| Reader |
|
Oscar Romero has reminded us that
"We may never see the results, but that is the difference
between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders;
ministers, not Messiahs.
We are prophets of a future that is not our own."
|
| All |
|
We are humbled by Archbishop Romero’s faith that led to his martyrdom on March 24, 1980 in El Salvador.
|
| Reader |
|
Four women were united in a straightforward goal
to help refugees flee the effects of civil war.
Four women served together in San Salvador
and died there together, December 2, 1980.
|
| All |
|
We believe the efforts of Maura Clarke, Ita Ford, and Dorothy Kazel as religious sisters cannot be forgotten nor left undone.
We pray that the commitment of Jean Donovan as a lay missioner will inspire other laypeople to follow her example.
|
| Reader |
|
"The struggle against injustice and the pursuit of truth cannot be separated nor can one work for one independent of the other." So believed Fr. Ignatio Ellacuria, one of six Jesuit priests murdered in El Salvador November 16, 1989.
|
| All |
|
We grieve their loss even as we reflect on their enduring legacy.
|
| Reader |
|
When Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas Ocampo continued to speak out against drug traffickers in Mexico, they murdered him in 1993.
|
| All |
|
We pray for the strength to continually speak up against wrongdoing.
|
| Reader |
|
Juan Jose Gerardi Conedera, a Guatemalan bishop, was killed in 1998 for criticizing unfair government actions.
|
| All |
|
We pray for the courage to challenge the unlawful.
|
| Reader |
|
Isais Duarte Cancino, Archbishop of Cali, Columbia challenged those kidnapping parishioners in 1999: "You do not fight for justice committing injustices. Nor do you attack innocent people to achieve peace." For his negotiating efforts, he was murdered on March 16, 2002.
|
| All |
|
We pray to seek justice always by just means.
|
| Reader |
|
"What they want to do is terrorize us,
make us afraid, while at the same time
de-legitimize our pastoral work among the poor."
This 2002 statement by Bishop Alvaro Ramazzini Imeri
has brought him death threats for supporting
landless peasants in Guatemala.
|
| All |
|
We pray for the stamina to continue to work for the poor and all who suffer injustice.
|
| Reader |
|
Loving God, we have been blessed by the presence of these holy people. We thank you for the gift of them. We ask for help to use the gifts that you have given us to better the lives of others.
|
| All |
|
We strive to walk in peace and justice. Amen.
|
CLOSING SONG
|
