OSCAR ROMERO
1917-1980

Oscar Arnulfo Romero de Galdamez, born in 1917 in El Salvador, was the second of eight children. He was a serious, studious child. During early adolescence, Romero was taken out of school and apprenticed to a local carpenter. At the age of 13, he expressed a desire to go to the seminary, and was allowed to attend the minor seminary in San Miguel run by the Claretians.

In 1937, Romero attended the national seminary in San Salvador run by the Jesuits. During that same year, he was sent by the bishop to Gregorian University in Rome to complete his studies. In 1941 he received his licentiate degree in theology cum laude, and in 1942 was ordained a priest. Romero celebrated his first solemn mass in his hometown of Ciudad Barrios in 1944, and a few months later he was called to San Miguel to become secretary of the diocese.

Shortly after arriving in San Miguel, Romero became editor of the diocesan weekly, pastor of the cathedral parish, chaplain of a small colonial church nearby, and rector of the minor seminary.

In 1967, Romero received the title of Monsignor. Later that year he was named secretary-general of the national bishop's conference, and in 1968 he also became executive secretary of the Central American Bishop's Secretariat. In 1970 he was ordained an auxilary bishop of San Salvador. In 1971, Archbishop Luis Chavez de Gonzalez made Romero editor of the archdiocesan newspaper.

Romero was named bishop in 1974, and in 1975 the Vatican selected Romero to be a consultor of the Pontifical Commision for Latin America.

Archibishop Chavez, who had been leading the archdiocese of San Salvador since 1938, decided to retire and Bishop Romero was chosen as his successor. On February 22, 1977. Oscar Arnulfo Romero was installed as the new archbishop of El Salvador in a simple ceremony in the church of San Jose de la Montaña. Tension in the country precluded a more elaborate celebration. Later that year, Romero experienced a "conversion" after the murder of his close friend, Jesuit priest Rutilio Grande, and became a strong supporter of the struggle of the poor.

Archbishop Romero received an honorary degree form Georgetown University in 1978. That same year he was nominated by the United Kingdom for the Nobel Peace Prize. Although the award went to Mother Theresa of Calcutta, his mere nomination was evidence of growing international recognition of not only his work, but also of the tumultuous conditions in El Salvador.

Because of his efforts on behalf of the poor and his denunciations of repression by the ruling elite, Archbishop Romero was assassinated at 6:30 pm on March 24, 1980 as he said Mass at Divine Providence Hospital in San Salvador.

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Archbishop Oscar Romero, a strong defender of the poor in El Salvador, became populary known as the "voice of the voiceless." Throughout his life, but especially during his last three years as Archbishop, he devoted himself to the service of the people of El Salvador, particularly the poor and the oppressed. Early in his vocation, however, Archbishop Romero was the opposite of what he eventually became: a conservative, more spiritually oriented, morally severe apostolate. He even went so far as to denounce activist clergyman who were deeply involved in the struggle of the poor.

But in 1977, to the delight of the poor, the dismay of the powerful, and the amazement of all, the Archbishop underwent a radical transformation, a "conversion" which led him to an unshakable solidarity with the poor.

During his ascent to Archbishop of El Salvador the country was going through a particularly tense period, repression and persecution were used freely and openly by the oligarchy and military to oppress the people. Persecution against the Church increased, and specifically directed against priest, religous orders and others who worked in communion with the poor. In February of 1977, various priests were arrested, tortured, kidnapped and expelled. The country was stunned after the assasination of a Jesuit priest and close friend of the Archbishop, Fr. Rutilio Grande along with a young boy and an old man while on his way to celebrate Mass. This violent act marked the beginning of the "baptism of blood", or "conversion" of the Archbishop.