Romero at 97

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August 2014 will mark the 97th anniversary of the birth of Archbishop Óscar A. Romero, the martyred Salvadoran cleric said to be close to beatification under Pope Francis.  For the Salvadoran Church, the date will start a three-year countdown to the Romero Centennial, which church authorities hope will (finally) bring canonization of the Salvadoran martyr.

Last year, Tim’s El Salvador Blog compiled a list of Romero resources that Super Martyrio wishes to repeat and supplement here.  Here are Tim’s selections:

• The best documentary:  Monseñor:The Last Journey of Óscar Romero.
• The best dramatization:  Romero  starring Raul Julia. *
• The best book:  Monseñor Romero: Memories in Mosaic  by María López Vigil.
• The best collection of inspirational passages from Romero's homilies:  The Violence Of Love.
• The best blog.    Super Martyrio blog. (Thanks, Tim!—See notes below)
• The best website:  The Archbishop Romero Trust.   This UK website has a wealth of resources including English translations of Romero's sermons

[* August will also mark the 25th anniversary of the release of the Raul Julia film and I will post something relative to that film and its legacy later this month.]

Here are my additions:

• Best music video: “Romero” (tab/lyrics), by The Project, which I’ve written about here.
• Best art about Romero—see my post here.
• Best Romero biography: The Word Remains (later retitled Romero, A Life) by Fr. James Brockman.  It is the point of reference for most of my biographical discussion of Romero.  Fr. Brockman’s papers on Romero are archived by DePaul University—see index, here.

The Best of this Blog.  Finally, here is a recap of my most essential posts.

1. «Romero for Dummies».  My attempt to offer a cheat-sheet intro to the man, his legacy, and his cause.
2. Septem Sermones Ad Pauperem.  Four-year running Lent ruminations on Romero’s final sermons, which summarize the teachings of a lifetime—and cost him his life.
3. «Homiliarium».  All of Romero’s homilies on a single page, English and Spanish, audios, transcriptions, and translations, by liturgical cycle.  Might be the single most useful post here.
4. Recaps of Romero’s pastoral letters, beginning with his last.
5. The latest on the beatification cause.  There was some premature excitement earlier this year, summarized here.
6. Romero in Rome.  A nostalgic look back at Romero’s seminary years shows how his time in Rome foreshadowed his prophetic ministry as Archbishop of San Salvador.
7. The Liturgical Style of Óscar Romero.  Another Super Martyrio original that you won’t find anywhere else, shows how Romero tried to balance tradition and innovation.
8. «Rosarium».  This is a Rosary that I will pray through August, the month of the Assumption of Mary, which focuses on Romero’s devotion to the Eucharist.
9. Series on Romero and the Popes.  Various posts on Romero’s relationship with and fidelity to the modern popes.  Here is the post regarding St. John Paul II.
10. Series on Romero and Contemporary Catholics.  Various posts situate Romero in the mainstream of the Church.  Here is Romero and St. Josemaría Escrivá, of Opus Dei.

With that, I hope you have some useful tools with which to commemorate the 97th anniversary of the birth of Oscar Romero, and to begin the countdown to the centennial year.