The Saint Oscar Romero Scholarship Award Celebration will take place in virtual format on March 25 at 6 p.m., with School of Theology and Ministry Associate Professor Hosffman Ospino—who has led nationally recognized studies on the impact of the Hispanic Catholic presence on parishes, schools, and organizations—as keynote speaker.

Hosffman Ospino

School of Theology and Ministry Associate Professor Hosffman Ospino

Highlighting the event will be the presentation of the Romero Scholarship, named for the martyred Archbishop of San Salvador, an advocate for social justice and the impoverished who was assassinated in 1980 while celebrating Mass. The scholarship, which covers a significant portion of senior-year tuition, is given annually to a BC junior who has demonstrated superior academic achievement, extracurricular leadership, community service, and involvement with the Hispanic/Latinx community and Hispanic/Latinx issues both on and off campus.

This year’s Romero Scholarship candidates are Lazaro Alvelaez, Paula Sanchez, and Daniela Vazquez Loriga.

A native of Colombia who earned a master’s and doctoral degree from Boston College, Ospino researches the dialogue between faith and culture and the impact of this interchange upon Catholic theological education, catechesis, and ministry. He served as the principal investigator for the National Study of Catholic Parishes in the United States and co-principal investigator for the National Survey of Catholic Schools Serving Hispanic Families. Ospino also played a leadership role in the Fifth National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry.

Last year, the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada presented Ospino with a second-place Best Regular Column-General Commentary (Spanish language) Award for his Catholic News Service column, “Caminando Juntos.”  

His previous honors include the Lumen Gentium Award from the Conference on Pastoral Planning and Council Development, the Virgilio Elizondo Award from the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States, and the Catechetical Award from the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership.

To register for the Romero Scholarship Celebration, and for more about the scholarship, go to bc.edu/romero.

University Communications | March 2021