On March 24th, 1980, Archbishop Oscar Romero was assassinated during the celebration of the Eucharist.  One day before his death, Archbishop Romero preached these words directly to members of the same military force that would end his mortal life:

 

 

During Lent, we  remember the violent death of Christ at our hands and, on Easter, the triumph of Christ over death through resurrection.  During the month of March we remember also the peaceful life of Archbishop Romero and commemorate his death by human hands. With this in mind, we invite you to join us for a film presentation and discussion on the call to nonviolence and how it challenges and enlivens us in God's mission of love.

 

Please read below for more details. 

From Director Gerry Straub:

 

"After eight films documenting global and domestic poverty, I felt it was time to address the explosive topic of peace and nonviolence. For me, there was only one person to address this topic: John Dear, SJ.  Father Dear is a celebrated peace activist and the author of over twenty books; he also served as a chaplain ministering to the families of those killed on September 11th at the World Trade Center.  His life story has been a journey into the radical message of the Gospel and Jesus' instruction to love our enemies.  Of course, many Christians ignore Christ's directive.  But not John Dear.  Following in the footsteps of the great apostles of nonviolence - Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, Oscar Romero, and Daniel and Philip Berrigan - John Dear, who has been arrested and imprisoned over 75 times, cirsscrosses the country and the world tirelessly preaching the message of the nonviolent Jesus.  Sadly, this film will upset and disturb many people.  But the Gospel is disturbing, if you take it seriously."