Congressman McGovern to Join Commemoration of Life and Legacy of Salvadoran Archbishop Romero

WORCESTER, Mass. – Congressman James P. McGovern, who represents Massachusetts’ Third Congressional District, and Jose "Chencho" Alas will commemorate the life and legacy of Archbishop Oscar Romero on March 22 at 7 p.m. in the Rehm Library at the College of the Holy Cross. The event is free and open to the public.

Romero became El Salvador’s prophet and martyr during his three brief years as archbishop from 1977 to 1980. The violence, poverty, and repression of those years transformed him from a conservative bookworm to an outspoken advocate of the people. On March 23, 1980, he appealed in his radio address to those who were responsible for the violence: "To the soldiers: I implore you, I beg you, I order you in the name of God: cease the repression!" The following day he was assassinated.

Former priest Alas, a friend and colleague of Romero, will speak about the continuing plight of the El Salvadorian people for peace and justice. Alas is the founder of the Foundation for Self-Sufficiency in Central America (www.fssca.net), which keeps Romero’s legacy alive and seeks the environmental, economic and social autonomy for people of El Salvador and Central America. FSSCA plans to plant one million trees in El Salvador — the most deforested country in the Western Hemisphere outside of Haiti.

The event is sponsored by McGovern and the Office of the President at Holy Cross.