…with St John Fisher Catholic College and Missio

In July 2017, St John Fisher Catholic College in Newcastle-under-Lyme halted their regular timetable to mark the centenary of Blessed Oscar Romero. They took time to focus on the life and legacy of this inspirational priest.

Oscar Romero was the Archbishop of El Salvador in the 1970s, a time of great social injustice and civil unrest. Romero was outspoken against human rights abuses and violent attacks, which led him down a dangerous path. But Romero refused to back down in the face of vicious intimidation. Instead he continued to Advocate Christ’s Gospel and found strength in a life of prayer. He was assassinated whilst celebrating mass in March 1980.

St John Fisher College invited Missio in to facilitate a series of workshops. Deputy Head Jen Rogers explained: ‘We wanted to have a connection with a charity that had had close links with Romero, so that our students could develop a wider understanding of who Romero was and the challenges he came up against.’

Links to Missio

Romero was the National Director of Missio in El Salvador. So as well as focusing on the Archbishop’s work, our workshops explore how to bring God’s love at all times and in all places.

During the workshop, students participated in both fun and thoughtful exercises exploring Romero’s life. They learned how personal and political events radically shaped his beliefs, and subsequently his actions.

The workshop highlighted many of Romero’s famous messages.  Students had a thoughtful discussion about what  ‘Aspire not to have more, but to be more’ means in our society today. They thought about the impact Romero’s words can still have if we follow their challenge.

At the end of the workshop, whole classes worked together to create huge and eye-catching banners, illustrating Romero’s life, beliefs and legacy.

Missio would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to the students at St John Fisher Catholic College, for their wholehearted engagement. Students gave really positive feedback about how the creative activities helped them gain a better understanding of Blessed Romero, the work of Missio, and how we can all be missionaries of God’s love.

Bring Missio to your school

If you are interested in hosting a Romero workshop at your school, please contact claire@missio.org.uk for details.