Walking With El Salvador

Yellow and white paper flags lined the little street that leads uphill to the chapel at Divina Providencia. Each flag featured a hand-colored, cut out figure of Monseñor Oscar Romero. I chuckled to myself, thinking of of the Flat Martins we have colored with children for Reformation Day, and of course, Flat Stanley from the beloved children's book. I think Saint Romero might also chuckle at the idea of children coloring Flat Oscars and taking him on adventures with them, or pasting him onto a fluttery flag next to the noni trees at Divina Providencia. Flat Martin Luther hanging out in my office Yellow and white paper chains decorated the chapel fence. The doorway was arched with white and yellow flowers. We peered inside: not too many people yet. The altar was beautifully surrounded by hundreds of yellow and white roses. This is the altar where 45 years ago today, Oscar Romero stood saying mass and where he fell - murdered by an assassin's bullet. Many years and many masses of ...

This is a story about women telling hard truths, women coming together to support each other, women working to improve the lives of women and girls in their communities.  Recently, an invitation from the leaders of Gender and Family Ministry of the Salvadoran Lutheran Church was sent out through a communication group of which I am a member. It caught my attention: The Salvadoran Lutheran Church, working with the Office of the Woman of the Lutheran World Federation, has initiated a consultation process about the Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women CEDAW  ...  The purpose of the gathering is to bring together women leaders from their communities for a consultation on community contexts regarding gender policies and all forms of discrimination against women. Pastor Cecilia giving out vacunas contra la violencia during the Missions of Healing (2011 & 2012) I thought about Pastor Cecilia giving out "vaccinations against violence" to ...

The Rose Garden at the UCA - with memorial posters for  the six Jesuit priests and two women who were murdered on November 16, 1989. (photo taken in 2022) Segundo Montes, S.J. was a physicist, philosopher, sociologist, theologian, humanitarian, teacher and Jesuit priest. His writings are extensive, and he is well remembered for his humanitarian work with internally displaced people and refugees during the 1980's civil war in El Salvador. It was during that time, that he founded the Human Rights Institute at the UCA (Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas). He, like several of his colleagues at the UCA , was originally from Spain. He followed his heart and his calling and became Salvadoran, teaching sociology and defending human rights.  On November 16, 1989, Segundo Montes was murdered, along with Ignacio Ellacuría, Ignacio Martín-Baró, Juan Ramón Moreno, Joaquín López y López, and Amando López,  together with Elba Ramos and her 16 year-old daughter Celina Ramos, ...