Oscar Romero: documentaries and resources

Thursday March 24 is the 42nd anniversary of the murder of Saint Oscar Romero.   The archbishop of San Salvador was slain by a single sniper's bullet while saying mass as a consequence of defending the poor and powerless against the oligarchy in El Salvador and its military enforcers.  Romero was declared a martyr and a saint of the Roman Catholic church in a canonization ceremony in 2018.   

It seems to me that since the date of Romero's canonization, the memory of his importance and his message, which formerly echoed in every corner of the country, has started to fade.  Political and civic leaders rarely mention his name.  In the churches, he is beloved, but his memory does not call to action the way it once did.  

If you have not spent much time with Romero, here are some great resources in English to gain a deeper appreciation for his life and what he meant for the people of El Salvador.

Monseñor Romero: Memories in Mosaic  by María López Vigil.  This book telles Romero's life story through the memories of people from all walks of life who knew him.   From his early days in ministry through his martyrdom, you will get the complete story.

The Violence Of Love is a collection of inspirational passages from Romero's homilies.  The passages are short excerpts from Romero's sermons in English which make a great devotional book.

The Archbishop Romero Trust.   This UK website has a wealth of resources including English translations of Romero's sermons

Super Martyrio blog.  Written by our friend Carlos Colorado a/k/a Polycarpio, this is the location to go for the process leading to Romero's canonization, analysis of his theology, and reflections of Romero in 

Salvadoran culture. 

You can also learn much more by choosing the "Oscar Romero" label here on El Salvador Perspectives and scroll through all I have written about Saint Romero of the Americas over the years.

Included below are additional excellent videos which you can watch.  The first three are documentaries which offer plenty of archival footage of Romero and the remembrances of many people who knew and worked with him. The fourth is the dramatization  Romero  starring Raul Julia.   This Hollywood movie is the way that many English speakers first get to know Romero. Some of the details are not historically accurate, but the majority of the film is true to Romero's life.