Thirteen years ago this week Archbishop Oscar...

Thirteen years ago this week Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero was killed as he was offering Mass in a small hospital in San Salvador.

Since then, the beloved Romero--who had been one of the most outspoken and respected figures in strife-torn El Salvador--has had many Central American organizations and institutions named for him. On Sunday, the Clinica Msr. Oscar A. Romero near downtown Los Angeles will hold an interfaith service at a church to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its founding. The service also will commemorate the assassination of its namesake, who worked for peace and defended the poor and oppressed.

“Everyone thinks of Msgr. Romero as a saint,” said John Montejano, a third-year theology student at St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo and a priest-in-training at St. Thomas the Apostle Church who is coordinating the interfaith service. “He is an embodiment of the Salvadoran spirit and community. He was, in a sense, the shepherd and the pastor of that nation.”

It was natural, Montejano said, that when the Southern California Ecumenical Council’s task force on Central America founded the clinic, it was named after Romero.

The clinic, founded by Salvadoran doctors and members of the ecumenical religious community, provides free health care to about 500,000 Central-American refugees, Mexican immigrants and other indigent people. Primary care for adults and children, as well as specialized gynecological, psychological and nutritional help, is available. It is one of the few free clinics that offers adult dental care. An adjunct program consists of health education programs on AIDS, smoking and breast self-examination.

More than 100 physicians, nurses, dentists and support staff from the United States and Latin America volunteer their services. Since its inception, the clinic has served more than 40,000 patients, 40% of them children.

Today the clinic is funded by contributions from the public and religious organizations, foundation and corporate grants, contracts with the state of California, the city and county of Los Angeles and by donations from the patients.

Participating with Montejano in the anniversary service will be Rabbi Jane Litman of Congregation Kol Simcha in Laguna Beach and the Revs. Philip J. Lance, pastor of Pueblo Nuevo, an inner-city Episcopal mission; Linnea J. Pearson, senior minister of First Unitarian Church in Los Angeles; Carlos Paiva, pastor of Angelica Lutheran Church in Los Angeles, and Carlos Escorcia, pastor of Congregacion Unitaria Universalista Msgr. Oscar Arnulfo Romero in Los Angeles.

The service will be held at First Unitarian Church. A tardeada (afternoon party) will follow with music, dancing and refreshments.

Clinic board member and treasurer Isabel Cardenas said she does not expect the party’s $5 admission charge to raise this year’s fund-raising goal of $100,000. “This is just the first event of the year,” she said.

Spirits are high--especially Montejano’s. “The Vatican is opening the case of Msgr. Romero for beatification,” he said. “He was a real father of the Salvadoran people, and through the shedding of his blood, seeds of hope were planted for the resurrection of his people.”

The Clinica Msr. Oscar A. Romero is at 2675 W. Olympic Blvd. The phone number is (213) 389-0288. The interfaith service and afternoon celebration begin at 1 p.m. Sunday at 2936 W. 8th St. (213) 389-1356.

DATES

The Muslim Public Affairs Council presents an American Muslim Town Meeting from 7-9 p.m on Friday, April 23. Topics include “How Do We React to the Rise of Hate Crimes and Intolerance Toward Muslims?” 111 N. Hope St., Los Angeles. (213) 383-3443.

The fifth annual Los Angeles Black Business Expo will present its economic developer award to 10 local clergymen at their churches this Sunday for supporting entrepreneurship in the African-American community. The public is invited to attend. Recipients are the Revs. Kenneth Ulmer, Faithful Central Baptist Church; Daniel Pinkard, Grant African Methodist Episcopal Church; Carl Washington, St. Mark Baptist Church; Kenneth Flowers, Messiah Baptist Church; Lonnie Dawson, Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church; Cecil Murray, First African Methodist Episcopal Church; William Epps, Second Baptist Church; William Johnson, Curry Temple Christian Methodist Episcopal Church; Edward Turner, Tower of Love Ministries, and Bishop Charles Blake, West Angeles Church of God in Christ. For information about the services or the Expo, which will be held April 3-4 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, phone (213) 660-5685.

In a 12-part UCLA Extension course, “Jesus of Nazareth in Historical Research,” instructor Rick Talbott will examine the latest historic research on Jesus. Arab anthropologist Fadwa El Guindi teaches “Cultures of the Middle East,” which explores the birthplace of Judaism, Christianity and Islam and the peoples and nations in the region. Through lectures and films, he discusses such topics as identity, gender, relations between the sexes, family, politics and religion. Both classes meet Thursdays, April 8 through June 24, from 7-10 p.m., and may be taken for credit. For registration information, phone (310) 206-8456.

“The Good News: Is There Any Left?” is a Lenten Day of Reflection sponsored by St. Bede’s Episcopal Church in Mar Vista from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, April 3. The Rev. William Countryman, author of “Dirt, Greed, and Sex” and “The Good News of Jesus” and professor of New Testament at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, will speak. Bring a bag lunch. Donations accepted. 3950 Grand View Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 391-5522.

Metropolitan Community Church of Los Angeles, a primarily lesbian and gay church open to all people, will hold its Taize Festival from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, April 18. Named for the simple, peaceful worship style developed by an ecumenical community in the village of Taize, France, in the 1940s, the festival features music, and meditative worship from 6 to 7 p.m. The Rev. Malcolm Boyd, author of 23 books including “Are You Running With Me, Jesus?”, is guest speaker. Admission is free. 5879 Washington Blvd., Culver City. (213) 464-4100 or (213) 930-1600.

BRIEFLY

The Rev. Msgr. Kieran J. Marum, pastor emeritus of St. Finbar Catholic Church in Burbank, celebrates the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood at a Mass in the church at 5 p.m. Sunday. Cardinal Roger M. Mahony will preside as the golden jubilee Mass of thanksgiving is offered . . . Kirk O’The Valley Presbyterian Church unveils a 10-foot-high sculpture by Robert Bassler, “Celtic Cross,” in its Meditation Garden at 10 a.m. Sunday.

As of this month, more than $155,000 has been sent to Tijuana Bishop Emilio Berlie Belaunzaran from Roman Catholics in the Los Angeles Archdiocese to aid victims of this year’s floods . . . Los Feliz United Methodist Church announces the appointment of its new English-language pastor, the Rev. Ralph R. Barlow.

Send notices to: Southern California File, c/o Religion Editor, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, Calif., 90053. Fax: (213) 237-4712. Items should be brief and arrive at least three weeks before the event. The date, time and address of events and a phone number must be included.