Saint Oscar Arnulfo Romero

On March 24, we celebrate the Feast of Saint Oscar Arnulfo Romero, Bishop and Martyr, who fought violence with love. He is the first saint of El Salvador. Born in Ciudad Barrios, Department of San Miguel, on August 15, 1917, Saint Romero apprenticed as a carpenter during his youth and worked in a gold mine to help support his family before entering the seminary.

He was ordained a priest in 1942 in Rome. As a parish priest for several years, he worked with various apostolic groups and was appointed rector of the seminary of San Salvador. In 1970, he was designated auxiliary bishop of San Salvador, and in 1974, he became the bishop of Santiago de María, a poor and rural diocese in the Department of Usulután.

In 1977, he was named Archbishop of San Salvador. He became a strong advocate for the poor and oppressed of El Salvador, fighting against the human rights violations of the Revolutionary Government Board, which eventually made him a target of the government. San Romero was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

On March 24, 1980, he was assassinated while celebrating Mass in the chapel of the Divina Providencia Hospital in San Salvador. A sniper shot him in front of the altar during a period of intense political unrest. The civil war in El Salvador, which took place between leftist guerrillas and a right-wing dictatorial government, resulted in nearly 75,000 deaths between 1980 and 1992.

The United Nations General Assembly declared March 24 “International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Violations of Human Rights and the Dignity of Victims” in honor of St. Oscar Romero’s life and witness.

St. Romero serves as an inspirational figure for millions of Catholics worldwide. In his homilies, he passionately emphasized the need to love one another and courageously condemned the injustices faced by the nation’s most vulnerable and underprivileged. He reminded us that Christ is with those on the margins, the neediest among us, and called us to never overlook the suffering of our brothers and sisters.

Saint Oscar Romero, a highly praised martyr, was canonized by Pope Francis on October 14, 2018, along with six other blessed individuals.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is grateful and takes great pride in having Bishop Evelio Menjivar, a leader deeply connected to the legacy of Saint Romero and born in El Salvador. We are also blessed to be home to one of the largest Salvadoran Catholic communities in the United States that embodies a profound faith and unwavering unity.