For most of us, faith is not a dangerous thing. It comforts us when we are enduring loss or other hardship; it inspires us to see the wider meaning of our lives; and it impels us to reach out in love to others. Usually this leads to safe and pleasant experiences. From the pages of the Winter 2010 Vocation Newsletter

However, throughout the history of our Church, God has called some believers to a witness of faith and love in Jesus Christ that leads to suffering and martyrdom. It is part of our tradition and we are challenged to reflect upon the lives of the martyrs of our Church.

This past January twenty clergy and Religious from all four corners of the United States journeyed to Central America for Maryknoll’s annual Pilgrimage/Retreat. They were accompanied by Maryknoll Frs. David La Buda, Bill Donnelly, Bill Mullan, John Spain, Tom Goekler, and Maryknoll Brother Marty Shea and me. Together we walked in the footsteps of our Church’s modern-day martyrs; learning why these wonderful and holy women and men caught up in the civil wars of Guatemala and El Salvador bore such powerful witness to the sufferings of their people and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, faithful to our Catholic Church and its teachings. During this difficult and violent time in our Church’s history the poor of Central America suffered intense persecution. Many catechists and faithful believers gave their lives as well in their witness to Jesus Christ and His Church, and as advocates for their land and for the right to share in education, health care and other resources for their communities.

The first few days of our Pilgrimage Retreat were spent in San Salvador and Santiago Nonualco, El Salvador. The highlight of the trip was given to us very early. The very first place we visited was the chapel where Archbishop Oscar Romero was assassinated as he celebrated Mass. We had the opportunity to gather around the same altar and celebrate the Eucharist where he shed his blood in the struggle for human rights for the poor and oppressed. During this Mass we listened to an actual audio tape of the Archbishop’s last sermon, and then there was a ten second pause before we could hear a single rifle shot which mortally wounded Romero. We also saw where Romero lived. His little apartment is now a museum. The blood stained clothes and vestments he wore are on display as well as the little tape recorder he used for his weekly radio homilies and talks to the people. The next day all gathered around his tomb at the city’s Cathedral. There we offered prayers for him as well as for peace and justice in El Salvador.

I felt gratitude for Romero's witness and wondered how a spirit like his would react in my own cultural context here in the U.S. Next to a martyr's bloody clothes, it is natural to wonder if there will ever be a cause toward which to offer one's own life. Or maybe I need not aim so high. Maybe it will be enough for now to engage a few difficult conversations I have been avoiding. The extraordinary ends of martyr's lives begin with ordinary acts of love and small steps made with courage. The martyrs taught me that life is all about staying close to what is good and true and beautiful and not being distracted by temptations to power or riches.

The next visit was to where four American church women’s bodies were uncovered from a hastily dug shallow grave. Two Maryknoll Sisters who were originally from Brooklyn, N.Y. were among the four. They were Sister Ita Ford, MM and Sister Maura Clarke, MM. The other two women were Cleveland Lay Missioner Jean Donovan and Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel, OSU. The four women were working with and for the indigenous people of El Salvador. On the evening of December 2, 1980 they were arrested by men in military uniforms at the San Salvador airport, taken to barracks where they were tortured and repeatedly raped, and then driven to a secluded area in rural El Salvador where they were each executed with a single gunshot wound to the back of the head. Their bodies were left there and hastily buried by a patrol the next morning. Their story of sacrifice and martyrdom was told by a friend and co-worker Maryknoll Sr. Teri Alexander, who was with the four sisters earlier that December day and could have easily been the fifth victim. A video presentation of the exhumation of the bodies made the story so brutally vivid.

The next stop on the pilgrimage was to the University of Central America in San Salvador, El Salvador. It was here in November of 1989 that military personnel came onto the campus and murdered six Jesuit priests, their cook and her daughter. Among the slain Jesuit priests were the Rector and Vice-Rector of the university, the dean of social sciences and three teachers. Pictures from that horrific day were available to illustrate exactly what happened. They were murdered on the lawn in the back of the main building and left there to be found. Their only crime was instilling knowledge in the minds of young men and women. Those in control knew that knowledge is power and the lack of knowledge is a lack of power. They were trying to eliminate the source of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge so they could continue their corrupt ways. These holy martyrs illuminate for us all the reality that bringing the Good News of Jesus to the poor is dangerous and deadly.

During the second part of the pilgrimage, which took place in Guatemala, we visited many different churches and church projects. The most personal for many was the trip to the Parish of Santiago in the town of Atitlán. This Parish was well known because of an American Priest from the Diocese of Oklahoma City, Father Stanley Rother, who had been the pastor there. He did many things to help improve the quality of life for the descendants of the Mayans who lived there, the indigenous Tzutuhil Mayans. He bought large areas of land and divided them in equal portions to many of the local inhabitants so they could grow their corn and other foods. Unfortunately, some of the wealthier people did not like his humanitarian efforts and he was attacked and murdered in his own rectory. We were able to hear his story from one of Fr. Rother’s catechists, Chona, the same woman who held him in her arms as he lay dying.

During each visit to a place of witness and martyrdom, we chanted a simple prayer in memory of those who offered the ultimate sacrifice of faith and love: "This is holy ground. We’re standing on holy ground, for the Lord is here and where He is, is holy...." And in many of these holy places, where we heard the stories of these holy people, we celebrated the Eucharist; joining the memory of Jesus giving his life with the memory of his followers giving theirs.