Commemorating the Jesuit martyrs of El Salvador is important to honor their lives and sacrifices, to remember the country’s recent history, to inspire the ongoing struggle for justice and peace, and to uphold their legacy of service to the most vulnerable. The martyrs—six Jesuits and two women—were killed in 1989 while defending truth and human rights in the context of the civil war.
It has been almost 40 years since their assassination, and as a community we still gather annually to honor their lives and the lives of so many other martyrs who believed that a different, more just world was possible for impoverished communities crying out for social justice. We are still fortunate that, even after all this time, we continue to receive solidarity from Canada. The Loretto Sisters, to name just one example, were inspired by the Jesuit martyrs and continue to this day supporting the community of La Bermuda in Suchitoto. Solidarity endures because the underlying causes of the civil war remain present.
Historic memory is essential for us both as individuals and as a community. If we forget, we are destined to repeat the mistakes of the past. We may be thousands of miles away from the place that was once home, but we remain connected—now and for years to come—to that piece of land called El Salvador.
