... soon to be St. Oscar Romero. A couple of weeks back, I had gall to post the text of a homily that talked a bit about Oscar Romero's martyrdom; inasmuch as Gene Palumbo is a regular reader of NewGathering, that's a bit like blathering on about counterpoint in front of JS Bach. Today, NCR has published an important article by Gene about Romero. It dispels some common myths and misperceptions about the great Salvadoran martyr. Please do take a look at it, as the day approaches for Romero's canonization.
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/archbishop-scar-romero-setting-record-straight
Looks like Gene has a more credible story than the ones that have floated around Romero all these years. Gene's is better than the mythology.
ReplyDeleteGreat article.
ReplyDeleteI also received a link to a French article about Romero,
https://www.revue-etudes.com/article/saint-romero-des-ameriques-19580
that has interesting stuff about Romero's ideas in the latter part of his life, but it does repeat the incorrect story of a conversion in just a few weeks after Grande's assassination. So I do not know how much to believe of the rest.
Jim, Your homily was excellent. And you said at the time you felt Gene looking over your shoulder. Go in peace.
ReplyDeleteGene found himself in the position of the reporter in "Who Shot Liberty Valance?" In the movie, the reporter, upon discovering that the heroic story of a politician who gunned down an outlaw was not what happened, burns his notes and says, "This is the West. When the legend becomes a fact, print the legend." John Ford directed the movie, and he had made a career out of filming the legends. Unlike the film's reporter, Gene is dedicated to the facts, which actually (as the facts often do) make a better story than the movie version of Bl. Oscar's "conversion."
I concur that Gene's history is the better story. It is comforting that there are real journalists out there. I found it interesting that John Dear, activist priest (at the time) who demonstrated against the School of the Americas, also was caught up in the movie myth.
ReplyDeleteI also have to admit that I liked the movie. Raul Julia was one of my favorite actors. Father Elwood Kaiser was always trying to get the Message out. I liked it better when both were on the same planet with me.
ReplyDeleteOh, it is a good movie. I especially like the scene in which the wealthy lady attempts to arrange a special baptism for her grandchild and is told when the baptisms (for everybody) are performed at the cathedral. As an outspoken member of the Richard III Society said to me about Shakespeare's play, "It is wonderful Shakespeare, but it isn't Richard." And so it is wonderful Julia, but it isn't Romero.
ReplyDeleteWhile doing my grad work in hagiography, I found a quote from one scholar who said that, while individuals are rightly skeptical of hagiographies (why else would Bede have tried so hard to corroborate miracle reports), "the collective mind is an idiot."
ReplyDeleteThe collective mind wants hagiography to follow certain formulae, and if certain facts have to be diddled, it's all to the greater good of providing holy examples.
Possibly that's why Dorothy Day didn't want to become a saint and have her life squeezed into the requisite narrative.
So Jean, did you do your thesis on hagiography?
DeleteThis reprint from 2015, at America's website, by Kevin Clarke, recounts the specific circumstances of Romero's assassination.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2015/03/11/death-comes-archbishop-martyrdom-oscar-romero?utm_source=Newsletters&utm_campaign=a6fdd1b66a-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_10_09_08_42_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0fe8ed70be-a6fdd1b66a-58652245
Thanks to Gene for the informative article, and to Jim for posting the link. I haven't seen the movie yet, but will keep in mind the actual story when I do see it.
ReplyDelete