Intermediate Grades: Archbishop Romero asked the people of his country not to be violent in response to those who were persecuting them. Using the letters of the word peace, invite the young people to brainstorm five or more ways they can respond to hatred and violence with peace. Junior High: Throughout his ministry, Archbishop Romero spoke up for the poor and for the victims of violence and injustice.
With the young people, brainstorm three or more groups of people in the world today who need someone to speak up for them. Choose one group of people for whom you, as a class, can speak up. Decide on a way to do so. For example, write to your congressional representatives, pray a special prayer of petition together, raise awareness through social media, and so forth.
There is much to learn about this courageous figure. Here are five interesting and inspiring things about the soon-to-be saint.
As archbishop of San Salvador, he spoke out against human rights violations. He drew attention to the plight of the poor in El Salvador through his homilies and weekly radio shows. In a time of great social and political conflict, he condemned violence from political groups on both sides.
Around the world CAFOD works with Church leaders and other partners who speak out against the injustices in their countries. From to , El Salvador suffered a violent civil war, in which about 70, people were killed.
Inequality between the rich and the poor was one of the root causes of the war. Most Salvadorans lived in extreme poverty while a small number of families controlled much of the wealth and political power. Today, El Salvador is a more democratic country, and it is likely that Romero would be pleased to see some of what is happening there. In , one socially-minded government peacefully succeeded another, and they are consciously trying to implement policies that Romero would approve of: fiscal reform, free school uniforms and books for children, funding for cooperatives, more social programmes.
However, El Salvador remains a country in the grip of inequality, and there remain serious problems related to gang violence and organised crime along with the ongoing threat of earthquakes, devastating floods and hurricanes.
CAFOD continues to work in El Salvador, helping farmers to improve their crops, assisting communities in reducing the risk of disasters, building peace in violence-stricken communities, defending human rights and trying to create a more just society.
Find out more about our work in El Salvador. Back to top. He became famous for his sermons. He also did a lot of parish work like visiting prisons, organising catechism classes and working with others in the Church to provide help and food for the poor. Pope Paul VI was also be canonised on 14 October Violence increased in El Salvador by the mid s, as the government and army began killing poor people who stood up for their rights.
Sign up to our campaigns newsletter to hear about how you can help the poor. Some rich people were happy because they thought he would stop priests from helping the poor to stand up for their basic rights. But a few weeks later, his friend Fr Rutilio Grande was shot and killed, along with two companions. The following Sunday, Romero allowed only one Mass in the whole diocese - at the Cathedral - where he spoke out against the murders.
As the violence in El Salvador continued, Romero continued to speak out. Every Sunday his sermon was broadcast by radio. The whole country listened. Download the timeline of Romero's life to use in your school or parish.
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