BEATIFICATION OF ARCHBISHOP ROMERO,
MAY 23, 2015
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| Ciudad Barrios, El Salvador: pilgrims overrun the town where Blessed Oscar Romero was born. More pictures here. |
Google Translate:
If there was such
a thing as a follow-up on how well a beatification was taking after a holy
person was formally raised to the altars by the Church, this past weekend’s
commemoration of the 98th anniversary of the birth of Blessed Oscar Romero of
El Salvador, beatified this past May, could be the model. For Blessed Romero, the diagnosis is excellent,
with numerous indicators all pointing to a widespread recognition and
acceptance, albeit not with entirely universal acclaim (though this is no
surprise, as even St. John Paul II has his detractors).
Three things
stand out about the way Archbishop Romero was recalled for his 98th birthday. First,
his beatification is being quickly incorporated into the popular devotional
practices of his native El Salvador. Second, his memory is also being easily
assimilated into the calendar of the universal church. And third,
this past weekend’s 98th birthday celebrations indicate that the upcoming
centennial of his birth in 2017 is likely to shape up as a significant Catholic
event.
Recapping
commemorative events this week, although commemorations were widespread, the
events organized in three particular cities stand out: (1) in Ciudad Barrios,
where Blessed Romero was born on August 15, 1917; (2) in San Salvador, where he
served as Archbishop from 1977-1980 and where he died a martyr on March 24,
1980; and (3) finally and, perhaps, unexpectedly, in London, England, where he
has acquired a following in no small part due to the work of the Romero Trust.
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| San Salvador: faithful pack the San Salvador Cathedral for a Saturday noon Mass. More pictures here. |
In
chronological order, things started off in London, where a
commemorative/thanksgiving Mass was celebrated by Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor. The cardinal donned the special vestments used
at the May 23th, 2015 beatification ceremony in San Salvador to celebrate Mass
at St. George’s Cathedral/Southwark.
Following the Mass, the faithful venerated Romero relics kept at the Cathedral since 2013. A reception,
complete with a birthday cake, followed the service, and was attended, among others, by Bishop
John Rawsthorne (Retired), Romero Trust Chairman Julian Filochowski, and
Curator Jan Graffius of Stonybrook College, who preserved Romero’s relics,
including the ones used in his beatification.
The largest
celebrations, not surprisingly, were in San Salvador, where Archbishop Romero
was feted with a morning serenade at his graveside in the Cathedral Crypt on
Saturday, August 15. This was followed by
a packed noon Mass at the Cathedral, and by a concert and ecumenical service at
a central San Salvador plaza. The
Salvadoran Church also announced the promulgation of a new directive, requiring
Blessed Romero to be invoked during the Eucharistic Prayers during the Canon of
the Mass. The government human rights
onbudsman issued a decree certifying Blessed Romero as the “Premier Human Right
Champion in El Salvador” (he explained in a Tweet that “Archbishop Oscar Romero
has been the most important defender of human rights in the history of El
Salvador”). Additionally, Romero’s
relics continued to tour the country, while two San Salvador parishes unveiled
Romero mosaics. On Sunday, there was
another Mass, in Romero’s Crypt, which included another cake-cutting.
In Ciudad
Barrios, in eastern San Salvador, where Romero was born 98 years ago, there
were droves of pilgrims, exhibits, and another commemorative Mass, led by the
Papal Nuncio to El Salvador, Archbishop Leon Kalenga of the Democratic Republic
of the Congo. Surviving Romero brother
Tiberio appeared at an event at the Romero Museum there, while younger brother
Gaspar appeared in a San Salvador church.
Finally, on the
Twittersphere, numerous messages were published observing the anniversary of
Romero’s birthday, including countless retweets. Among the most significant, were those by the
President of El Salvador: “Archbishop
Romero unites Salvadoran society; he always fought for peace, he is a light, he
is a hope to work for tranquility in our country.” The immediate past president tweeted: “Today we mark 98 years from the birth of
Archbishop Romero. I join the
celebration the people make in honor of his memory.” Countless Catholic tweets correlated Romero’s
milestone to the Bicentenary of St. John Bosco, to the anniversary of the immolation
of St. Maximilian Kolbe and, of course, to the Feast of the Assumption.
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| London, England: Thanksgiving Mass at St. George's Cathedral. More pictures here. |
The
incorporation of Romero’s beatification into popular Salvadoran practices
continues apace. The San Salvador Archdiocese directive to invoke Blessed Romero
during the Canon of the Mass is being welcome by the faithful, and the
nationwide tours of Blessed Romero’s relic is continually exposing the faithful
to the spirituality of Blessed Romero, and every indication seems to be that
they are reacting with profound fervor.
That devotion was seen when Romero’s relics were incorporated into the
national celebration of the Transfiguration of the Lord earlier in the month,
and with the reverence with which the relics are being received around the
country.
The accommodation
of Romero’s birthday in the global church calendar also has been striking. Romero’s birthday had already been a
prominent feature of Romero commemorations in his native El Salvador—especially
in Ciudad Barrios, the town in which he was born. It was here that Romero’s birth was first
commemorated, quite apart from his March death.
However, to see Romero’s birth universally recalled is striking, as is
the correlation of his birth with other Catholic commemorations, such as Don
Bosco, the Assumption and Maximillian Kolbe.
Finally, the 98th
birthday celebrations point up the importance of the upcoming centennial
celebrations in 2017. In El Salvador, a
countdown to the centennial began in 2014, kicking off a three-year Triennium
to the 100 anniversary of his birth: 2014-2015 commemorated “Romero, Man of
God;” 2015-2016 commemorates “Romero, Man of the Church;” and 2016-2017 will commemorate
“Romero, Man of the Poor.” The
centennial, once thought to present an opportunity to revive the
then-floundering beatification cause will, post-beatification, present the next
great opportunity to take stock of Romero, the man, the saint, and the legend
of his sainthood.
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