was born on August 15, 1917 in Ciudad Barrios, a town east of El Salvador. He was the second of seven children. When he was thirteen he declared a vocation to the priesthood. He went to a seminary in San Miguel and from there Rome. He was ordained in 1942. In January 1944 he was recalled to San Miguel by his bishop and was soon secretary of the diocese. This position he held for twenty-three years. In San Miguel his work flourished and his reputation grew. He established a succession of new organizations and inspired many with his sermons, ....