Saint Oscar Romero "of the Americas" is an example for our time of singular dedication to Christ in the concrete circumstances in which he was called. As Archbishop of the capital city of a nation mired in political and social injustice, dehumanization, and violence, Romero's love for Jesus Christ and the dignity of whole reality of EVERY human person in Christ the Redeemer drove him to stand up for the poor and denounce the repression perpetrated by the corrupt government, the military, and the "death squads."
Romero did not advocate fighting violence with violence. His only "weapons" were the love and mercy by which he preached Christ, taught the truth, admonished sinners (no matter how rich, powerful, or dangerous they were), and pleaded for their conversion. He lived the radical vocation of a bishop, and for this he shed his blood while saying Mass on March 24, 1980.
To his intercession let us entrust all those who suffer oppression and dehumanizing violence (which is always "anti-christian" because it is inflicted on human persons for whom Christ died, whom He made His brothers and sisters). Let us ask Saint Oscar Romero to intercede especially for all the peoples of "America" — North, Central, and South.
