Date: Sunday, December 4, 2005, 2:00 PM
Place: St. Ignatius Church, Boston College
On December 2, 1980, while on their way home from San Salvador’s airport around 9:00 PM, Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford, Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel and Lay Missioner Jean Donovan were raped and murdered by Salvadoran government troops, and then buried in a shallow grave. All four had devoted their lives in service to the poor and oppressed in that country. They were among 75,000 Salvadorans murdered by an oppressive, dictatorial government, including Archbishop Oscar Romero, six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and daughter.
The anniversary of the churchwomen’s deaths will be marked internationally with a four-day commemoration in El Salvador, as well as events in Rome, Washington, DC, Chicago, and at both the Ursuline Sisters’ convent in Cleveland and the Maryknoll headquarters in Ossining, NY.
Please join us for this commemorative liturgy at Boston College, hosted by the Jesuit and Maryknoll Societies. A special choir from Boston College is preparing the music. On conclusion of the mass, please also join us in the basement of St. Ignatius Church for an informal reception.
Representatives of the two Sisters’ congregations will speak at the mass:
Maryknoll Sister Pat Murray, who has worked in Central America, and knew all four women, will enable us to meet again the four “ordinary” women called to extraordinary witness.
Ursuline Sister Bridget Hasse, who works with the poor and handicapped in Boston, will reflect on how these women’s martyrdom has inspired her community, affirming its commitment to God’s faithful service in the world.
Parking is available in the vicinity of the church and at the two large garages at Boston College.
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