Emmanuel to Mark Martyrdom Anniversary of San Salvadoran Archbishop

Saturday, March 23, 7 p.m., Emmanuel Parish Hall

— from Jeffry Steele —

Recuerdos de Monseñor Romero
Marking 39 years since the martyrdom of St. Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador
Readings by Fr Berto Gándara
Music by Jeffry Steele
with photos by Jim Harney and others
7:00 PM, Saturday, March 23
Emmanuel Episcopal Church Parish Hall
242 Main St, Eastsound
Admission free

Recuerdos de Monseñor Romero
Marcando 39 años del martirio de san Oscar Romero, Arzobispo de San Salvador
Lecturas por el P. Berto Gándara
Música de Jeffry Steele
con fotos de Jim Harney y otros
7:00 PM, sábado, 23 de marzo
Salón parroquial de la iglesia Episcopal Emanuel
242 Main St, Eastsound
Entrada gratuita

Berto Gándara, pastor of Emmanuel Episcopal Church, and Jeffry Steele, local guitarist, have long been inspired by the story of Oscar Romero, archbishop of San Salvador from 1977 until his assassination on March 24, 1980.

In 1982, Jeffry met with photojournalist Jim Harney, who agreed to let Jeffry duplicate slides from his visits to El Salvador. Jeffry wrote ensemble music to accompany these slides with readings and put on a series of Boston-area concerts in 1983, which included participation of poet Denise Levertov and a dozen musicians, intended to raise awareness of conditions in Central America. 

Civil conflicts during that period killed tens of thousands in El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala, the U.S. supporting repressive regimes responsible for most of the bloodshed. At the beginning of his tenure as Archbishop, Romero was considered “safe” by both hierarchy and oligarchy. But as he saw his fellow priests getting murdered—those who advocated for the campesinos—Romero began speaking out, taking to the airwaves, culminating in his admonishment to soldiers to disobey orders to kill. Like Martin Luther King, Romero knew that acting in accordance to his principles would result in losing his life. In 2015, he was finally beatified as a saint by the Catholic church. 

For this Eastsound event, Jeffry has adapted music to accompany the images to his 8-string guitar. Father Berto will read the words of Romero, provide historical background, and draw connections to conditions in El Salvador today.