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JUBILEE YEAR for the CENTENNIAL of BLESSED
ROMERO, 2016 — 2017
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| Most recent cover of the San Salvador Archdiocesan weekly, Orientación. |
This is the
first of several blogposts that I plan to publish with regard to going to Rome
for the canonization of Archbishop Romero—or taking part in the event in some other way.
Therefore, this is only an overview of the issues, some of which will be
discussed in more detail in future installments. (I have been asked to talk
about prices, itineraries, etc., and I’m going to go into that a bit, but I
also need to touch on various other topics.)
In general,
there are two great possibilities for Romero’s devotees to be part of this
historic event: (1) by going to Rome to witness the ceremony in person or (2)
staying where you are (for example, El Salvador) and participating spiritually to
the fullest extent possible. One of the points that I want to emphasize is
that, when we analyze it thoroughly, we discover that there is no superior or
inferior option; in fact, from different standpoints, both are extremely
important and equally valid.
The two
groups can take inspiration from the words of the saint who beckons them to
participation. To those who can go to Rome, Romero says, “my sisters and brothers, it is wonderful to think about our Church as a
missionary and pilgrim Church, for this implies that all of us, who are members
of this Church, are also a pilgrim people.” (August 21, 1977 Homily.)
Romero encourages them on their journey, saying that “we all have to go forward with
the pilgrim’s staff in our hands.” Those who can go to Rome should go
as pilgrims and missionaries, to give testimony in Rome of who Archbishop Romero
is, and of his reality and Salvadoran historical context, and to soak up the spiritual significance of Romero’s canonization in Rome.
To those who cannot
make the trip, Romero says: “not everyone
is called to serve in those missionary vanguards”, for different economic,
cultural or personal reasons. “We,
however, as part of the rear guard,
this army that conquers the world for God and for the faith, we also have to be missionaries.”
Those who remain, who are in reality the vast majority of Salvadorans, have to
go out to the streets to evangelize El Salvador with Romero’s message, to
convert Salvadoran society with that message, and to sanctify the people so
that they can again be Romero’s people in El Salvador. And in many ways this is the biggest and most important
challenge in this process of sanctification.
In practical
terms, those who go to Rome will participate in the canonization ceremony of
Archbishop Romero and five other saints—the standout being Pope Paul VI. The
canonization will take place during an open-air mass presided by Pope Francis,
which will be held in St. Peter’s Square, in front of the Vatican Basilica on
Sunday, October 14, probably beginning at 10 o’clock in the morning. However,
the event will take up most of the first half of that day, since you have to
arrive early to enter the Square, and the ceremony itself will last approximately
two hours. Roman pilgrims will also have the possibility of attending a Thanksgiving
Mass for Romero devotees the following day, Monday, October 15. Here is the
calendar that we know so far:
SUNDAY
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MONDAY
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TUESDAY
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Wednesday
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THURSDAY
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FRIDAY
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Saturday
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7
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8
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9
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10
10 am - Papal General Audience –
St. Peter’s Square
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11
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12
SIGNIS event with Card. Rosa Chavez –
TBD
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13
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14
Mass for
the Canonizations – St. Peter’s Square
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15
Thxgv Mass –
TBD
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16
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17
10 am - Papal General Audience –
St. Peter’s Square
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18
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19
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20
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A pilgrimage
offered by Radio Paz (El Salvador) arrives in Rome on Wednesday, October 10,
and departs on Saturday, October 20, allowing travelers to participate in the
Mass for the Canonizations on Sunday the 14th; the Thanksgiving Mass on Monday the
15th; and the Pope’s General Audience on Wednesday the 17th. The approximate
price of the deal is $ 2,600, which compares favorably with packages offered
for other canonizations in recent years. (The Romero Trust in London has
secured a limited package for $700 for three days, not including air fare from
the UK.) A package tour for the
canonization of Mother Teresa in 2016 cost $2,500 not including air, and a trip
for the double canonization of John Paul II and John XXIII in 2014, for which
there was great demand, cost up to $ 3,500 per person, including air. It is
worth noting that the aforementioned pilgrimages included a tour of Assisi,
land of Saint Francis, which can be done in one day out of Rome. (The referenced
tours also included more central hotels than the accommodations offered by
Radio Paz, tbh.)
In Rome,
pilgrims can visit the sacred Vatican sites and museums, the seven traditional pilgrimage churches, tourist sites such as the Colosseum and
the Pantheon, as well as sites associated with Romero. These include the
Basilica of San Bartholomew on Tiber Island, where relics of 20th century martyrs,
including Romero, are preserved; the “Giardino
El Salvador” Park, where a Romero statue is planned; and the Basilica of
the Immaculate Heart of Mary, where Romero celebrated his first mass in 1942,
after being ordained a priest on the campus of the Pio Latino Pontifical
College. This last site no longer exists, because the school moved to another location
decades ago, and its old facilities were razed to clear the way for new buildings.
To enter the
canonization ceremony, and to participate in a papal General Audience, it is
necessary to obtain tickets. The General Audiences are Wednesdays at 10 in the
morning. On Sundays the Pope also meets with the faithful to pray the “Angelus” at 12 noon (on Sunday the 14th,
there will technically be such a prayer, but it is tucked in at the end of the
Mass for the Canonizations, therefore, it is not necessary to separately obtain
tickets for it). Tickets can be obtained free of charge from the Prefecture of the Papal Household. They can also be obtained from other Vatican offices, as
well as from some travel agencies, always free of charge. The authority that
issues them is as indicated, and they must be reserved in advance (it is
advisable to contact the PPH before making the trip so as to not arrive and
find that one has no means of entry).
Those who
will remain in El Salvador can participate in a large gathering that will watch
the event live through giant screens installed in the Divine Savior Square—the site where the beatification of Archbishop Romero took place in 2015. When the
ceremony takes place in Rome, it will be 2 in the morning El Salvador and,
therefore, attending the event will test both the devotion of the faithful and the
security capacities of the Salvadoran authorities. In fact, the event can be an
opportunity to reclaim a civic space the same way that the mayor of San
Salvador created public confidence earlier this year by lighting up and
re-opening Plaza Barrios in front of the Cathedral. It is easy to imagine a candlelight
vigil that presents the image of the light of faith overcoming darkness, etc.
Finally, Salvadorans will have their Thanksgiving Mass when the bishops return
from Rome, which may be the Sunday after the canonization, ie, October 21st.
The 21st of
the month is significant for Romero and his followers. Romero was a devotee of Mary
the Queen of Peace, the patron saint of El Salvador and of his home town of San
Miguel. The feast of the Virgin is on November 21, but Romero celebrated it
monthly. Therefore, when Romero was created bishop in June 1970, he chose the
21st day for the ceremony. October 21 is World Mission Sunday and celebrating Romero’s
canonization on that day would highlight the evangelizing function of his
presentation as a saint. Presenting him in El Salvador as a saint on that day
underscores the great significance of his holiness for the sanctification of
his people.
Post Script
This
conversation continues! Online and on social media, let’s use the hashtags
#VamosTodos and #AllRoadsLeadToRomero
to continue talking about these topics.
Sample Offerings:
