Remembering the Jesuit Priests and the Housekeepers Murdered Thirty Years Ago

On this day, in 1989, members of the army of El Salvador murdered six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper, and her daughter.  I remember hearing about the murders and hearing outrage from a variety of quarters.  I remember thinking about all the people who had been murdered during the civil war in El Salvador, and there hadn't been the outpouring of grief and outrage.

Those murders are now thought of as a turning point in the civil war.  The grief and outrage (and realistically, the weariness from years of war and carnage) helped bring the civil war to an end.  The cold war between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. had changed too, which probably helped bring an end to the civil war.  Ronald Reagan was no longer president, and the subsequent presidencies were not as worried about waves of communists invading the U.S. from the south.

When I heard of the murders, that war seemed endless, as did much of the fighting throughout Latin America.  These weren't the first priests to be murdered, and I assumed that there would be more.  But by 1992, there was a cease fire and a peace treaty.

In these days when evil forces can seem to be on the move and taking charge, it's good to remember that we may be at a turning point, even if we don't see it yet.

On this day when we remember these murders, let us also stop to appreciate all of the martyrs who have done such important work.  Let us hope for a day when that kind of sacrifice will not be required.

Let us say their names as we pray for peace:  Ignacio Ellacuría, Segundo Montes, Ignacio Martín-Baró, Joaquín López y López, Juan Ramón Moreno, Amando López, Elba Ramos, and Celia Marisela Ramos.