PHILADELPHIA (Oct. 23, 2009) -- Rodolfo Cardenal, S.J., former provost of the University of Central America (UCA) in El Salvador, will present “The Message of the UCA Martyrs in Today’s Reality” at Saint Joseph’s University on Thursday, Oct. 29, at 11:30 a.m., to commemorate the murders of six Jesuit priests and their two colleagues at UCA in 1989.
The lecture, which is sponsored by the Office for Mission and Identity at SJU, will take place in the Banquet Hall of Campion Student Center located off of Cardinal Avenue near City Avenue. It is free and open to the public.
On Nov. 16, 1989, the Salvadoran army raided the Jesuit residence at UCA (Universidad Centroamericana, located in the capital, San Salvador) murdering the priests, their housekeeper and her daughter: an act of violence resulting from contention for social and economic power in El Salvador.
As professor of history and provost of UCA at the time of the slayings, Fr. Cardenal may have been murdered that night, had he not moved from the University’s campus shortly before the attack.
“Through his close association with his brother Jesuits – professors all – who were tireless voices for social justice in El Salvador, Fr. Cardenal will offer deep insight into their legacy, and how contemporary Jesuit universities can be agents of change,” said Daniel Joyce, S.J., assistant to the vice president for mission and identity at Saint Joseph’s.
Fr. Cardenal will share his personal reflections on the 1989 killings and how they are relevant today, remembering his friends and colleagues: Ignacio Ellacuria, S.J., Ignacio Martin-Baro, S.J., Segundo Montes, S. J., Amando Lopez, S.J., Juan Ramon Moreno, S.J., Joaquin Lopez y Lopez, S.J., Julia Elba Ramos and her daughter, Celina Mariset Ramos.
A member of a prominent Nicaraguan family, Fr. Cardenal is currently a professor of history at the University of Central America in his native Managua, Nicaragua.
Background: Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1851, Saint Joseph's University advances the professional and personal ambitions of men and women by providing a demanding, yet supportive, educational experience. One of only 129 schools with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter and AACSB business school accreditation, Saint Joseph's is home to 4,500 full-time undergraduates and 3,200 graduate, part-time and doctoral students. Steeped in the 450-year Jesuit tradition of scholarship and service, Saint Joseph's was named to the 2008 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for General Community Service. The University strives to be recognized as the preeminent Catholic comprehensive university in the Northeast.
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Contact: Patricia Allen, Associate Director of University Communications, 610-660-3240, patricia.allen@sju.edu
