injustice inflicted on the poor and oppressed, and quickly became a target himself. He built up an enormous following, broadcasting weekly radio programmes where, in addition to his sermon, he listed politically motivated deaths, tortures and disappearances. He demanded justice and set up legal aid projects to support the victims of the violence. Aged 62, Oscar Romero was shot by a sniper as he celebrated mass. He was declared a martyr and canonised in 2018.
Archbishop Oscar Romero was canonized in Rome on 14th October 2018 and so is one of the most recently created saints.
His martyrdom
On 23rd March 1980 in his homily Oscar Romero ordered the army to stop killing people. ‘In the name of God , and in the name of this suffering people whose cries rise to heaven more loudly each day, I beg you, I implore you, I order you, in the Name of God , stop the repression!’ The next day, he was shot while celebrating mass.
Listen to BBC World Service Podcast about Saint Oscar Romero. Listen