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Pax Christi USA - PSA e-Bulletin
Pray-Study-Act:
On the anniversary of the martyrdom of Archbishop Romero 
In This Issue
PRAY: From Romero's 1980 Lenten Homily
STUDY: Reflecting on Romero's word and our current global reality
ACT: Support the call for residency for Central Americans and Haitians
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On The Web

US Catholic's excellent archive of Romero resources 

 

 An excellent biography of Romero by Scott Wright

 

 Great short booklet on Romero by Fr. John Dear available from PCUSA

 

Article: "Remembering Romero in a time of war" 

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March 24, 2012

Greetings! 

Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be." - John 12:23-24

 

Today marks the anniversary of the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero. This PSA e-bulletin was pulled together and designed by Pax Christi USA National Council member and Romero biographer Scott Wright. If you would like to learn more about Archbishop Romero, I highly recommend Scott's book, Oscar Romero and the Communion of Saints, available from Orbis Books.
 
Romero  

We hope that this e-bulletin will help you to pray, study and act in honor of the life and witness of Archbishop Romero as you observe this holy day. 

 

In peace,

 

Johnny Zokovitch

Director of Communications, Pax Christi USA

PRAY: From Romero's 1980 Lenten Homily

"This Lent, which we observe amid blood and sorrow, ought to presage a transfiguration of our people, a resurrection of our nation. The church invites us to a modern form of penance, of fasting and prayer... But it should not be out of a mistaken sense of resignation. God does not want that. Rather, feeling in one's flesh the consequences of sin and injustice, one is stimulated to work for social justice and a genuine love for the poor. Our Lent should awaken a sense of social justice..."

 

STUDY: Reflecting on Romero's words

and today's global reality

"The great need today is for Christians who are active and critical, who don't accept situations without analyzing them inwardly and deeply. We no longer want masses of people like those who have been trifled with for so long. We want persons like fruitful fig trees, who can say yes to justice and no to injustice and can make use of the precious gift of life, regardless of the circumstances."

 

Since 9/11, the U.S.-led "war on terror" has done serious damage to the basic principles of international human rights and humanitarian law. The increasing militarization and domination of the planet, the proliferation of military bases across the globe, the proliferation of conventional arms and weapons of mass destruction, the reliance on high-tech military weapons and unmanned drones, the creation of an all-volunteer standing army and reliance on military contractors to fight out wars, and a permanent war economy based on corporate power indicate that we have far surpassed the fear expressed by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when he said: "A nation that spends more and more on weapons of war than on programs of social uplift is fast approaching spiritual death."

 

To read more words of Romero applied to our current global reality, click here. 

ACT: Support the Call for Residency for

Central Americans and Haitians with TPS


March 24, 2012 marks the 30th anniversary of the Sanctuary Movement as well as the beginning of a national campaign to grant residency to thousands of Central Americans and Haitians with Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Below is a letter written by leaders of the Sanctuary Movement. Please help spread this letter and call.

 

On March 24, 1982, the second anniversary of the assassination of Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero, five Berkeley congregations declared public sanctuary simultaneously with the Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson, Arizona.

 

Over the next decade, more than 500 congregations and thousands of people stood in solidarity with our Central American sisters and brothers seeking political refuge. The Sanctuary Movement challenged unjust immigration policies and the U.S. foreign policies that fueled the exodus. We thought and acted locally and globally. We crossed borders and made covenants in search of the Common Good. We were transformed.

 

To read more of the letter and how you can take action, click here.