Rep. Jim McGovern & Honduran Jesuit Organization to Receive Award in Honor of Jesuit Martyrs of El Salvador

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | en español

CONTACT:
Christopher Kerr | 216-397-2088 | [email protected]

mcgovernWASHINGTON D.C. – Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-2) will receive a “Legacy of the Martyrs” Award from the Ignatian Solidarity Network on November 13 in honor of his ongoing commitment to advocating for human rights oriented U.S. policy in El Salvador and across the globe.

McGovern played a key role as an assistant to the late Congressman Joseph Moakley in the U.S. Congressional investigation into the murders of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper, and her daughter on November 16, 1989 in El Salvador. Following his election in 1997 to the U.S. House he became vocal advocate for human rights oriented policies in Central America and around the world. In 2009, McGovern introduced a U.S. House Resolution honoring the Jesuit martyrs and their companions on the 20th anniversary of their deaths. He has also sponsored numerous bills to cut funding or close the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (formerly known as the U.S. Army School of the Americas) where a number of Salvadoran soldiers and officers responsible for the Jesuits’ murders received US taxpayer funded training leading up to 1989.

The Congressman will depart on November 14 for El Salvador to join a U.S. delegation of Jesuit university presidents and others taking part in the 25th anniversary ceremonies for the Jesuit martyrs in San Salvador. McGovern has been recognized with honorary degrees from the Jesuit’s University of Central America in El Salvador as well as a number of U.S. Jesuit universities.

The Ignatian Solidarity Network is a direct product of the martyrs’ legacy. The deaths of 70,000 innocent individuals over the course of El Salvador’s 12-year civil war, many killed by Salvadoran soldiers who received U.S. military training at the former U.S. Army School of the Americas, gave ISN founders like Robert Holstein and Fr. Charlie Currie, S.J., the impetus to invite the Jesuit network to be part of working to bring attention to U.S. involvement in Central America.

From 1996 to 2009, the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice took place in conjunction with SOAWatch’s vigil at the gates of Ft. Benning, the location of the former School of the Americas before it was renamed in 2001.  Congressman McGovern spoke at the Teach-In in 2005. While the Teach-In moved to Washington, D.C., in 2010, the legacy of the martyrs remains at the core of ISN’s social justice education and advocacy efforts.

radio-ericAlso being recognized at the November 13 event are Equipo de Reflexión, Investigación y Comunicación (ERIC) and Radio Progreso, Jesuit sponsored NGO’s in Honduras whose work encompasses grassroots radio programming; training on human rights, community organizing, and empowerment; and the formation of leadership committed to social change; and aiding migrant families.

The award will be accepted on behalf of ERIC and Radio Progeso by Fr. Ismael Moreno Coto, S.J., the director of both programs.  Popularly known as Padre Melo, Fr. Moreno is a Jesuit priest and human rights activist in his native Honduras. Fr. Moreno has also previously testified before the U.S. Congress at the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission regarding the human rights situation in Honduras and the fear he, his staff, and other journalists experience.

The awards are part of ISN’s year-long commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Jesuits’ deaths, which kicked off with a delegation to El Salvador comprised of Jesuit institution representatives from across the U.S.  “The 25th anniversary year is a tremendous opportunity to recognize the commitment of Congressman McGovern and ERIC/Radio Progresso to human rights in El Salvador and Honduras respectively,” said Christopher Kerr, ISN executive director.  Kerr continued, “The continued work of these honorees highlights the legacy of the Jesuit martyrs, inspiring us all to work for a more peaceful and just world.”

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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 Jesuit universities, high schools, and parishes, along with many other Catholic institutions and social justice partners.

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  1. […] efforts were recognized by the Ignatian Solidarity Network in 2014, when they were honored with the “Legacy of the Martyrs Award” in conjunction with a keynote address by Fr. Ismael Moreno Coto, S.J., director of both ministries, […]

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