Óscar Romero
Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdamez was born in a small village in El Salvador in 1917. Ordained priest, he was known as a quiet and unassuming pastor. By 1977, amidst the political and social turmoil suffered by his country, he was therefore seen as a neutral choice to be its Archbishop. Courageously, however, he began to speak out against violence and his homilies supported the demands of the poor for economic and social justice. He refused to be silenced and continued to preach even under threat of assassination. On this day in 1980, whilst presiding at Mass, Archbishop Romero was assassinated by a gunman. He has since been widely regarded as a martyr for the faith and was canonized by the Catholic Church in 2018. EH
Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/pdbx9vkb
Your merciful love, O God,
we have received in the midst of your temple.
Your praise, O God, like your name,
reaches the ends of the earth;
your right hand is filled with saving justice. Psalm 48
God grant us the spirit of courage
that we may have the strength to fight injustice
Give us the spirit of challenge
that we may not accept the status quo without question
Give us the spirit of compassion
that we may see the world from other people’s viewpoint
We ask for the spirit of gentleness
that we may listen to the voice of the poor
Without trampling on their dreams in our rush to action
God grant us your Spirit,
the Spirit of truth, justice and hope
that we may rest and work in the vision of a new future
where all are linked by the bonds of humanity
not enslaved by the chains of debt and oppression. Amen.2
Music: https://tinyurl.com/ufxekitx
God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
HYMN: Guillermo Cuéllar (Misa Popular Salvadoreño, commissioned by Romero);
tr. Bret Hesla and William Dexheimer Pharris ©
Tune https://tinyurl.com/4jb6s95k
Estribillo:
Vamos todos al banquete,
a la mesa de la creación;
cada cual, con su taburete,
tiene un puesto y una misión.
1 Hoy me levanto muy temprano,
ya me espera la comunidad.
Voy subiendo alegre la cuesta,
voy en busca de tu amistad. [Estribillo]
2 Dios invita a todos los pobres
a esta mesa común por la fe,
donde no hay acaparadores,
donde todos puedan comer. [Estribillo]
3 Dios nos manda a hacer de este mundo
una mesa donde haya igualdad;
trabajando y luchando juntos,
compartiendo la propiedad. [Estribillo]
Refrain:
Let us go now to the banquet,
to the feast of the universe.
The table’s set and a place is waiting;
come, ev’ryone, with your gifts to share.
1 I will rise in the early morning.
The community’s waiting for me.
With a spring in my step I’m walking
with my friends and my family. [Refrain]
2 God invites all the poor and hungry
to the banquet of justice and good,
where the harvest will not be hoarded,
so that no one will lack for food. [Refrain]
3 May we build such a place among us
where all people are equal in love.
God has called us to work together
and to share ev’rything we have. [Refrain]
PSALMS
Psalm 116 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/r9c5ke7)
1 I am well pleased *
that the Lord hath heard the voice of my prayer;
2 That he hath inclined his ear unto me *
therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.
3 The snares of death compassed me round about *
and the pains of hell gat hold upon me.
4 I shall find trouble and heaviness, and I will call upon the Name of the Lord *
O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.
5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous *
yea, our God is merciful.
6 The Lord preserveth the simple *
I was in misery, and he helped me.
7 Turn again then unto thy rest, O my soul *
for the Lord hath rewarded thee.
8 And why? thou hast delivered my soul from death *
mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.
9 I will walk before the Lord *
in the land of the living.
10 I believed, and therefore will I speak; but I was sore troubled *
I said in my haste, All men are liars.
11 What reward shall I give unto the Lord *
for all the benefits that he hath done unto me?
12 I will receive the cup of salvation *
and call upon the Name of the Lord.
13 I will pay my vows now in the presence of all his people *
right dear in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
14 Behold, O Lord, how that I am thy servant *
I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid;
thou hast broken my bonds in sunder.
15 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving *
and will call upon the Name of the Lord.
16 I will pay my vows unto the Lord, in the sight of all his people *
in the courts of the Lord’s house,
even in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 117 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/rxgv7mn)
1 O praise the Lord, all ye heathen *
praise him, all ye nations.
2 For his merciful kindness is ever more and more towards us *
and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise the Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 118 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/tkh65hw)
1 O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is gracious *
because his mercy endureth for ever.
2 Let Israel now confess, that he is gracious *
and that his mercy endureth for ever.
3 Let the house of Aaron now confess *
that his mercy endureth for ever.
4 Yea, let them now that fear the Lord confess *
that his mercy endureth for ever.
5 I called upon the Lord in trouble *
and the Lord heard me at large.
6 The Lord is on my side *
I will not fear what man doeth unto me.
7 The Lord taketh my part with them that help me *
therefore shall I see my desire upon mine enemies.
8 It is better to trust in the Lord *
than to put any confidence in man.
9 It is better to trust in the Lord *
than to put any confidence in princes.
10 All nations compassed me round about *
but in the Name of the Lord will I destroy them.
11 They kept me in on every side, they kept me in, I say, on every side *
but in the Name of the Lord will I destroy them.
12 They came about me like bees,
and are extinct even as the fire among the thorns *
for in the Name of the Lord I will destroy them.
13 Thou hast thrust sore at me, that I might fall *
but the Lord was my help.
14 The Lord is my strength, and my song *
and is become my salvation.
15 The voice of joy and health is in the dwellings of the righteous *
the right hand of the Lord bringeth mighty things to pass.
16 The right hand of the Lord hath the pre-eminence *
the right hand of the Lord bringeth mighty things to pass.
17 I shall not die, but live *
and declare the works of the Lord.
18 The Lord hath chastened and corrected me *
but he hath not given me over unto death.
19 Open me the gates of righteousness *
that I may go into them, and give thanks unto the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord *
the righteous shall enter into it.
21 I will thank thee, for thou hast heard me *
and art become my salvation.
22 The same stone which the builders refused *
is become the head-stone in the corner.
23 This is the Lord’s doing *
and it is marvellous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the Lord hath made *
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Help me now, O Lord *
O Lord, send us now prosperity.
26 Blessed be he that cometh in the Name of the Lord *
we have wished you good luck, ye that are of the house of the Lord.
27 God is the Lord who hath shewed us light *
bind the sacrifice with cords, yea, even unto the horns of the altar.
28 Thou art my God, and I will thank thee *
thou art my God, and I will praise thee.
29 O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is gracious *
and his mercy endureth for ever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 116 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-116.mp3)
1 I love the LORD, because he has heard the voice of
my supplication, *
because he has inclined his ear to me whenever
I called upon him.
2 The cords of death entangled me;
the grip of the grave took hold of me; *
I came to grief and sorrow.
3 Then I called upon the Name of the LORD: *
“O LORD, I pray you, save my life.”
4 Gracious is the LORD and righteous; *
our God is full of compassion.
5 The LORD watches over the innocent; *
I was brought very low, and he helped me.
6 Turn again to your rest, O my soul, *
for the LORD has treated you well.
7 For you have rescued my life from death, *
my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling.
8 I will walk in the presence of the LORD *
in the land of the living.
9 I believed, even when I said,
“I have been brought very low.” *
In my distress I said, “No one can be trusted.”
10 How shall I repay the LORD *
for all the good things he has done for me?
11 I will lift up the cup of salvation *
and call upon the Name of the LORD.
12 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD *
in the presence of all his people.
13 Precious in the sight of the LORD *
is the death of his servants.
14 O LORD, I am your servant; *
I am your servant and the child of your handmaid;
you have freed me from my bonds.
15 I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving *
and call upon the Name of the LORD.
16 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD *
in the presence of all his people,
17 In the courts of the LORD’S house, *
in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 117 (LSB Tone A: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-117-LSB.mp3)
1 Praise the LORD, all nations!*
Extol him, all peoples!
2 For great is his steadfast love toward us,*
and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD!
Glory be to the Father and to the Son*
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,*
is now, and will be forever. Amen..
Psalm 118 (LSB Tone I: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-118-LSB.mp3)
1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;*
for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let Israel say,*
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron say,*
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the LORD say,*
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
5 Out of my distress I called on the LORD;*
the LORD answered me and set me free.
6The LORD is on my side; I will not fear.*
What can man do to me?
7 The LORD is on my side as my helper;*
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD*
than to trust in man.
9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD*
than to trust in princes.
10 All nations surrounded me;*
in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
11 They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;*
in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
12 They surrounded me like bees;
they went out like a fire among thorns;*
in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
13 I was pushed hard, so that I was falling,*
but the LORD helped me.
14 The LORD is my strength and my song;*
he has become my salvation.
15 Glad songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous:*
“The right hand of the LORD does valiantly,
16 the right hand of the LORD exalts,*
the right hand of the LORD does valiantly!”
17 I shall not die, but I shall live,*
and recount the deeds of the LORD.
18 The LORD has disciplined me severely,*
but he has not given me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness,*
that I may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD.
20 This is the gate of the LORD;*
the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank you that you have answered me*
and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected*
has become the cornerstone.
23 This is the LORD’s doing;*
it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the LORD has made;*
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save us, we pray, O LORD!*
O LORD, we pray, give us success!
26 Blessèd is he who comes in the name of the LORD!*
We bless you from the house of the LORD.
27The LORD is God,
and he has made his light to shine upon us.*
Bind the festal sacrifice with cords,
up to the horns of the altar!
28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;*
you are my God; I will extol you.
29 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;*
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Glory be to the Father and to the Son*
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,*
is now, and will be forever. Amen.
PRAYER
Lord God,
you have revealed your kindness to every people and nation.
Gather the whole world to yourself,
that in all the various languages of the earth
one hymn of praise may rise to you;
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. BCW2018
THE WORD OF GOD
READING: Zechariah 2
I looked up and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. Then I asked, “Where are you going?” He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see how wide and how long it is.” Then the angel who spoke with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him and said to him, “Run, say to that young man: Jerusalem shall be inhabited like unwalled villages because of the multitude of people and animals in it. For I will be a wall of fire all around it, says the Lord, and I will be the glory within it.”
Up, up! Flee from the land of the north, says the Lord, for I have spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven, says the Lord. Up! Escape to Zion, you who live with daughter Babylon. For thus said the Lord of hosts after his glory sent me to the nations who plundered you: Truly, one who touches you touches the apple of my eye. For I am going to raise my hand against them, and they shall become plunder for their own slaves. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me. Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! For I will come and dwell in your midst, says the Lord. Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord on that day and shall be my people, and I will dwell in your midst. And you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem.
Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.
HYMN: Frances Ridley Havergal
Tune: St Bees https://tinyurl.com/3rc6v9xw
1 Take my life, and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee;
take my moments and my days,
let them flow in ceaseless praise.
2 Take my hands, and let them move
at the impulse of thy love;
take my feet, and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee.
3 Take my voice, and let me sing
always, only, for my King;
take my lips, and let them be
filled with messages from thee.
4 Take my silver and my gold;
not a mite would I withhold;
take my intellect, and use
every power as thou shalt choose.
5 Take my will, and make it thine:
it shall be no longer mine;
take my heart: it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne.
6 Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure-store;
take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee.
READING: Hebrews 12:1-13
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls or lose heart. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as children—
“My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord
or lose heart when you are punished by him,
for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves
and chastises every child whom he accepts.”
Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children, for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline? If you do not have that discipline in which all children share, then you are illegitimate and not his children. Moreover, we had human parents to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not be even more willing to be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share his holiness. Now, discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.
HYMN: Kathleen Thomerson
Tune: Houston https://tinyurl.com/3fphkb54
1 I want to walk as a child of the light.
I want to follow Jesus.
God set the stars to give light to the world.
The star of my life is Jesus.
Refrain:
In Him there is no darkness at all.
The night and the day are both alike.
The Lamb is the light of the city of God.
Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus.
2 I want to see the brightness of God.
I want to look at Jesus.
Clear Sun of Righteousness, shine on my path,
and show me the way to the Father. [Refrain]
3 I’m looking for the coming of Christ.
I want to be with Jesus.
When we have run with patience the race,
we shall know the joy of Jesus. [Refrain]
READING: John 11:17-27
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”
CANTICLE Deuteronomy 32:1-12
(Sing the Hours)
Give ear, O heavens, while I speak;
let the earth hearken to the words of my mouth!
May my instruction soak in like the rain,
and my discourse permeate like the dew,
Like a downpour upon the grass,
like a shower upon the crops:
For I will sing the Lord’s renown.
Oh, proclaim the greatness of our God!
The Rock – how faultless are his deeds,
how right all his ways!
A faithful God, without deceit,
how just and upright he is!
Yet basely has he been treated by his degenerate children,
a perverse and crooked race!
Is the Lord to be thus repaid by you,
O stupid and foolish people?
Is he not your father who created you?
Has he not made you and established you?
Think back on the days of old,
reflect on the years of age upon age.
Ask your father and he will inform you,
ask your elders and they will tell you:
When the Most High assigned the nations their heritage,
when he parceled out the descendants of Adam,
He set up the boundaries of the peoples
after the number of the sons of God;
While the Lord’s own portion was Jacob,
His hereditary share was Israel.
He found them in a wilderness,
a wasteland of howling desert.
He shielded them and cared for them,
guarding them as the apple of his eye.
As an eagle incites its nestlings forth
by hovering over its brood,
So he spread his wings to receive them
and bore them up on his pinions.
The Lord alone was their leader,
no strange god was with him.
THE PRAYERS Ken Utener, often called the “Romero Prayer”
It helps, now and then, to step back and take the long view.
The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts; it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection. No pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the church’s mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water the seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something and to do it well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
(Plainsong Mode 2: https://tinyurl.com/yctqq8cf)DL
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today the bread of life;
and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
Almighty God, you called your servant Óscar Romero to be a voice for the voiceless poor, and to give his life as a seed of freedom and a sign of hope: Grant that, inspired by his sacrifice and the example of the martyrs of El Salvador, we may without fear or favor witness to your Word who abides, your Word who is Life, even Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be praise and glory now and for ever. Amen. HWHM
Music: https://tinyurl.com/y9efvwm5
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen. 2 Cor. 13:14
BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.
EH Exciting Holiness Edited by Brother Tristam SSF, © European Province of the Society of Saint Francis, 1997
HWHM Holy Women, Holy Men © 2010 The Church Pension Fund.
2 Prayer from the Romero Trust http://www.romerotrust.org.uk/resources/prayers-liturgies
The prayer by the late Bishop Ken Utener is often attributed to Oscar Romero because it reflects sentiments of his ministry. http://www.romerotrust.org.uk/romero-prayer
DL © Daniel Lawson; used with permission.
BCW2018 Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 2018
The main scripture readings are from the New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The traditional language psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). The modern language version of Psalm 116 is from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and is sung by Ryland Angel. Psalms 117 and 118 are in the version used in Lutheran Service Book: Pew Edition Concordia Publishing House, and are from the Next to the Word of God YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkVRYL-MRebncw584Ql2xfg. The canticle is from Liturgy of the Hours as recorded for the Sing the Hours podcast https://www.youtube.com/c/singthehours.
Musical links are usually either to artists’ albums posted on Spotify or to recordings made available at smallchurchmusic.com. Audio stripped from YouTube videos is footnoted accordingly above.
Compilation © 2026 Stephen T. Benner. All links worked at the time they were created, but I cannot accept responsibility for their content or any damage resulting from their use. The linked content is under the control of the respective content creators and is subject to change at any time. Any copyright texts included in this compilation are provided for non-commercial purposes related to study or worship. Please contact the respective copyright holders for permission to use the texts in other contexts.
Oremus 