Last night Father Stephen Privett and about fifty students commemorated for this event in our beautiful chapel.
MEMORIAL MASS FOR THE MARTYRS OF EL SALVADOR
St. Ignatius Church, 9 pm
Mass to commemorate the deaths of the six Salvadoran Jesuit martyrs, their housekeeper and her daughter. Followed by procession to the top of the Lone Mountain stairs for a brief candlelight vigil in their honor.
It was the first Mass I had been to on campus and we led a procession with pictures and crosses with the murdered names on them up to the top of Lone Mountain, our upper campus, and had lit candles to remember and celebrate their lives, not those of the killers but those who sacrificed themselves. Father Privett blessed those of us going to the School of the Americas protests this week in Atlanta Georgia and wished us well.
It was very powerful because I have a close connection to two of the people killed after Jesuit Oscar Romero called for human rights help and support in El Salvador during the 1980s 12 year civil war. Ignacio Martin-Baro was killed for his good work helping the people which was seen as being against the corrupt government in place. I am the RA for the living learning community Martin-Baro Scholars named in honor of him and we focus on education about poverty and social justice in San Francisco. Then also one of the American Maryknoll sisters Maura Clark who founded the organization in Ciudad Sandino, Nicaragua where I worked for three months, working to end injustices. These connections are very powerful and motivating for me even though I don't consider myself religious.
All I can say is how excited I am to go to Georgia!
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