Archbishop Romero: Memories and Reflections

By Jon Sobrino

First published 25 years ago, this revised edition has been enlarged with new essays as well as reflections on the recent beatification of Oscar Romero in May 2015. In light of Romero's beatification in 2014, Sobrino has drawn together his principal essays, beginning with a moving personal memoir, which describes how Romero (by reputation a timid, conservative prelate) emerged as the outspoken champion of the poor and suffering people of El Salvador. Sobrino places Romero in the context of the wider church: as believer, as archbishop, as Salvadoran, as prophet, as martyr, as inspiration for theology. Exploring each of these identities in turn, Sobrino sums up his reflections with the conclusion: "Archbishop Romero was a gospel . . . a piece of good news from God to the poor of the world." "As one who worked with the Archbishop and who, at the same time, stands as one of the leading theological interpreters of the vision of Church and society that Romero helped fashion, Sobrino not only retells Archbishop Romero's story but continues it. In view of the pending canonization of Oscar Romero, this collection of personal memories and theological reflections is simply indispensable." -- Kevin Burke, SJ, Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1626981760
• ISBN13: 9781626981768
• Release Date: February 2016
• Publisher: Orbis Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

On this 27th anniversary of his assassination and his martyrdom let us read again this book

The Catholic theologian and prolific writer, the Rev. Father Jon Sobrino, SJ, worked closely with Archbishop Romero in the final years of his life which was cut tragically short by a right wing soldier's sacreligious bullet during the Offertory of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in the Divine Providence Hospital Chapel in San Salvador 27 years ago today. This book, of which I read the 1990 edition published by the Catholic publishing house Orbis Books and now reprinted very recently elsewhere, collects ten years of essays and sermons by the great Father Jon Sobrino, always a very intelligent, spiritual and compelling writer and speaker, but especially in this case writing from his heart and soul and mind and body about his beloved friend and admired, even heroic, spiritual leader. Father Sobrino knew the great Archbishop very closely and watched closely the evolution of his thought and spirit, a conversion to live and preach courageously the Gospel despite knowing it spelled his certain death by martyrdom. Father Sobrino begins the collection with an essay written especially for this book, an excellent introduction to its themes and theology. He then divides the collection of essays into two parts, a theological analysis of his person and work and a briefer part of two sermons summing up Romero's work in the world and his essence as Gospel, as Good News from God to the Poor. In the first section Father Sobrino very deeply examines Archbishop Romero as a Salvadoran Archbishop and Believer, as Prophet and the meaning of Romero's Theology in our world. As a professor of philosophy who knew Romero very well and heard his word, Sobrino is well prepared to do this close analysis. He is equally prepared in the second section, as teacher and preacher, to movingly present to us in effective summary the totality of the Archbishop's meaning and message and life and belief. If you can only read one biography of this saintly martyr of the Americas whose canonization process is active in Rome, you will find a profound and real and true wealth within these pages. Please read it.