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Rutilio Grande, S.J.

YouTube Script for: Rutilio Grande, SJ: Una Vida Consagrada al Cambio 2007
12:39 min

RG pastoral work marked a beginning and an end in the pastoral life of the Church
even before the documents of Vatican II and Medellin. The Chruch kept itself

To be good administrators of the sacraments , live in the parishescelebrate

Eucharist, baptize and confessand little interest in attending to the human needs
of the people.

Before with the priests we couldnt even take their hands..

The documents became for Rutilio his banner for bringing about change -- social,
economic, political in the communities where he developed his pastoral work

Dona Lola knew Rutilio when he was 4 after marrying Flavio, Rutilios older brother.
He would play with the children ringing the bell, putting something over his
shoulder to resemble what the priest wore. The other children wold receiver
Communion from himhe would use the seed of a tree that resembled the shape of
the host and that he would give to

R was the youngest of six brothershis father Salvador and mother Cristina both
natives of El Paisnal a place surrounded by cane he doesnt grow-up with both
mother and fatherbut raised by his grandmothera problem that is very
Salvadorenoto that we add a fragile physical health. There we have a life that is
fragile and crisis of faith and formationreligiosity.

When he is 12 he leaves El Paisnal to begin his priestly formation thanks to the

support of Archbishop Chavez y Gonzales. At the seminary, San Jose de La Montana
he later decides to enter the Jesuits who directed the seminary.

But from the pulpit he was a man with many difficulties and problemsmany times
during the day, he would ask pardon of others..he was self- enclosed evem within
the community but tense, with problems. But this man when given the word, with
big or small groups , he spoke with tremendous powervery much like Romero.
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His formation took him to Venezuela., Ecuador, panana, Belgium,s painin all these
yrs. He suffers many depression bouts but they are also moments of growth

In his religiosity, he suffers from severe scrupulosityliving a faith that is not full
to his manner.

--While he completes his study in Belgium., he comes with the understanding of the
II Vatin the face of new life realitieshe returns to El Salvador with a new vision
and many questions of the Church in the midst of these new realitieshe begins a
new approach to seminary formation.

He opens the door to the seminarians so that they can have direct contact with the
people...to help with the parishes, trying to respond to 2 purposes, to live with the
people in their reality and to help a bit

In his work as a professor and as the dean of discipline in the seminary, he comes
into contact with Monsenor Romero. Romero had been transferred to the seminary
from San Miguel to El Saland as bishophe comes without having resources,
money or a place that would accommodate his living styleRutilio asked the Jesuit
community to allow Romero to live with them.

Romero recommends that Rutilio be the MC and the person in charge of organizing
his episcopal ceremony as Aux. Bishop and later as Archbishop

Rutilio became his great confidant while he was in the seminarynot the Jesuits
even the older ones.

While Rutilio and his contemporaries espoused the II Vatican Council

a great part of the conservative Church resisted the changes.

Rutilio on the other hand was committed to transformative societal change and a
priesthood that was at the service of the people, a people who suffered injustice,
misery and exploitation

In the face of this situation, Rutilio thought it necessary that the priest begin work in
the communities. This began a newthis required a completely innovative
approach even for the Jesuits who had already been almost inclusively involved with
education

The opportunity to exclusively work in the pastoral realm was given to him by
Archbishop Chavez and Gonzalez who informs Rutilio that the parish of Aguilares
has been left without a pastor. And he needs him there

To land in Aguilares meant to study the area with all the documents possible, to
decide when to arrive etc
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This led Rutilio to have a week-long retreat at the Jesuit residence in Santa Tecla, El
Salvador. Here they would develop a pastoral plan

During an entire week they held intense meetings of assesoria and rural work with a
strategic location, poor campesinos very catholic and poor

We had undertaken an experience which was totally new..but at the same time in
theory we had previously prepared priest to work in these communities ..that which
we had prepared, we were now going to work there in all simplicity as pastorsamd
we are going to a parish as a team to reproduce something that could later be
duplicated in El Salvador and in rural areas

Fr. Carranza was part of the team who along with Rutilio developed and carried out
the pastoral work that was done in Aguilares and El Paisnal.

The work was carried out using the method known as ACTION and REFLECTION and
referred to as as SEE, Judge and ACTto transform the reality

A group of evangelizers who want to give a bible course so that you can know the
bible and that you can understand when you come to Mass

THE JESUIT TEAM LED BY RUTILIO ARRIVED TO AGUILARES ON THE 24 OF

SEPTEMBER of 1972

He would say that the campesinos had to be happy, come to the prayer of our
Fatherin the masses, sermonsListen my brothers, come to the things of God
because he is waiting for you. Because a time of great tribulation will be cominga
tremendous one and we do not know how we will emerge from it

In the measure that the work of Rutilio advanced in the small surrounding cantones,
caseriasthe political, economic and social conditions worsened.

The electoral frauds

The violence and oppression was felt even more

This violence reached Fr. Rutilio

the 12th of March of 1977 he was on his way to say Mass on the road that led to his
hometown of El Paisnal

there he was riddled with bullets

along with Manuel Solorzano and Nelson Rutilio

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the people felt this tragedy and it had to feel it immensely..because he was a
charitable man

He was a man that made you feel con confianza, he communicated happyiness --
but also his on-going preoccupation to make the kingdom of God present among the
peopleand I think that he felt that working to make the kingdom of God present
was to do so through the works of Mercy

With Rutilio the list of murdered priests began

Among them the young priests who had been his students in the seminary

(tomb of Rutilio)

A few short feet from where Rutilio was baptized rests his remains..

A priest who brought about changes in his country and in the church

IN CHRISTIANITY ONE MUST BE DISPOSED TO GIVE ONES LIFE IN SERVICE OF A JUST

ORDER, TO SAVE OTHERS FOR THE SAKE OF THE GOSPEL. (words of Rutilio)

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