Jesuit priest Rutilio Grande of El Salvador was beatified on Saturday, 22 January, in San Salvador along with his lay companions, Manuel Solórzano, a sacristan in his 70s, and Nelson Rutilio Lemus, a boy in his teens. Franciscan Father Cosme Spessotto was also be beatified. All were victims of murder at the hands of death squads during years of terror in El Salvador and were martyrs for faith and justice. Fr Grande, Manuel, and Nelson died on 12 March 1977 after being shot by gunmen acting for the then government.
In his letter to the whole Society of Jesus, Fr General Arturo Sosa SJ highlighted the faith of Fr Grande and his lay companions who died with him. Their faith gave meaning to their lives, and they bore witness to it by the ultimate sacrifice of their life.
“As the Society of Jesus, we give thanks to God for the gift of life of these three men. We unite ourselves through them with the faith of the people of El Salvador and with their efforts to promote the changes needed to make possible a just society with a worthy place for everyone,” said Fr General Sosa.
Born to a poor family in the small town of El Paisnal on 5 January 1928, Fr Grande entered the minor seminary of San Salvador in January 1941. There he discovered his call to join the Society of Jesus and in 1945 entered the novitiate at Los Chorros, near Caracas, Venezuela. He was ordained on 31 July 1959 in Oña, Spain. After Tertianship in Córdoba, he did pastoral studies at the Lumen Vitae Institute in Brussels, Belgium, where he professed his Final Vows as a Jesuit on 15 August 1964.
Fr Grande served as Prefect and Professor of Catechesis, Pastoral Work, and Civic Formation at the San José de la Montaña Seminary in San Salvador from 1965 to 1970. In 1972, he was sent to the parish of “El Señor de las Misericordias” in Aguilares. His way of life, teaching, and pastoral practice were imbued with the spirit of pastoral care for the poor that was emphasised by the Conference of Latin American Bishops during their assembly in 1968 in Medellin, Colombia. The conference adapted the teachings of the Second Vatican Council towards the needs of the Latin American church, and Fr Grande followed that direction. He encouraged the local people to fight for land reform and justice, and he publicly spoke against their oppression.
On 12 March 1977, while driving from Aguilares to El Paisnal, Fr Grande with 15-year-old Nelson and 72-year-old Manuel were shot multiple times in the car killing them instantly. Fr Grande would be the first priest killed in the civil war in El Salvador. His murder had an enormous impact on then Archbishop of San Salvador, St Óscar Romero, who became increasingly outspoken about the war and who himself was eventually murdered.
Fr Cosme Spessotto had denounced the murder of Fr Grande and his two companions, as well as the assassination of Archbishop Romero. He was an Italian missionary who had lived in El Salvador for almost 30 years. He was shot point-blank in the head while preparing for Mass on 14 June 1980.
The beatification of Fr Grande, Manuel, Nelson, and Fr Spessotto is a step before sainthood. In order to be canonized, a miracle would have to be attributed to their intercession. Below is a Prayer for the intercession of Rutilio Grande.
O God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, you instilled in your servant Father Rutilio Grande SJ, love for your Word, for the Eucharist and for the evangelizing mission of the Church among the poor.
You granted him the gift of uniting himself to the passion of your son Jesus Christ, through a martyr’s death, together with his companions Manuel and Nelson, when they were on their way to celebrate the holy sacrifice of the Mass.
We thank you for the example and life of Rutilio alongside his companions Manuel and Nelson. Grant through their intercession the favor I now ask of you… (here you can make a petition).
Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary and Gloria…
The beatification ceremony was streamed live on YouTube on 22 January at 5 pm El Salvador time. It was performed by Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chávez. Fr Pascual Cebollada SJ, Postulator of the Cause, represented Fr General Sosa at the ceremony.
Watch Fr General Arturo Sosa’s message for the beatification of Fr Rutilio Grande and companions.
This article was updated on 23 January 2022.