The Jesuit Martyrs Of El Salvador

A haunting, prophetic collection of writings by the six Jesuit priests of the Central American University massacred by Salvadoran soldiers in November, 1989. In a moving memoir Jon Sobrino recalls years of work with each of the priests and celebrates the ideals they embodied.

Lucia Cerna's firsthand account of the Jesuit martyrdoms in 1989 (where she was a housekeeper at the Jesuit residence), and her stories of her long journey through the US immigration and economic system, are complemented in this book by commentary and explanatory text by Mary Jo Ignoffo, who also translated and adapted interviews she had with Cerna.

Rutilio Grande, SJ, was the first Jesuit to be assassinated in El Salvador. He was killed on March 12, 1977, for having done the works that Jesus commands with regard to one's neighbor as a priest in the Roman Catholic Church. This volume of his writings and homilies illustrates how he applied the social and ecclesial teachings of the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) in his ministry with the poor and marginalized of El Salvador. His use of the social sciences to understand the problems in his context, his prophetic denunciation of power and wealth, and his ministry to empower laypeople to lead their faith communities all speak to the Holy Spirit working through the courage of a true servant leader.

This book responds to Pope Francis's challenge to construct an expanded definition for martyrdom today. Using the work of Jon Sobrino, Thiede examines four case studies--Rutilio Grande, Oscar Romero, the U.S. churchwomen, and the UCA Jesuits and their collaborators--to offer an expanded definition of martyrdom.

Invokes the memory and the challenge of the martyrs of El Salvador, including Sobrino's friends and colleagues of the Central American University and the poor and nameless who continue to suffer today.

"Official pastoral letters and other speeches by Oscar Romero, the martyred archbishop of San Salvador"--