Óscar Romero

Saint Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez was born on August 15, 1917, in Ciudad Barrios, El Salvador, where he is honored as patron. Drawn early to the priesthood, he studied in San Salvador and Rome, and was ordained on April 4, 1942. After returning home amid the hardships of wartime travel, he served for many years as a devoted parish priest in San Miguel, fostering lay apostolates, supporting the poor, and strengthening local devotion to Our Lady of Peace. Appointed a bishop in 1970 and later Bishop of Santiago de María, Romero came to know closely the suffering of rural communities. In 1977 he became Archbishop of San Salvador. Once regarded as cautious and conservative, he was profoundly changed by the murder of his friend, Father Rutilio Grande, and he began to preach with fearless clarity against injustice, repression, and violence, defending the dignity of the most vulnerable. On March 24, 1980, he was assassinated while celebrating Mass, offering his life as a martyr. Canonized in 2018, he is remembered as a shepherd who laid down his life for his people. His feast day is March 24.