ISN Hosts U.S. Delegation to El Salvador Commemorating 25th Anniversary of Jesuit Martyrs and Companions

BY ISN STAFF | July 1, 2014

During the 25th anniversary year of the Jesuit Martyrs of El Salvador, forty-six U.S. delegates will travel to El Salvador from July 24, 2014 to August 1, 2014.  Participants will explore the lives of the six Jesuits and two lay women murdered at the Jesuit university in San Salvador, El Salvador on November 16, 1989, and current human rights issues facing El Salvador.   Delegates include high school teachers and administrators; university faculty, staff, and alumni; parish priests and parishioners; and collectively represent twenty-eight different Jesuit institutions.

The delegation is sponsored by the Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN) and will be coordinated in-country by Christians for Peace in El Salvador (CRISPAZ), a faith-based organization dedicated to building bridges of solidarity between communities in the U.S. and El Salvador.

Ignacio Ellacuría, S.J., Ignacio Martín-Baró, S.J., Segundo Montes, S.J., Juan Ramón Moreno, S.J., Joaquín López y López, S.J., Amando López, S.J. and their housekeeper Elba Ramos, and her 15 year-old daughter Celina Ramos were murdered by Salvadoran military in response to the UCA’s advocacy on behalf of the economically poor of El Salvador during the country’s 13-year civil war.  Subsequent investigations of the murders revealed that 19 of the 26 Salvadoran military who committed the violent acts had received training at the former U.S. Army School of the Americas, a U.S. tax-payer funded military school now known as the Western Hemisphere Institute of Security of Cooperation and located at the Fort Benning Military Base in Columbus, Georgia.

“Our time in El Salvador will serve as an opportunity for our entire network to renew it’s commitment to contemplative work for social justice grounded in faith,” said Christopher Kerr, executive director of the ISN.  Kerr continued, “I am so excited for the inspiration and energy the delegates will bring back to their communities across the U.S.”

Delegation participants will meet with a wide array of individuals while in El Salvador including community members, NGO leaders, Jesuits, etc. Reflection, opportunities for prayer, and the celebration of the Eucharist will be daily components of the experience, including a closing liturgy on the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola. During the experience, delegates will seek to develop methods for engaging their local community and the larger Ignatian network through online reflections and the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice, a national social justice conference sponsored by ISN, which will take place in Washington D.C. on November 15-17, 2014.

Delegation Participants and Affiliated Institutions:
Greg Allen (Teacher, Jesuit High School – Portland, OR)
Domingo Caratachea Torres (Parishioner, Sacred Heart Church (Richmond, VA)
Adriana Carlucci (Parishioner, Sacred Heart Church (Richmond, VA))
Kate Carter (Assistant Director, Transfer Admission, University of San Francisco)
Christine Cate (Student, Santa Clara University)
Amy Chapman (Director of Faith Formation, St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish (Chestnut Hill, MA)
Don Clarke (Campus Minister, Jesuit High School – Portland, OR)
Charles Cownie (Director, Urban Catholic Teacher Corps, Boston College)
Matthew Cuff (Policy Associate, U.S. Jesuit Conference)
Christina D’Emma (Member, Contemplative Leaders in Action)
Kaija DeWitt (Director of Campus Ministry, Xavier High School (New York, NY)
Tim Dunn (Assistant Director, Faith & Ministry, Xavier University)
Matt Fitzgibbons (Teacher, Georgetown Preparatory School)
Suzanne Gaul (Director of Donor Relations, Saint Ignatius HIgh School (Cleveland, OH)
Luke Hansen, S.J. (Associate Editor, America Magazine)
Kathleen Hart (Alumae, Creighton University)
Chris Hayes (Teacher, Boston College High School)
Rory Hennessey (Dean of Students, Saint Ignatius HIgh School (Cleveland, OH))
Bill Hobbs (Vice President, Jesuit Secondary Education Association)
Melissa Hollabaugh (Alumnae, Creighton University)
Shannon Hughes (Assistant Director for Service, Justice, & Immersion, Xavier University)
James Johnson (Associate Director of the Career Center, Loyola University Chicago)
Christopher Kerr (Executive Director, Ignatian Solidarity Network)
Brian Kokensparger (Professor of Journalism, Creighton University)
Bob Lassalle-Klein (Professor of Theology, Holy Names University)
Kate Lassalle-Klein (Student, Santa Clara University)
Alex Lavy (Teacher, Xavier High School)
Martha Lemar (Parish Council, St. John’s Catholic Church at Creighton University)
Tom Manahan, S.J. (Director of Campus Ministry, Marquette University High School)
Michael McCandless (Professor of Fine and Performing Arts, Creighton University)
Sean McGarry (Parishioner, St. John’s Catholic Church at Creighton University)
Kim Miller (Program Director, Ignatian Solidarity Network)
K.C. Mmeje (Assistant Vice President for Student Development, Loyola University Chicago)
Katherine Murphy (Teacher, Gonzaga College High School (Washington, DC)
Christopher Napolitano (Teacher, Xavier High School (New York, NY))
Echol Nix (Assistant Professor of Religion, Furman University)
William Noe, S.J. (Parochial Vicar, Sacred Heart Church (Richmond, VA)
John O’Keefe (Professor of Theology, Creighton University)
Jeff Peak (Assistant Director Center for Service and Justice, Creighton University)
William Rutt (Alumnus, Creighton University & Brophy College Preparatory)
Jamie Schombs (Librarian, Loyola School (New York, NY))
Elizabeth Sextro (Student, Loyola University Chicago)
Jocelyn Sideco (Spiritual Director, In Good Company)
Maura Toomb (Director of Campus Ministry, Saint Peter’s Preparatory (Jersey City, NJ)
Jacqueline Wyman (Alumnae, John Carroll University)

 

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The Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN) is a national social justice network inspired by the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola. ISN was founded in 2004 and is a lay-led 501(c)(3) organization working in partnership with Catholic universities, high schools, and parishes sponsored by the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) along with many other Catholic institutions and social justice partners.  More information can be found at: www.www.ignatiansolidarity.net