Hundreds celebrate St. Oscar Romero’s legacy
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The word “relic” comes from a Latin phrase meaning “what’s left.”
For Catholics, a relic is a trace of bone, hair or blood of a canonized saint — something to show that he or she actually existed in this world, with all of its temptations and difficulties.
“And this gives to the Church testimony of their lives,” said Father Luis Ernesto Rodríguez y Rodríguez Ph.D., a priest of the Diocese of Santiago de María in El Salvador.
Fr. Rodríguez gave a stirring overview of the life, ministry, martyrdom and enduring significance of St. Oscar Arnulfo Romero (1917-80) on March 21 in the Cathedral of St. Joseph.
It was part of a daylong diocesan celebration of St. Oscar Romero’s legacy. People from all over the Jefferson City diocese, including many of Hispanic heritage, attended.
Bishop Ralph B. O’Donnell formally accepted on the diocese’s behalf a first-class relic of the much-revered martyred archbishop of San Salvador in El Salvador.
The relic is a gift from the San Salvador archdiocese.
People had time to pray silently near the relic and ask St. Oscar Romero to intercede for them and for those they love.
Bishop O’Donnell, a long-time admirer of the Salvadoran saint, presided at Mass, with several priests of the diocese concelebrating.
The celebration continued with a lively reception including food, Salvadoran dancing and a blessing in Spanish by Bishop O’Donnell.
St. Oscar Romero’s outspoken advocacy for the rights of the poor during his homeland’s brutal civil war led to his execution by a government-affiliated firing squad March 24, 1980, while he was celebrating Mass.
Fr. Rodríguez referred to St. Oscar Romero as “an artisan of peace” and “one of the most significant martyrs of the 20th century, truly a great prophet who announced the Word of God and who denounced sin wherever it came from.”
Hope beyond hope
El Salvador, a Central American nation named for Our Savior, had spiraled into a brutal civil war, with the poor and defenseless bearing the brunt of the violence.
That nation’s most influential archbishop wouldn’t let it rest, which cost him his life.
“He didn’t struggle in pointing out the mistakes of sin to those who committed it,” said Fr. Rodríguez. “He was a defender of human rights and a protector of justice, especially in such a difficult time in our country.”
Fr. Rodríguez described his and St. Romero’s coastal homeland as a bit more than one-third the size of the Jefferson City diocese, and home to about 6.5 million people.
It has a tropical climate and agreeable weather, recently leading to expanded tourism.
“It’s a small country,” said Fr. Rodríguez. “And from that small country, God called a great saint, St. Oscar Romero.”
That saint was the second of eight children born to parents who were very poor.
Ordained as a priest of the Diocese of Santiago María in 1942, he carried out his vocation in a faithful but ordinary, low-key manner.
In 1970, Pope St. Paul VI appointed him auxiliary bishop of Santiago María, and on Feb. 22, 1977, appointed him archbishop of San Salvador, the metropolitan diocese in the nation’s capital.
It was the beginning of a tense period that marked the transition from an authoritarian government to a brutal 12-year civil war.
“The legitimacy of the state was lost during this radical societal uproar,” Fr. Rodríguez recounted. “The authoritarian regime began to dismantle. The political collapse brought economic turmoil and very violent social upheaval, which continued to get worse.”
By standing up for the people who were being killed, kidnapped and dispossessed of their property, the Church came to be known as an enemy of the state.
“People in spheres of power would say, ‘Kill one priest and you’re saving the country,’” Fr. Rodríguez noted.
Archbishop Romero was at a loss for how best to minister to his people at this time — a balancing act of protective diplomacy with the government that became increasingly untenable.
The murder of his closest friend, Blessed Jesuit Father Rutilio Grande Garcia, in 1977 left Archbishop Romero no choice. He became an unflinching advocate for the defenseless.
“He came to be known as the voice for those who have no voice,” said Fr. Rodríguez, “a prophet who spoke for those who couldn’t speak for themselves, in defense of those who couldn’t defend themselves.”
Archbishop Romero insisted that the Church needs to be close to the poor, “because in their suffering, Christ suffers.”
“He didn’t promote ideologies,” Fr. Rodríguez emphasized. “He promoted faithfulness to God, to the Church, to the social doctrine and mandates of the Church.”
St. Oscar Romero would consult with theologians, attorneys, public-policy experts and other professionals in crafting his homilies, which were rooted in Sacred Scripture and long-settled Church teaching.
“His homilies were broadcast over the radio and were heard as a voice that went up against injustice,” said Fr. Rodríguez. “People would sit around the radio and listen like they were there at Mass with him.”
In one homily shortly before his death, Archbishop Romero insisted that faithfulness to the Catholic Church “is not blind obedience but a communion of life, a oneness of heart with the Church of Christ, who becomes present in history.”
“Love to the poor, love to the Church and communion with her,” said Fr. Rodríguez. “He saw in all of that the suffering face of Christ.”
The archbishop’s words, spoken with clarity and confidence, became a death sentence.
“Because even today, we still have problems having to do with the dignity of people, and there are poor people still being treated badly, not just in El Salvador but in the whole world,” said Fr. Rodríguez.
Near the end of the homily St. Oscar Romero gave the day before his assassination, he called on the men of the military to repent.
“Brothers, you come from our own people. ... It is high time you recovered your consciences and obeyed your consciences rather than a sinful order,” the archbishop proclaimed. “The Church, the defender of the rights of God, of the law of God, of human dignity, of the person, cannot remain silent before such an abomination.
“... In the name of God, in the name of his suffering people whose cries rise to heaven more loudly each day, I implore you, I beg you, I order you in the name of God: stop the repression!”
The following day, Archbishop Romero’s blood was spilled onto the sanctuary floor of a hospital chapel while he was offering Mass.
“Dear brothers and sisters,” said Fr. Rodríguez, “in the martyrdom and message of St. Oscar Romero, we see the model of a shepherd following the heart of Christ.
“Like Jesus, he gives his life for his sheep,” the priest continued. “Even though he sees the powers of this world coming for him, he doesn’t fear. To the contrary, he faces it.
“He is a martyr of justice, a signal that the authentic faith cannot leave or look away from your neighbor,” Fr. Rodríguez continued. “We cannot separate faith from the reality in which we live. And St. Oscar Romero’s words continue to give hope to so many men and women who had lost all hope.”
Martyred intercessor
St. Oscar Romero became a polarizing figure in the years after his death, with people attaching motives and ideologies to him that he never would have approved of.
Only after 14 years did the Church open a formal canonization process to examine his life in terms of heroic sanctity.
Following an exhaustive process within the Church, Pope Francis (+2013-25) declared him blessed in 2015 and a saint in 2018.
Upon doing so, the late pope asserted that St. Oscar Romero was a true martyr before, during and after his death.
“Why before? Because of the persecution he suffered,” said Fr. Rodríguez. “Why during? Because of his violent death for preaching the truth. Why after? Because of the manipulation of his memory that took place.”
Fr. Rodríguez recounted the Vatican-authenticated miracle that called the Church to declare Archbishop Romero a saint.
A woman late in pregnancy developed preeclampsia and became deathly ill.
Doctors predicted that she and her pre-born baby would not live through the night.
Reluctant to face his other children and tell them the news, her husband stopped in a church, prayed for his wife and pleaded for Oscar Romero to intercede for her in heaven.
At that exact time, the woman began to heal and recover.
“It was inexplicable, immediate and permanent,” Fr. Rodríguez noted. “Those are things that must be present for a miracle to be recognized. It must be a complete healing that lasts until the Lord calls the person home.”
Universal call
Fr. Rodríguez spoke of the significance and purpose of relics in the Church.
He referred to instances in the Bible when objects associated with prophets and saints brought healing to people.
“The early Christians would venerate the remains of martyrs,” the priest noted. “They would go to the tombs of those who had given witness to the faith.”
During the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325, the world’s bishops affirmed that the remains of the faithful should be venerated.
“That has been debated throughout history, throughout the Church, and has always ended with an affirmative answer,” said Fr. Rodríguez.
All saints, and thereby all relics, point to Christ, the source of all life and holiness.
“We only worship God,” Fr. Rodríguez emphasized. “But we venerate these saints, and in a special way, the Blessed Mother. And for that reason, these relics receive special veneration, because of who they belong to and what they represent.”
Relics are not objects for superstition. They are persuasive aids for growing in faith and staying focused on Christ.
“They are reminders that grace acts in those who let themselves be moved by the Holy Spirit,” said Fr. Rodríguez.
He said this relic of St. Oscar Romero should remind everyone that in Baptism, all Christians are commissioned to serve the Lord as priest, prophet and king.
“To be a prophet is part of being a Christian,” the priest noted. “We are called to be saints. We are called to be radical in our living of the Gospel.
“That’s why we are here today,” he said, “to learn more about this great saint and what we can do to imitate him.”
Lasting witness
Bishop O’Donnell, in his homily, noted that all martyrs share in a particular way the witness of Christ’s own suffering, death and resurrection.
“Archbishop Romero’s blood was shed because of his witness to the faith,” the bishop noted. “He stood fast in calling for the conversion of all to recognize the dignity of each and every human person — especially the poor and most vulnerable.”
St. Oscar Romero put into action the Second Vatican Council’s mandate for the Church to be present as Christ, in time, to those who suffer.
“His message, then, is a voice for us today,” said Bishop O’Donnell. “Let us do what we can to truly promote peace and justice in our world, sharing the love of Christ.
“May we be inspired today to give of ourselves through actions that reflect the light of truth, justice, love and goodness,” the bishop said.
“A good example”
St. Oscar Romero once said that “if they kill me, I will arise in the Salvadoran people.”
His spirit was certainly alive and well in all who gathered in Jefferson City to celebrate his memory.
For over two hours, people lined up in the Cathedral’s center aisle to await their turn venerating a physical remnant of a heroic saint.
Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus in full regalia served as the honor guard before the relic, which was placed in front of the altar.
Peaceful hymns could be heard in the background, including “Ubi Caritas,” which is sung at Mass on Holy Thursday during the ceremonial washing of feet.
Dozens of Confessions were heard in English and Spanish.
The reception in Cana Hall afterwards was festive and lively.
Photos from St. Oscar Romero’s life and from Bishop O’Donnell’s and Deacon Enrique Castro’s recent visit to El Salvador were projected on a screen.
Children and their mothers in elaborate costumes performed traditional dances to Salvadoran music.
Every table was filled with people.
Osmaro de Leon was 4 when Archbishop Romero died.
“Back in El Salvador, I heard some of the things they’d say about him, but I was too little to understand,” said Mr. de Leon, a member of St. Vincent de Paul Parish of Pettis County.
Only after coming to the United States in 1999 did Mr. de Leon remember something his Dad said about St. Oscar Romero: “He always spoke for the poor people.”
He noted that the sainted archbishop spent three years ministering courageously while people plotted to kill him.
“It’s very much like Jesus,” said Mr. de Leon.
He admires St. Oscar Romero for bringing up important subjects that people didn’t want to talk about.
“We also need to be speaking up,” said Mr. de Leon. “We seem to have lost our moral way. We need our families to be stronger.”
He’s convinced it’s appropriate to ask St. Oscar Romero to pray for God to help strengthen all believers.
“To make us believers from the heart, 100-percent believers, not just in the mouth but in the heart.”
Norma Colindres, her husband and her children enjoyed the festivities and meeting Bishop O’Donnell.
“The kids found out about this and said, ‘We want to go there!’” said Mrs. Colindres. “They go to St. Peter School [in Marshall], where they have a picture of St. Oscar Romero.”
Mrs. Colindres, who grew up in El Salvador, came to the United States at age 15 and is now a member of the Marshall parish, wasn’t born yet when Archbishop Romero died.
She began researching him after he was declared a saint.
“I cried!” she said. “He did everything for love of Jesus.”
She’s making a point of teaching her children about St. Oscar Romero, because he’s part of their heritage.
She also wants to be able to answer the increasing number of questions her Anglo friends and neighbors ask about the Salvadoran saint.
“I want them to know about him,” she said. “He’s a good example for all of us.”
