On the occasion of the 21th anniversary of the martyrdom of a group of Jesuits during the civil war in El Salvador, Georgetown University hosted the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice. Angela Senander reports on the event, which featured delegations from Jesuit high schools, colleges, universities, and parishes and guest speakers including Sister Helen Prejean.
Jesuits at the University of Central America (UCA) in San Salvador led the university in making a preferential option for the poor. As companions of Jesus, they worked to promote peace in the context of civil war in El Salvador. Like Archbishop Oscar Romero and the four U.S. churchwomen before them, they were assassinated by individuals trained at the School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Georgia. For a decade, the Ignatian Family Teach-in for Justice accompanied the protest in front of Fort Benning marking the anniversary of the UCA martyrs. For the twenty-first anniversary, the public action and location changed. The public action changed from protest to advocacy, and the location changed from Columbus, Georgia to Georgetown University.
Delegations from Jesuit high schools, colleges, universities, and parishes gathered to remember and celebrate the Salvadoran martyrs. The witness of the Jesuits and U.S. churchwomen in El Salvador invited a deepened commitment to "a faith that does justice." This commitment fosters a spirit of global solidarity that was reflected both in prayer and in the wide range of topics for breakout sessions.
During plenary sessions, Sister Diana Ortiz, OSU advocated speaking truth to power in defense of human rights. Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ shared her faith-based journey of solidarity with prisoners on death row. Catholic Relief Services provided advocacy training. Participants prepared to give witness to a faith that does justice through advocacy for immigrants, the environment and nonviolence. On the twenty-first anniversary of the UCA martyrs, they witnessed to a faith that does justice before their representatives on Capitol Hill.
Delegations from Jesuit high schools, colleges, universities, and parishes gathered to remember and celebrate the Salvadoran martyrs. The witness of the Jesuits and U.S. churchwomen in El Salvador invited a deepened commitment to "a faith that does justice." This commitment fosters a spirit of global solidarity that was reflected both in prayer and in the wide range of topics for breakout sessions.
During plenary sessions, Sister Diana Ortiz, OSU advocated speaking truth to power in defense of human rights. Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ shared her faith-based journey of solidarity with prisoners on death row. Catholic Relief Services provided advocacy training. Participants prepared to give witness to a faith that does justice through advocacy for immigrants, the environment and nonviolence. On the twenty-first anniversary of the UCA martyrs, they witnessed to a faith that does justice before their representatives on Capitol Hill.
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