Saint Oscar Romero:

Oscar Romero was born in Ciudad Barrios, El Salvador in 1917. On 11 May 1919, at the age of one, Oscar was baptised into the Catholic Church. He entered the minor seminary in San Miguel at the age of thirteen. He completed his studies in Rome and was ordained in 1942.

Oscar was imprisoned in 1943 whilst he was in Cuba. He spent several months there and soon after being released, became a priest at the parish of Anamoros. He served as the fourth Archbishop of El Salvador. His main concerns were for those who lived in poverty. Oscar was targeted for speaking out about the Catholic faith and the injustices in El Salvador.

In 1980 he was shot whilst celebrating mass and died at the age of 62. His tomb can be visited in the Cathedral in San Salvador. The process of becoming a Saint was opposed by the government and within the Church but favoured by Pope John Paul II. In 1997 Pope John Paul II bestowed upon Romero the title ‘Servant of God’. In 2015 he was declared a martyr by Pope Francis. On the 23rd May 2015, he was beatified. Saint Oscar Romero’s feast day is the 24th March.