Following Pope Leo’s reference to Saint Óscar Romero in the homily of the Chrism Mass celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica, from Recoletos.org we have spoken with Friar Teodoro Baztán, an Augustinian Recollect religious of the Province of Our Lady of Candelaria, who had the honor of personally knowing the saint just three months before his death. His direct testimony brings us closer to the humanity, courage, and profound pastoral dedication of the martyr archbishop of El Salvador.
A Martyr Remembered in the Heart of the Church
At the Chrism Mass celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo wished to present the luminous figure of Saint Óscar Romero to the priests of the world. He did so not out of nostalgia, but from the relevance of his testimony. Recalling words written a month before his martyrdom, the Holy Father emphasized the spiritual depth of a pastor who lived in total abandonment to God:
“It is enough for me to be happy and confident to know with certainty that in Him are my life and my death…”
It is not just a phrase. It is a life program. Romero did not improvise his surrender at the final moment: he wove it day by day in faithfulness, in prayer, and in real contact with his people.
His martyrdom, which occurred while he was celebrating the Eucharist, is not a tragic accident, but the culmination of a life offered. Like Christ, he gave his life for his people.
A Pastor Close to the People: The Living Memory of a Recollect
The figure of Saint Óscar Romero is not alien to the history and mission of the Augustinian Recollects. Friar Teodoro Baztán, a religious of the Province of Our Lady of Candelaria, had the grace of knowing him personally in 1980, while serving as Prior Provincial of the then Province of Our Lady of Consolation, just three months before his assassination.
The encounter took place in the hospital where the archbishop lived, surrounded by the sick and religious sisters, in an austere and profoundly evangelical life. That space was not just a residence: it was a sign of his preferential option for the poor. There he prayed, prepared his homilies, and received the poor, the persecuted, and those seeking solace.
Thanks to the mediation of Friar Fermín Moriones, also an Augustinian Recollect, Friar Teodoro was able to converse with Romero for over an hour. It was not a superficial conversation: they spoke about the country’s situation, the suffering of the people, the Church’s commitment, and evangelization in contexts of injustice.
“I am afraid, but I would give my life for the poor”
One of the most significant memories Friar Teodoro Baztán preserves is Romero’s disarming sincerity. He confessed without reservation: he was afraid of death. But that fear did not paralyze him. On the contrary, it placed him in the truth of his human condition.
He lived dedicated to his people and trusting in God’s love:
“I would not mind dying for the repressed and downtrodden people, for the poorest.”
This is not the language of an abstract hero, but that of a pastor who knows his people, loves them, and knows himself responsible for them.
A Day Among Peasants: The Joy of the Gospel
During that visit, Romero invited Friar Teodoro to accompany him to a peasant community. The journey, made in a jeep with young catechists, was not without risk. The context of violence made encounters with the guerrilla feared.
However, what they experienced was a true celebration. The people rejoiced at having their pastor. The Eucharist became a celebration of life, amidst poverty and uncertainty.
Romero was approachable, simple, attentive. He listened to everyone, took notes, embraced the pain of mothers, the stories of violence, the open wounds of his people. And all of that he later brought to the pulpit.
The Homily as the Conscience of a People
One of the most impressive features of Saint Óscar Romero’s ministry was his preaching. As Friar Teodoro recalls:
“His Sunday homily was heard in every corner of the country; and also in the barracks; and in the mansions of the powerful.”
It was not generic or sugar-coated preaching. It was concrete, incarnated, prophetic. He denounced injustice, named suffering, demanded justice, and proclaimed the Gospel with force.
The country paused to listen to him. Because in his voice resonated more than just opinion: it was the voice of the poor, the voice of the Church, the voice of the prophet.
A Testimony That Challenges the Church Today
Pope Leo wanted to bring Romero into the present because his figure remains necessary. In a time where the temptation can be comfort or neutrality, the martyr archbishop reminds us that the pastor is called to give his life.
His death during the Eucharist is not just a biographical fact: it is a theological key. Romero dies at the altar because he had made his life an offering. Like Christ, his blood is united to the redemptive sacrifice.
For the Augustinian Recollects, this testimony has a special resonance. Not only because of the historical encounter narrated by Friar Teodoro Baztán, but because it expresses an Augustinian spirituality: to live in truth, to love without measure, to dedicate oneself to the service of the people.
The Voice That Has Not Been Silenced
The bullets that ended his life have not managed to silence his voice. As he himself said:
“If they kill me, I will rise again in the Salvadoran people.”
And so it has been. His word remains alive in the Church, in the memory of the poor, in the conscience of those who seek justice. Also in the Augustinian Recollect Family, which recognizes in him a witness of the Gospel lived to its ultimate consequences.
Today, in remembering him at the Chrism Mass, the Church does not look to the past. It allows itself to be challenged. Because Romero is not just a martyr of yesterday: he is a call for today.
