Their names are not as well known as Archbishop Oscar Romero, yet they were murdered
in the same country, for the same cause. An unwavering commitment to the poor, the
homeless and those caught in the crossfire of El Salvador’s violent political conflict.
American Maryknoll sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford, Ursuline sister Dorothy Kazel
and lay missionary Jean Donovan were beaten, raped and murdered by members of El Salvador’s
national guard on December 2nd 1980. On the 30th anniversary
of their deaths, the legacy of these women was celebrated in countries around the
world and in a special way by the New York based Maryknoll community of men and women
religious and lay missionaries. Sr Patricia Murray now works at the Maryknoll headquarters
in New York but in the 1970's and '80's she spent over 15 years in Central America
and knew the murdered women well. Philippa Hitchen talked to her about her memories
of these martyrs and the legacy they left behind ….
Listen......
"Maura
had an Irish background, she loved to dance.....Ita had a very dry sense of humour,
she was very intellegent.....people said of Dorothy she was an 'Halleluja' from head
to toe, she was just as very joyful person...and Jean was young, she was enthusiastic,
impulsive at time but very dedicated, a very kind person"
"They knew it was
a dangerous situation...they had received death threats...however we were very naive
at the same time... we thought the worst that could happen was that we'd be deported"
"They
(military) got away with everytyhing, they never paid a price. The arms from the United
States didn't stop coming because they killed Archbishop Romer, they only stopped
for about two months when the sisters were killed but then when Mr Reagan became our
president he started supplying arms to them again."
"Their deaths brought to
the forefront what was happening in Central America... the wave of solidarity because
of the deaths of the sisters who were killed because they stood on the side of the
poor.... I think it had a profound effect"