Catholic Mobilizing Network to Receive Legacy of the Martyrs Award

BY ISN STAFF | March 28, 2023

The Ignatian Solidarity Network is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023 Legacy of the Martyrs Award—Catholic Mobilizing Network (CMN). The organization will be honored at ISN’s annual award event, Ignite: A Celebration of Justice, to be held this year on May 10, 2023 at Xavier High School in New York City. 

Catholic Mobilizing Network is a national organization that mobilizes Catholics and all people of goodwill to value life over death, to end the use of the death penalty, to transform the U.S. criminal justice system from punitive to restorative, and to build capacity in U.S. society to engage in restorative practices. Through education, advocacy, and prayer, and based on the Gospel value that every human is created in the image and likeness of God, CMN expresses the fundamental belief that all those who have caused or been impacted by crime should be treated with dignity. CMN works in close collaboration with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and is a founding member of the Congregation of St. Joseph Mission Network.

On November 16, 1989, 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., their housekeeper Elba Ramo,s and her 15-year-old daughter, Celina Ramos, were murdered at the University of Central America in San Salvador, El Salvador. 

The legacy of the Jesuit martyrs significantly influenced the Catholic Church and the Jesuit community around the world. Across the Ignatian network of Jesuits and lay collaborators, new ways of working for justice, grounded in Christian faith, have developed over the course of the decade since the Jesuits and their companions were killed. The Ignatian Solidarity Network is a direct product of the martyrs’ legacy.

In 2014, ISN established the Legacy of the Martyrs Awards to mark the 25th anniversary of the Jesuits’ deaths. The award is bestowed on individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to sustaining the witness and legacy of the Jesuit martyrs and their companions. 

“The work of the Catholic Mobilizing Network upholds the legacy of the Jesuit martyrs’ commitment to justice and to the dignity of all people, witnessed in their work to end the death penalty and to build structures and societies that embrace restorative practices,” said Christopher Kerr, executive director of the Ignatian Solidarity Network. 

Previous recipients of the Legacy of the Martyrs Award include the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor at Georgetown University, PICO California, the Center for Undocumented Students at Saint Peter’s University, Kevin & Trena Yonkers-Talz and Casa de la Solidaridad, Kino Border Initiative, Rep. Jim McGovern, and ERIC and Radio Progresso. 

Two additional awards will be presented at the event—the Robert M. Holstein Faith Doing Justice Award, to be presented to Jack Raslowsky and Ellie Hidalgo—and the Moira Erin O’Donnell Emerging Leaders for Justice Award—this year honoring Michael Libunao-Macalintal, M.Div. (Fordham University ‘15) and Teresa Marie Cariño Petersen, MTS (University of San Francisco ‘13). 

Interested in honoring Catholic Mobilizing Network as an Ignite event sponsor, with a program advertisement, or by attending the May 10 event in NYC? Visit the Ignite: A Celebration of Justice page, or contact Kelly Swan, director of advancement, at [email protected] or 216-200-4259.