Hundreds gathered at St George’s Cathedral in Southward on 12 August to mark the centenary of Blessed Oscar Romero with a Mass followed by cake cutting and viewing of the film, “The Claim”.
Archbishop Paglia, postular of the cause for the canonisation of Archbishop Romero, gave a powerful homily on the witness of Romero in which he said: “Dear sisters and dear brothers, in a world where self-love and self preservation are supreme values, where we protect ourselves from others by building walls and barriers both in our hearts and in our relationships, Romero’s example is a shining beacon, a light that delivers individuals and peoples from the darkness of egoism. Romero is speaking to us today, and I can hear the echo of his last Sunday homily: “In the name of God, and in the name of this suffering people, I beg you, I beseech you; I order you in the name of God—stop the repression.” There is too much violence in the world, there is so much violence in El Salvador, where gangs – maras – continue to bloody the country. There is violence in too many countries in the world; too many wars; Hunger is too widespread and there is too much injustice to number. Ours is a world of globalized indifference that lets evil reap its harvest of innocent souls, young and old.. There is too much terrorist violence that sows death and fear. Today, Romero asks the whole world to stop the violence, stop the killing.” Full text here. More news of the event here
