On Nov. 16, 1989, six Jesuit priests and two lay women were assassinated on the campus of the University of Central America in San Salvador, El Salvador. Every year, Jesuit schools around the world commemorate their tragic deaths and celebrate the lives of the martyrs.
We remember these Jesuits as martyrs because of their commitment to stand in solidarity with those who were suffering during the Salvadoran civil war. Each of the Jesuits was offered the opportunity to leave the country and go into exile until the violence subsided. Instead, they all chose to stay. The two women remind us of the many who worked with the Jesuits and lost their lives because of it. They can also remind us of the many anonymous martyrs during this period. We commemorate these events as a way of remembering the importance of standing in solidarity with the majority in Central America who are still suffering due to repression, economic disparity, lack of housing, adequate shelter, and access to food and clean water sources. And let our Jesuit University in El Salvador, the UCA, know that we remember them, especially now, and that we are ready to respond in support if needed again.
There will be a display of their portraits by the Chapel of the Holy Family in the Alumni Memorial Union from Friday, Nov. 15, through Friday, Nov. 22. Further, on Wednesday, Nov. 20, there will be a Soup with Substance program at noon in the Lunda Room in the AMU offering a historical and theological perspective on the UCA martyrs.
Ignacio Ellacuría, Segundo Montes, Ignacio Martín-Baró, Amando Lopez, Juan Ramón Moreno, Joaquín López y López, Elba and Celina Ramos, pray for us!
