St Oscar Romero (above), Archbishop of San Salvador and champion of his country’s downtrodden poor, was gunned down as he celebrated mass in his cathedral, today in 1980. He had preached a sermon the previous day calling on the country’s soldiers to obey God rather than the new government junta, which was using death squads to silence opposition.
‘We have never preached violence, except the violence of love, which left Christ nailed to a cross, the violence that we must each do to ourselves to overcome our selfishness and such cruel inequalities among us.’ St Oscar Romero
Queen Elizabeth I died on this day in 1603. After all the religious seesawing from the previous three English monarchs (Henry VIII, Edward VI and Mary), her 45-year reign left Protestantism finally and permanently established in England. However, her refusal to compromise with the more extreme Protestants left the Church of England deeply divided between the establishment and the Puritans. After months of depression and illness, she stopped eating, speaking, and finally living, at the age of 69.
‘Though God hath raised me high, yet this I count the glory of my crown, that I have reigned with your loves.’ Elizabeth I speaking to the House of Commons, November 1601
Walter Hilton, the English mystic, died today in 1396. His works were very popular in the 15th century, and the grandmother of Henry VIII was a particular fan, commissioning the printing of his most famous book, The Scale of Perfection.
‘Regard yourself all the more as a sinner because you cannot feel yourself to be what you are.’ Walter Hilton, The Scale of Perfection
Image: Alison McKellar