“What’s in a name?” That question dances in the air as we approach the Comunidade Santo Oscar Romero. It is a name born of courage and compromise. The story begins in 1980 shortly after the death of Archbishop Oscar Romero.
This community center Dom Oscar Romero found its purpose. Father Angelo Belloso Peña suggested the name. He saw Oscar Romero as a symbol. He was a symbol of the church’s love for the poor. Many agreed with this choice but not all. Some wanted to name the chapel Nossa Senhora Aparecida.
Oscar Romero was not yet a saint. Some thought a church could not be dedicated to him. The solution became “Comunidade Dom Oscar Romero Capela Nossa Senhora Aparecida”. “Dom Oscar” became the popular name. Yet Nossa Senhora Aparecida became the patron saint.
From its humble beginnings the community grew. It purchased more land in Parque das Américas. In 2001 a larger church was inaugurated. Father Joseph Valmond Richard led the mass.
The chapel became a regional reference point. Many parishioners came from nearby Ribeirão Pires. They came specifically from Parque Aliança.
The name inspired a vibrant community. The Holy Spirit motivated change. Oscar Romero was beatified and then canonized.
The canonization of Dom Oscar moved the whole parish. It drew attention from inside and outside the Diocese. On October 14 2018 Pope Francis canonized Saint Oscar. Hours later all communities gathered. They met in the Ginásio José Boscariol. A crowded celebration took place. Dom Pedro Carlos Cipollini presided over the mass. He canceled other appointments to be there.
After the mass a beautiful procession formed. It went to the church. From that day forward it was named “Comunidade Santo Oscar Romero”. It now had two patrons: Saint Oscar and Nossa Senhora Aparecida. The old bell no longer met the community’s needs. A commemorative bell was purchased and blessed. It replaced the old one.
Comunidade Santo Oscar Romero is the oldest in Brazil dedicated to him. It may not remain the largest. But it will always be the first.
The image of Santo Oscar Romero is special. Father Hamilton Gomes do Nascimento blessed it. This was on October 14 2018. It is the first image of the saint made in Brazil. It is also the first blessed in his honor.
Look up to the wooden ceiling. Simple inscriptions express the popular theology of the 1990s. Father Angelo Belloso Peña’s painting remains here.
Notice the external brickwork of the Comunidade Santo Oscar Romero. It alludes to the Basilica of Nossa Senhora Aparecida.
The community produced a film. It is called “Santo Oscar Romero Vivo na Luta de Seu Povo”. It premiered on the saint’s day March 26 2022. Young people from the community created it. The film tells the church’s story. It is four hours and fifteen minutes long. It features people who helped in the beginning. It also includes historical images.
As you leave consider the legacy of Santo Oscar Romero. Reflect on the devotion to Nossa Senhora Aparecida. These saints gave this comunidade its name and spirit. This is a community built on faith. It is a testament to the enduring power of belief.