This microphone spent 20 years buried in the garden of María Hilda and Guillermo's house in El Salvador. It is the one that St. Oscar Romero used for voicing his homilies.
After the assassination of the bishop, the violence in El Salvador intensified. Any Catholic became a suspect for the government. Maria Hilda and Guillermo's home were searched many times, so they decided to hide this microphone.
They picked it up during the funeral for the bishop of the poor, which turned into a massacre. The army fired at those who only wanted to say goodbye to Romero. The cathedral was besieged and Maria Hilda and Guillermo thought they were going to die.
GUILLERMO GONZÁLEZ
Friend of St. Óscar Romero
“We hugged each other and I said, 'look, let's see if we get out of here alive.'” FLASH “I saw the microphone and I placed it under my shirt.”
Despite the situation in the country, many, like this couple decided to stay. They wanted to follow the example of their bishop and his request to always be on the side of the people.
GUILLERMO GONZÁLEZ
Friend of St. Óscar Romero
“We have to do something for this country, I told my wife, it is not possible that they keep killing people. My friends said to me, 'You are crazy Guillermo. You are in a good economic position, you are exposing your family.' However, I remembered the words of Archbishop Romero, 'If you are with these people, you have to continue with these people. You can't leave them abandoned.'”
They met Archbishop Romero in 1977. In 1980, the bishop was assassinated with a shot to the heart, a pain that Maria Hilda still relives as if it were yesterday.
MARÍA HILDA GONZÁLEZ
Friend of St. Óscar Romero
'We went alone, to try to digest, to pray but to think, 'It can't be; it can't be. If they killed the bishop, if they killed the pastor, what will happen to us?'”
However, today the tears are very different. They are full of joy because the bishop who promised he would rise again in the Salvadorian people is now a saint. Thanks also to this microphone his teachings are still alive.
MARÍA HILDA GONZÁLEZ
Friend of St. Óscar Romero
“His prophetic message is now more current and important than ever. It calls us to help all who are suffering in Latin America and the world in terms of violence, in terms of disrespect for human life.”
Some 7,000 Salvadorans attended this canonization ceremony presided over by Pope Francis. It was an event that many, like Maria Hilda and Guillermo had dreamed of witnessing for 38 years.
