The University of Scranton just released its programming to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the martyrdom of six Jesuit priests and their housekeeper and daughter at the Central American University (UCA) in San Salvador. The Jesuit Center took the lead on the event's programming with the assistance of Education for Justice (perhaps just not enough to warrant a mention I guess).I am facilitating the Friday panel on “What the Martyrs Mean for Us Today” where I would like to encourage the faculty and administrators to contemplate what the martyrs mean for the University of Scranton as a Jesuit and Catholic University in Northeast Pennsylvania.
Father Ignacio Ellacuria, and Román Mayorga Quirós before him, focused the UCA's resources on solving El Salvador's most pressing problems of the day. They created a human rights institute and a public opinion institute, carried out research on the effects of the violence, and were deeply involved in trying to get the FMLN and the Army to dialogue in hopes of ending la locura through a political process.
Tonight, we are unofficially kicking off the commemorating with a screening of "A Question of Conscience." The film tells the story behind the massacre, including interviews with Fr. Jon Sobrino who was away the night of the murders and a profile of Lieutenant Espinoza, a graduate of the Jesuit prep school in San Salvador, who was a member of the US-trained Atlacatl Battalion that carried out the massacre.
Education for Justice and the Center for Service and Social Justice are co-sponsoring tonight's film which was initially motivated to provide some background for our University of Scranton students who are traveling to Washington, D.C. next weekend to participate in the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice 2014.
Tonight's film in the Moscovitz Theater begins at 8pm.
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