Jesuit Journeys
Fall 2005
Faith and Justice:
Honoring The Martyrs, The Ignatian Family Teach-In and the Ignatian Solidarity Network We live in messy times,
times in which we worship the
Prince of Peace as part of our
triune God, yet find ourselves simultaneously attracted to the perceived
expedience of aggression as a pathway to harmony. Our hearts tell us to
support our troops even if we question the wisdom of war. There are too
few answers to too many questions and ever fewer clear-cut solutions.
Yet out of this messy and
often contradictory world,
the legacy of eight martyrs
has become a beacon for
human understanding and the
promotion of faith and justice.
Six of the dead were Jesuits:
Ignacio Ellacuria, SJ, Ignacio
Martin-Baro, SJ, Segundo
Montes, SJ, Amando Lopez, SJ,
Juan Ramon Moreno, SJ, and Joaquin Lopez y Lopez, SJ.
They were murdered Nov. 16, 1989 at their University of
Central America residence in San Salvador along with
Elba Ramos and her daughter Celina, two women who
worked with them.
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A large white tent has become the symbol for the annual Ignatian Family Teach-In.
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Their memory endures as inspiration for an event that
annually helps a growing number of Jesuit-affiliated high
schools, colleges, universities, parishes, retreat centers,
independent organizations, Jesuits, and lay individuals
across the nation to more deeply explore what it means
to be men and women for others. What began as a simple
protest years ago is now an annual gathering organized
by the Ignatian Solidarity Network and called the
Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice.
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| A large crowd gathers for Liturgy under the Teach-In’s white tent. |
The teach-in serves both to honor the Jesuits and
other martyrs in El Salvador and to call attention to
human rights concerns in the region, and is a powerful
experience, especially for high school and college
students, who connect with their faith through education,
liturgy, and a call for justice. The teach-in regularly draws
an expanding, diverse group of pilgrims. The original
march to the gates of Georgia's Fort Benning, which
houses the center that
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| Rick Ralphson, SJ places a cross bearing the name of a victim
of violence in Central America at the gates of Fort Benning. |
trained the Salvadoran forces
responsible for the
death of the
eight martyrs, is but one facet of
an event to encourage greater
peace, justice, and respect for
life. Characterized by a humble
beginning, this year marks the
10th teach-in gathering.
"I think we can say that
November 1996 was the
first gathering of the
Ignatian Family Teach-In," says Bill Masterson,
network board chair. "We met in a hotel that
year and had a memorable liturgy. Today the
teach-in is primarily about many justicerelated
issues, not just [a protest against
the training center.] We are there that
weekend in connection with the
anniversary of the martyrdom of
the Jesuits and their companions
in El Salvador."
The accounts and
personal reflections
that follow help tell
this evolving
story.
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