The Jesuit Martyrs of El Salvador

Fr. José María Tojeira, SJ remembers the martyrdom of six Jesuits at the University of Central America in El Salvador.
"THEY SAVED LIVES IN LIFE, AND SAVED MORE LIVES IN DEATH."
On November 16, 1989 at three in the morning, government soldiers stormed the Jesuit residence at the University of Central America (UCA) in San Salvador, El Salvador. They brutally murdered the president of the university, Ignacio Ellacuría, SJ and five of his brother Jesuits, along with their housekeeper Elba Ramos and her daughter Celina. The Jesuits had been strong critics of the civil war ravaging El Salvador in which more than 70,000 civilians were killed between 1979 and 1992.
Fr. José María Tojeira, SJ was the Jesuit Provincial for Central America from 1988-1995 and was on the campus grounds when his brothers were dragged from their beds and shot in the garden behind the residence. He recounts the night of the attack and the immediate aftermath when his own life was in jeopardy. Despite the danger, the Jesuits continued to speak truth to power, standing in solidarity with the poor of El Salvador.
The Jesuit Martyrs are remembered and celebrated by the church on November 16th each year.
Footage shows the tombs of the six Jesuit martyrs in the university chapel, the garden where they were shot (now a rose garden), and the memorial museum on campus.
Learn more about Salt+Light Media at: www.saltandlig...