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The Song of the Poor: And other stories from El Salvador
Tommy Greenan was a young Scottish priest who chose to live and work among the poorest of the poor in civil war-torn El Salvador in the 1980s and early 1990s, shortly after the altar assassination of Archbishop Óscar Romero, whose ministry to the victims of state repression had greatly inspired him.
Tommy shared the poverty, fears and grief of the communities in which he lived. Death was an everyday reality, and priests who sided with the poor were considered subversives, enemies of the regime. Amid the danger and his pastoral duties, he wrote hundreds of reflections, stories and meditations that gave true witness to the daily life of his friends and neighbours. Together they represent a passionate voice for the voiceless, a memorial to short lives that would otherwise have been unknown and unseen.
Following Tommy’s death, The Song of the Poor collects an exceptional selection of his writings from El Salvador, presented in beautiful, often shattering, short chapters. They are intense and moving, yet often humorous, ranging from colourful human encounters to profound meditations on personal, political and religious matters. They provide an unforgettable chronicle of the life of the poor and of a remarkable individual in a time of conflict and terror.
Tommy shared the poverty, fears and grief of the communities in which he lived. Death was an everyday reality, and priests who sided with the poor were considered subversives, enemies of the regime. Amid the danger and his pastoral duties, he wrote hundreds of reflections, stories and meditations that gave true witness to the daily life of his friends and neighbours. Together they represent a passionate voice for the voiceless, a memorial to short lives that would otherwise have been unknown and unseen.
Following Tommy’s death, The Song of the Poor collects an exceptional selection of his writings from El Salvador, presented in beautiful, often shattering, short chapters. They are intense and moving, yet often humorous, ranging from colourful human encounters to profound meditations on personal, political and religious matters. They provide an unforgettable chronicle of the life of the poor and of a remarkable individual in a time of conflict and terror.
227 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 30, 2024
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January 23, 2026
A dark, macabre book consisting of the memoirs, poems and reflections of a Catholic priest ministering to the people of El Salvador during the brutal government oppression of the people, backed by the USA. It is full to the brim with human suffering, disease, massacres, oppression and inequality. Think of Silence by Shusaku Endo merged with The Motorcycle Diaries by Che Guevara.
However there are key differences between this book and your typical Christian book, especially Silence by Endo. This priest, Tommy Greenan does not simply bear witness to the suffering of the people and reflect on his faith as a result. He espouses and lives a radical theology, in which his Christian faith mandates that he advocates for the poor and oppressed, feeds the hungry, helps the needy, speaks truth to power, challenges corrupt authority, sees Christ in the poor and oppressed and so much more. He denies tht ptimacy of charity, the need for no violence and church collusion with power and authority. He demand justice for the people of El Salvador and risks his life each day in ministering to them and advocating for them.
He is also deeply self aware and does not come across as a White Saviour, often reflecting on his own privilege, the inefficacy of charity as opposed to fighting for justice, the difference between him as someone from the first world and those he ministets to, and his own personal failings and shortcomings - as well as those of the Church hierarchy. Evil for him is not amorphous or simply an absence of goodness or God. It is a product of imperialism, greed, corruption and so on.
Highly recommended for those who care about social justice, El Salvador, Liberation theology. Recommended also for those who tire of Christianity beholden to wealth, Capitalism, traditionalist views and indifference to injustice - ironically much of what Christ spoke out against.
However there are key differences between this book and your typical Christian book, especially Silence by Endo. This priest, Tommy Greenan does not simply bear witness to the suffering of the people and reflect on his faith as a result. He espouses and lives a radical theology, in which his Christian faith mandates that he advocates for the poor and oppressed, feeds the hungry, helps the needy, speaks truth to power, challenges corrupt authority, sees Christ in the poor and oppressed and so much more. He denies tht ptimacy of charity, the need for no violence and church collusion with power and authority. He demand justice for the people of El Salvador and risks his life each day in ministering to them and advocating for them.
He is also deeply self aware and does not come across as a White Saviour, often reflecting on his own privilege, the inefficacy of charity as opposed to fighting for justice, the difference between him as someone from the first world and those he ministets to, and his own personal failings and shortcomings - as well as those of the Church hierarchy. Evil for him is not amorphous or simply an absence of goodness or God. It is a product of imperialism, greed, corruption and so on.
Highly recommended for those who care about social justice, El Salvador, Liberation theology. Recommended also for those who tire of Christianity beholden to wealth, Capitalism, traditionalist views and indifference to injustice - ironically much of what Christ spoke out against.
Displaying 1 of 1 review