Oscar Romero BioEarly life
Oscar Romero was born into a large family on August 15, 1917 in El Salvador. Although
they had more money than many of their neighbours, Oscar’s family had neither
electricitynorrunningwaterintheirsmallhome,andthechildrensleptonthe floor.
Oscar’s parents could not afford to send him to school after the age of twelve, so he
went toworkasanapprenticecarpenter.Hequicklyshowedgreatskills,butOscar was
alreadydeterminedtobecomeapriest.Heenteredtheseminaryattheageof fourteen and was
ordained a priest when he was 25 in 1942.
Recognising the power of radio to reach the people, he convinced five radio stations to
broadcast his Sunday sermons to peasant farmers who believed they were unwelcome
in the churches.
