{"id":11844,"date":"2025-03-21T08:14:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T08:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leedsjp.org.uk\/?p=11844"},"modified":"2026-09-01T18:10:48","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T17:10:48","slug":"21-mar-oscar-romero-lecture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c4652100.myzen.co.uk\/jp2026\/2025\/03\/21\/21-mar-oscar-romero-lecture\/","title":{"rendered":"21 Mar – Oscar Romero Lecture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\nby Kathy Shaw, SPARK Social Justice<\/em>

Oscar Romero lecture – Excavating Hope on 13th March at Leeds Trinity city centre campus<\/strong>

Presented in the Leeds Diocese by SPARK Social Justice working in partnership with Leeds Trinity University

Fr Luis Orlando P\u00e9rez Jim\u00e9nez (speaker) supported by Julian Filochowski, Chair of the Archbishop Romero Trust

Fr Luis Orlando P\u00e9rez Jim\u00e9nez\u00a0is a Jesuit priest from Mexico and has vast experience of work in the field of human rights in Latin America.\u00a0 He worked as a lawyer at the Human Rights Centre in Mexico City and his work with the Jesuit-run Centre exposed him to the plight of thousands of mothers who had lost their children because of forced disappearances and extra-judicial killings committed by Mexican military forces and organised crime. Now a doctoral student at the University College London Institute of the Americas, Fr Luis is researching these grave human rights violations, which have claimed over 100,000 victims in Mexico, and the culture of impunity surrounding it.

The title of the lecture \u201cExcavating Hope\u201d reflects the desperate and dangerous work undertaken by 240 networks of mainly women across Mexico who are seeking answers and hoping to find the bodies of their loved ones.\u00a0 \u00a0They connect locally and regionally to share information and support, building a community in the face of great challenges.\u00a0 This high-risk activism can and does result in threats and on occasion the risk of death.\u00a0 Simply being seen to support the search for the \u201cdisappeared\u201d can be enough to bring consequences from organised crime, or corrupt government and police officials.

\n\"20250313_195440\"\nFr Luis spoke powerfully of faith, hope and love. The critical connections and relationships sustaining these 2000 women searching for their loved ones, should be mirrored in our experiences of Church, \u201c relationships are the key, if you don\u2019t connect with someone, where is the reason to come back?\u201d

Oscar Romero brings an inspiration of collective action through a united community, as a \u201ca Prophet of Hope\u201d.\u00a0 Fr Luis spoke about Oscar Romero, a privileged Archbishop who could have stepped back from the atrocities he witnessed but instead was inspired to action by the community he served.\u00a0 Fr Luis described his own experiences and the inspiration he has through his faith and through being with people who had few material benefits but were determined to fight for their rights.\u00a0 He challenged us to be part of the solution, \u201cbe a witness\u201d and in doing so \u201cto encounter God, the source of our hope\u201d.

\n\"A\n\u00a0

Rev’d Jon Swales read his poem at the event echoing the key themes of the evening.\u00a0

\u00a0

Rev\u2019d Jon Swales is an ordained Priest in the Church of England and founder of Lighthouse West Yorkshire, a church community with a special focus on those struggling with addiction and mental health issues in Leeds.\u00a0 Set up in 2014, Lighthouse now supports over a hundred people with multiple and complex needs, working closely with both St George\u2019s Church and St George\u2019s Crypt.\u00a0Jon was recognised in the 2022 New Year\u2019s Honours and was awarded an MBE for services to the city, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.

\u00a0

Alongside this Jon is involved in theological education and is currently a tutor with\u00a0Leeds School of Theology,\u00a0St Hild and Niagara School of Missional Leadership.\u00a0 Jon is passionate about peace making and climate justice and seeks through prayer and activism to be a prophetic witness to the church.

\n\"image\n\"Oscar\nHope leans forward,

tender,

listening to the whispers of creation

groaning for renewal.

It does not turn its face from shadows

but gazes through them,

finding in the darkness

the first faint glimmer of dawn.

There is a holy audacity in hope\u2014

a quiet trust and boldness,

knowing the story is held

in hands not our own,

nail scarred hands that invite us

to weave and work with them

a future of beauty and grace.

Hope speaks where

fear falters,

narrating a kingdom ,

telling a story

where the scattered are gathered,

where the weary find rest &

the exile a home.

It does not retreat,

nor stumble

beneath the solemn,

world-weary weight.

It moves with sacred purpose,

a searching grace,

a steady faith.

Hope is a spring,

a foretaste,

an existential refreshing

a momentary liberation

that lifts us from despair.

Hope knows the wounds of this world,

but counters fear

with holy persistence, &

holy resistance,

declaring that there is not a hurt

he will not heal.

Hope,

a gift,

a call to action,

a quiet confidence that moves towards the pain\u2014

not alone,

but with hands outstretched,

pulling the darkness of this world

towards the light of Christ.

Hope leans forward,

Tender,

\u2018Be ready,

Greet it with a kiss.

\nAn evening of inspiration which will resonate with those attending for many weeks to come.

\nFind out more:

An article about Romero written by Rev’d Jon Swales:

https:\/\/www.cruciformjustice.com\/post\/oscar-romero-a-saint-for-a-world-on-fire<\/a><\/u>

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