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Óscar Romero
fourth archbishop of San Salvador (1917–1980)
Feast: 24 March (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
The Vatican record
- 3 February 2015 — Martyrdom recognised (decree list, 2015)
- 6 March 2018 — Miracle through their intercession approved (decree list, 2018)
Who they were
Óscar Arnulfo Romero was born in Ciudad Barrios, El Salvador, on 15 August 1917. As Archbishop of San Salvador he spoke out publicly against the violence being done to civilians in his country.
On 24 March 1980 he was shot dead while celebrating Mass in San Salvador. The Church recognised his death as martyrdom, killing in hatred of the faith, in February 2015.
The miracles
Cecilia Maribel Flores — El Salvador — August 2015
A 35-year-old Salvadoran mother fell gravely ill after giving birth and was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome, which damages the liver; her kidney was affected too. A doctor told her husband that if he believed in God he should pray, because she would probably die. At home he opened a Bible his grandmother had given him, found a card with Romero's picture, and prayed for his intercession, though he had never liked his grandmother's devotion to him. Cecilia, who had fallen into a coma, woke on 10 September and made a full recovery.
As a martyr, Romero was beatified without a miracle; his martyrdom was recognised by decree on 3 February 2015. The healing above was the one required for his canonisation, celebrated in Rome on 14 October 2018 together with Pope Paul VI's.
Why that counted as sanctity
Beatification followed on 23 May 2015. The case of Cecilia Maribel Flores was examined by the Church's doctors and theologians and approved as a miracle on 6 March 2018, opening the way to canonisation. Canonisation followed on 14 October 2018 by Francis.
Connected on this site
- Luis Chávez y González Saint“Luis Chávez y González (1901–1987) was the seventh Bishop and third Archbishop of San Salvador, El Salvador, and immediate predecessor of Archbishop Óscar Romero.” — Wikipedia
- Rutilio Grande Blessed“He was the first priest assassinated before the Salvadoran Civil War started and was a close friend of Archbishop Óscar Romero.” — Wikipedia
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints - martyrdom decree 3 Feb 2015 and miracle decree 6 Mar 2018
- America Magazine, Mar 2018 - Romero's miracle for canonisation
- CNA - Oscar Romero and Pope Paul VI to be canonised 14 October
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints — promulgated decrees (causesanti.va), summarised in our own words
- Wikidata Q293455 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Óscar Romero (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.