Monsignor Romero resurrected at the Church and the Salvadoran people

on 07 Nov, 2018
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El Salvador, 11/07/2018, Sr. Evelyn Guadalupe Cecilia Córdova Grande, province of Guadalupe.- After 38 years of waiting for the sainthood of Mgr. Oscar Arnulfo Romero to be recognized it, the day to celebrate him has finally come on October 14th 2018. Even though it has been more than 38 years in which Salvadoran people had already recognized him like a saint. His sainthood was already acknowledged through his preaching, his defense and respect for life, and for his effort to make peace and justice possible. Salvadoran people always loved him, because they found in him consolation. He became their voice, as our parents and grandparents taught us.

Since October 13th, Sister Reyna Elvira Itzep Chaj (Guatemalan), Sister Evelin Carolina Hernández Cáceres and Sister Evelyn Guadalupe Córdova Grande (Salvadoran) could not miss this great celebration, away from our people, we attended the vigil organized to celebrate to San Romero de America. “The voice that could not be silenced”. We had to be there to celebrate, to remember, to renew the desire of giving life to all the heritage we have received through his homilies.

On October 13th, we were summoned to start the procession of the lanterns in the square of “Salvador del Mundo” heading towards to “la Catedral Metropolitana del Divino Salvador”. During 3 hours we walked 4 kilometers, among cries of happiness, musical rhythms, banners and dances, to finally congregate in front of the cathedral and participate in the solemn Eucharist chaired by Jesuit Father, José María Tojeira, on the eve of the canonization.

Through the homily, Father Tojeira invited us to contemplate him: “In front of this Romero: Saint, prophet, pastor and loving father who takes care for his sheep and protects the rights of the impoverished of our land, we, all Salvadoran must look to our personal and social reality. Romero took seriously testament of the Lord Jesus when he told to his apostles and also to us: let us love one another as he has loved us. That is why his spirit has already risen and lives in his people. He wants to live in all of us and claims to be self-critical. What he wants us to do is to wonder ourselves if we truly follow Jesus Christ and so many generous witnesses of the faith who, before us, put the Gospel as the center of their lives. He requests us, from the perspective of the gospel, and the gaze of the Lord and his saints, to defeat inequality and consumerist individualism in which today the idolatry of money is concentrated. Monsignor asks us to work for a society where the Christian, generous and fraternal spirit is above the desire for individual profit”.

After Eucharistic celebration, we continued with songs alluding to Monsignor Romero, and remained in vigil waiting for the official celebration in Rome, which was followed on giant screens through an Internet link. Even though we were sleepy and exhausted, at 2:00 a.m. again we got back together, the expected moment had arrived and at 2:36 a.m., El Salvador time, it was the instant that Francisco Pope announced “we declare and define saints to … Oscar Arnulfo Romero Galdámez. The shouts of joy did not wait, colored lights, balloons, and the ringing of the bells, made us vibrate with glory and joy, our saint, our beloved Monsignor Romero had really risen in the heart of the Salvadoran people and in the heart of the church. We ended the celebration with a visit to the Crypt that had been decorated with flowers and lights that conveyed the joy of the Resurrection.

“Truly with Monsignor Romero, God passed through El Salvador" (Ignacio Ellacuría)

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