"El Salvador is the homeland of Archbishop and Saint Óscar Romero, martyred in 1980 for speaking openly and fervently about God and in the name of God. He was killed while celebrating the Eucharist, after years of ministering as a good shepherd who truly knew the sorrows of his sheep. El Salvador is also the land of Fr. Rutilio Grande, SJ, another courageous witness murdered for standing with the poor and in the place of the poor—where systems hide those deemed “worthless” and where true precariousness prevails. In that Central American country, the ruling regime also took the lives of some religious sisters, martyred for preaching and living according to the Gospel. Without hesitation, the military likewise killed six Jesuits who lived their faith and taught theology at the José Simeón Cañas Central American University (UCA). Along with many other brothers and sisters, they were all martyred for affirming that God desires justice, love, and peace—that the Reign of God stands in opposition to oppression and war. They were killed because they refused to be indifferent when poverty crushes, when the poor disappear, and when weapons relentlessly destroy the lives of the people. They were murdered to remove them from the path, because the Truth gets in the way. The blood of these brothers has much to say to us today, as we continue to live with indifference in the face of the cries of the oppressed. God continues to call the entire Catholic Church to build the Reign in this very earth (cf. Gaudium et Spes, n. 39)."
- Luis Donaldo González, Th.M. '24, Ph.D. student
"There is something about encountering a scar-bearing body that does not leave you unchanged. Archbishop Romero knew this well as he declared in one of his homilies: “A Christianity that does not touch the reality of human suffering is a barren Christianity.” It is another way of urging: See their hands, touch their wounds! Truly, the way to recognize Jesus today is to approach, touch, and experience “la realidad” of those who suffer (Matt 25:35-36). Seeing and touching the faith and struggle of our Salvadoran brothers and sisters renews my reason to study theology and prepare for ministry. What do I strive to hold at the heart of my professional and academic formation? It is nothing other than my faithful love and service of Christ, who brings the whole of human existence into the very heart of the Trinity, to heal it, to uphold it, to bring us to the full manifestation of who we truly are." - Adriana Sepulveda Ramirez, M.Div. '28
"As Pope Leo calls the world to pray for peace, I was reminded of this piece of art, found in the Museum of Word and Image in El Salvador. It was created by a child who was exposed to the horrors of the Salvadoran Civil War and its ongoing consequences, and who knew only too well the reality that war is never justified or righteous. This art and the testimonies of the people we encountered while there serve as a reminder that we must never forget our histories, lest we repeat their consequences. Let me pray that we can remember the horrors of war and the devastating impacts it has had on people of every age and culture."
- Katie Dutton, M.Div. '28
"I was shocked at how commonplace death was for the people of El Salvador. This monument to the number of people killed by years of homicides stood to show why it was so normative for them. And yet, they were all still full of hope, like the flowers growing out from the top of this wall that commemorated the deaths of their loved ones. They believed in a renewal of life after death."
- Nicholas Miles, M.T.S. '25, Th.M. '26
"One of the most striking moments of our trip was when we met Lenora Lemus, the younger sister of Nelson Lemus, the 16 year old boy who was martyred alongside Rutilio Grande, S.J. and Manuel Solórzano. We met Lenora selling sweets and breads at a roadside stand in El Paisnal, across the street from the church where her brother's remains are interred. It was such an extraordinary contrast of past and present. We prepared for our trip by studying articles and speeches of the past given by Oscar Romero and Rutilio Grande, among others, but nothing jolted me into the present so clearly as meeting Lenora and hearing how deeply that past shaped her present. I am so grateful to her for sharing her story with us and our moment of graced encounter with her in El Paisnal."
- Christine Church, M.A./M.S.W. '26
"One of the key ideas that has stayed with me from our pilgrimage to El Salvador is the concept of 'memoria histórica.' I was particularly impressed by how intentional the community we visited in Arcatao was in cultivating and sharing their own historical memory. In this picture, some of their leaders are talking to us about their memories of organization and resistance during the civil war. They created a local 'museum project' with many pictures and records, including some of the bombs that fell closeby. I was especially touched by how they connected the legacy of Romero and the Jesuit martyrs with the current political situation of their own country. Asked about what Romero would do today, one of their community leaders immediately replied that he would boldly proclaim once again to the authorities: 'stop the violence!' - Pedro Weizenmann, M.T.S. '27
"We saw so much on our trip...war, atrocity, courage, dignity, transformation...the memories of El Salvador's present and past pull me into an undertow and sting, como agua salada llenándome, with all the ways I am called out of comfort and towards deeper action. But when I think of where to start or who I want to be, I feel like a drop of water trying to stretch itself to be the entire ocean and I smile, because I am not. The El Salvadorean people's profound reliance on Jesus in the midst of unspeakable violence struck me with greater wonder and humility as I learned to fold myself, like one little grain of salt, into bold worship with them. I watched as they gathered in basements and modest homes to fill the gaps of brokenness in their communities through their relationship with God, finding Jesus en los rincones escondidos. The stories of Oscar Romero, too, whose life I felt still beating through the chests of people we met, moved me as I learned he was a man who spent hours in prayer before making big decisions that would rupture the political status quo in El Salvador and globally. I am not exactly sure what my next steps will be but I think the greatest thing I can hope for is that my footprints continue on in the beautiful lineage of faith I have witnessed and that my life may form just one, albeit small but intense drop of that deep undercurrent leading people to the eternal: Christ the King."- Victoria Berges, M.A./M.S.W. '26
"While in El Salvador we had the opportunity to have mass in the chapel where Oscar Romero was assassinated. In the last years of his life, Romero spent many hours praying for the people of El Salvador here. On March 24, 1980, this space filled with chaos as a single shot fired through the doors of the chapel and pierced through Romero's heart. Photos documenting this day show the sisters rushing to his bloodied body, and these photos are evidence of the photographer's role in witnessing to this moment too. Now in March 2026 a group of theology graduate students from Boston College celebrated the Eucharist together in this same space, and I know that Oscar Romero was present praying with us. For the people of El Salvador and for peace all around the world, St. Oscar Romero, pray for us."
- Molly Snakenberg, M.A. '26
"Both personally and in the company of my peers, I often reflect on and wrestle with the sometimes conflicting nature of studying theology in an academic context. We talk about 'ivory-tower theology' versus 'on-the-ground theology,' for example. In a pertinent way, I was confronted with this uncomfortable tension when we visited the University of Central America (UCA)—the location of the six Jesuit martyrs and two laywomen. Before leaving the UCA, we gathered around for a time of shared reflection. To begin, Anthony read aloud a passage from a letter written in 1990 by Jon Sobrino to Ignacio Ellacuría, one of the martyrs who served as a theologian, professor, and the rector of the UCA. I was struck by Sobrino’s commentary on Ellacuría, particularly on his service in and to the University and Church: 'Your life was never just service, but the specific service of "bringing down the crucified peoples from the cross." Those are your words, words that intelligence alone cannot invent, but only intelligence inspired by mercy.'
Seated just next to the burial place of the martyrs in the Memorial Chapel, I felt moved and encouraged by this description of Ellacuría in the company of my fellow theology students. I can only hope that, inspired and sustained by such exemplars of faith, service, and gospel-informed intellectual integrity like Ellacuría, we too may conscientiously sit with this tension, seek to pursue 'intelligence inspired by mercy,' and, by grace alone, orient ourselves toward service of and communion with God and neighbor." - Graceann Beckett, M.T.S. '26