Synod News from the Central American Assembly

Saint Óscar Romero, source of inspiration for the Regional Assembly of Central America-Mexico

By: Óscar Elizalde Prada   The first day of the Regional Assembly of Central America-Mexico (CAMEX) – one of the four Assemblies planned by the Latin American and Caribbean Church for the continental stage of the Synod of Synodality – began in San Salvador with a sign of faith, full of hope and prophetic commitment.   Pilgrimage to the Martyr’s Chapel of St. Romero   As pilgrims, the Assembly participants travelled from the Casa Familia de Nazaret – where the meeting is taking place – to the Saint Oscar Arnulfo Romero Martyr’s Chapel located in the Divine Providence Hospital. They arrived there at around 09:00 (local time) to celebrate the opening ceremony, followed by the spiritual retreat that marked the beginning of the activities. The opening ceremony was attended by the Apostolic Nuncio to El Salvador, Mgr. Luigi Roberto Cona; the Archbishop of San Salvador, Mgr. José Luis Escobar Alas; the president of the Conference of Religious of El Salvador, Sr. Genoveva Henríquez – on behalf of the consecrated life of the CAMEX region -; and Mgr. Miguel Cabrejos Vidarte, President of the Latin American Episcopal Council (Celam).   During his intervention, the President of Celam referred to the equality of the baptised “as a structuring criteria for the configuration of all ecclesial subjects”, thus taking up the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and recognising the “People of God as a discerning subject”. In this sense, Bishop Cabrejos insisted that “the practice of discernment in community is essential to grow in synodality and to really walk together in our Church”, since synodality “is not a concept to be studied, but a life to be lived”.   After the opening ceremony, the participants let themselves be inspired by the testimony of St. Romero during the spiritual retreat animated by the spirituality commission of the continental stage led by the General Secretary of the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Religious (CLAR), Sr. Daniela Cannavina, HCMR.   Opening Mass at the tomb of Archbishop Romero   At 13:15 the assembly members went to the Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador to celebrate at 14:00 the Opening Mass of the meeting at the tomb of Mons. Romero, in the crypt of the Cathedral, which was presided over by Mons. Miguel Cabrejos.   Both the Eucharist and the retreat were marked with the sign of mysticism and prophecy, and from the option for the poor that identifies the Latin American and Caribbean Church. “Being in this place fills us with emotion and gratitude to God, because it was here that our great prophet Mons. Romero shed his blood”, commented Sister María Suyapa Cacho, a member of the Garífuna pastoral in Honduras, who said that in her vocational journey she has always felt motivated by the testimony of Saint Romero, highlighting his ability to “listen to his people” to discern God’s will in the face of the signs of the times. “I asked God, through the mediation of Mgr Romero, to allow me to continue denouncing the injustices that affect our people and to maintain my commitment to society and to our Church”, she concluded.   After the celebration of the Eucharist, the participants of the CAMEX Regional Assembly returned to the Casa Familia de Nazaret to begin their work in the light of the introductory reflection on synodal spirituality by Father Ricardo González, a member of the theological-pastoral reflection team of Celam. To conclude the day, Sr. Dolores Palencia, CSJ and Mauricio López Oropez introduced the conformation of the working groups in the light of the methodology of spiritual conversation.   The coming days will allow for the experience of active and reciprocal listening, as well as community discernment through spiritual conversation.   Published in: https://adn.celam.org/san-oscar-romero-fuente-de-inspiracion-para-la-asamblea-regional-de-centroamerica-mexico/   Photos: Catholic media chain in El Salvador.

Through the portal https://synod2023.org you can access the sites of the individual continental meetings.

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Thoughts on St Oscar Romero by Canon Anthony Charlton of Canterbury

Saint Oscar Romero
Image open access via Wikipedia

Another of Fr Anthony’s thoughts, this time about our unofficial second patron saint, Oscar Romero.

On 24th March 1980 Saint Oscar Romero Archbishop of San Salvador was shot and killed while celebrating Mass. In his sermon the day before, Romero ordered the army to stop killing people: “In the name of God, and in the name of this suffering people whose cries rise to heaven more loudly each day, I beg you, I implore you, I order you, in the name of God, stop the repression!” We are very privileged to have some of his vestments here at St Thomas’s in the Martyr’s chapel.

Here are some words from a sermon he gave in November 1977

Do you want to know if your Christianity is genuine?
Here is the touchstone:
Whom do you get along with?
Who are those who criticise you?
Who are those who do not accept you? Who are those who flatter you?
Know from that what Christ said once:
“I have come not to bring peace, but division.” There will be division even in the same family, because some want to live more comfortably
by the world’s principles,
those of power and money.
But others have embraced the call of Christ
and must reject all that cannot be just in the world.

We give thanks for the witness of his life and death and ask that through his intercession we may also be a powerful witness to Jesus and his Gospel in our lives today..

If you want to know more about his life and message click here.

29 December: Thomas Becket 1170, Oscar Romero, 1980.

 

 

 

 

On the evening of this day in 1170, Thomas, Archbishop of Canterbury was hacked to death in his Cathedral. In March 1980, Oscar, Archbishop of San Salvador was gunned down while celebrating the Eucharist.

Two big names from the recent and distant past, both remembered as saints: but what of the thousands suffering persecution and death for their faith today? Not just ‘professional Christians’ like the two archbishops but men, women and children, starved, beaten, exiled, murdered.

Let us pray for those suffering persecution and those trying to help them, including the Franciscans of the Holy Land in Syria. Let us pray, too, for a change of heart among those who are persecuting their brothers and sisters, choosing hatred and fear over love as their way of life. And let us pray that our own hearts be changed, our eyes opened to see what our part might be in this mess: cheap bananas, means low wages, means workers repressed; or cheap petrol,leading to  invasion of Iraq, leading to persecution of allegedly ‘West-sympathising’ Christians.

And we can ask for the support of the martyrs as we pray:

• Holy and blissful martyr, Thomas of Canterbury: pray for us
• Blessed Oscar Romero: pray for us
• All holy martyrs: pray for us.
• Mary mother of the Church: pray for us.

MB