Collection revives Romero's spirit
Jim Paladino
For a More Just and Humane World
In the days before his death on March 24, 1980, Salvadoran Bishop Oscar Romero said in his homily, "I must tell you, as a Christian, I do not believe in death without resurrection. If I am killed, I shall arise in the Salvadoran people."
Romero was assassinated because he spoke to the people of El Salvador about the poverty of the masses, calling on people of God to take action. El Salvador went through years of bloody civil war that robbed the nation of many of its young people and much of its natural resources.
Economically the country was set back decades and only recently are some gains being made. Until the earthquakes in recent weeks.
El Salvador continues to experience earthquakes on a daily basis, some 60 in total — not just aftershocks. Over a million people are homeless. The estimated poverty rate of 40 percent rose to over 50 percent of the population after the first quake hit.
The people of El Salvador could use the sprit of Oscar Romero now. And his spirit is alive here at Notre Dame.
Al Sondej was a member of the Notre Dame Class of 1974, my class. The class that is able to boast Notre Dame's first astronaut, James Wetherbee, who is scheduled to take off in Space Shuttle Discovery on Thursday of this week. But Al Sondej is also a hero of that class.
Many people to this day remember Al faithfully outside of the North Dining Hall every evening meal, collecting money for people in poverty. A bench there commemorates his efforts.
During the 1970s Al responded to an earthquake in Guatemala by traveling there to help in relief efforts. Al has since passed away but friends of his from the class of 1974 have established a fund in his name here at Notre Dame to assist in poverty relief efforts.
This past week members of that group approached the University with the hope that a fitting memorial for Al's years here at Notre Dame would be to send the proceeds (amounting to several thousand dollars) from Al's fund to El Salvador through Catholic Relief Services.
Romero's spirit lives on, and so does that of Al Sondej!
The week after spring break, Notre Dame will commemorate the 21st anniversary of Romero's assassination with the Annual Oscar Romero Lecture. Lectures and a prayer service will be held on Monday and Tuesday of that week.
As we remember Oscar Romero we can all take this opportunity to also remember his sprit that lived in Al Sondej and continues to be present in our lives on this campus. In Al's memory students will be taking collections outside of both the North and South Dining halls and at the Monday Romero lecture at the Hesburgh Center Auditorium.
Please remember our sisters and brothers in El Salvador as they raise money for earthquake relief and rebuilding efforts through the Catholic Relief Services.
Keep the spirit of Romero and Sondej alive in our midst!
Jim Paladino, a member of the Notre Dame class of 1974, is the Associate Director of Program and Resource Administration at the Center for Social Concerns. The CSC's column appears every other Wednesday.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Viewpoint Stories for Wednesday, March 7, 2001
