GUATEMALA
Father Lorenzo ROSEBAUGH, a Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate, was born in Appleton, Wisconsin, on May 16, 1935. In an attempted robbery, a bullet ended Lorenzo’s life on May 18, 2009.
From a young age, he showed a deep religious and missionary vocation, taking his first religious vows in 1958 and being ordained a priest in 1963. Throughout his life, Lorenzo tirelessly dedicated himself to serving the poor and the most abandoned, both in Latin America and in the United States.
Lorenzo ROSEBAUGH
In the mid-70s, Lorenzo traveled to Brazil, where he worked with the homeless and was arrested again for his social work. Thanks to the intervention of prominent figures, he was released. In the 80s, he returned to the U.S. and participated in protests against the “School of the Americas.” In the U.S., Lorenzo became involved in human rights movements, even participating in protests that landed him in jail. Infiltrating a federal office office to burn draft files for the Vietnam War cost him almost two years in prison.
Later, he moved to El Salvador during the civil war, working with displaced communities affected by the conflict.
After a little while in Cuauhtemoc, Chihuaha, México, Lorenzo joined the Oblates in Guatemala in 1993. There, he worked mostly in the northern region of Ixcán, Quiché, dedicating himself to visiting villages and offering pastoral support to rural communities. Despite the challenges, his missionary zeal never waned.
Lorenzo returned to the U.S. in 2001 to care for his sick mother and write his memoirs. In 2005, he went back to Guatemala, this time to the outskirts of the city, continuing his work with those in need, including visiting those in hospitals and prisons.
On May 18, 2009, Lorenzo was killed while traveling to Ixcán. Although the exact circumstances of his death remain unclear, his life and work left a deep impact on the communities he served. His dedication to justice, peace, and the care of the poor is a legacy that continues to inspire the Oblates and everyone who knew him.
