Faith and Values
Flurry of Romero Liturgies and Lectures across Britain
March 24th, the 37th anniversary of his assassination at the altar, was Blessed Oscar Romero’s Feast Day. And Romero’s life and martyrdom were celebrated across Britain last week with special Masses, ecumenical services, talks and lectures.
Theologian, Sister Martha Zechmeister, the guest speaker of the Archbishop Romero Trust from El Salvador, delivered a lecture at St Aloysius College, Glasgow. The lecture was preceded by the formal renaming of their ‘Centre for Social and Environmental Justice’ as the ‘Romero Centre’ - embracing Oscar Romero as a Patron of its work.
Celebrations were held across the country, including to substantial audiences in Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield. However, the most significant celebration was without doubt the Feast Day Mass celebrated in St George’s Cathedral, Southwark, by Bishop Patrick Lynch. The special Indult obtained from Rome permitted St George’s to celebrate the Feast Day Mass in exactly the same way as the Church in El Salvador with red vestments and using the specially composed Collect Prayer for Blessed Oscar Romero. Some 200 people took part in the Mass.
The College was delighted to be involved in these special international celebrations.