On Wednesday of this week, March 25, we celebrate the feast of the Annunciation of the Lord, when the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and announced that she was to the mother of the Savior of the World. That day is also the parish feast day of Mother of God Church. The full title of our parish is “The Annunciation of the Ever Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.”

Oscar Romero was a priest, and then, a bishop, in El Salvador, during the time of the military death squads in that country. The oppression of the poor, and those who opposed the military regime, was severe, including the murder of many thousands. As a bishop, Romero stood up to the regime and fought for the rights of the poor. He became such a thorn in the side of the regime, that they had him killed. He was murdered on March 24, 1980, as he was saying Mass. On October 14, 2018, Bishop Romero was canonized as St. Oscar Romero by Pope Francis.
    
One of the most famous of Romero’s sayings was, “When I fed the poor, they called me a saint. When I asked why the poor were poor, they called me a Communist.” The feast of St. Oscar Romero is this Tuesday, March 24.