Service Commemorates Killing of Jesuit Priests

Calling the killing of six Jesuit priests in El Salvador last month an attack on peace and justice for that country's citizens, Reverend David Hollenbach of the Weston School of Theology commemorated the massacre in a memorial service yesterday.

The service, sponsored by the Catholic Students Alliance and the Committee on Central America (COCA), drew 40 people to St. Paul's Cathedral to pay tribute to the priests, several of whom had ties to the University.

"The priests were dedicated to this struggle for peace and for justice. That was not easy," Hollenbach said.

"Tens of thousands of people have been killed. Not only the six Jesuits, but also the women from the U.S., the workers...All of these people who are known to us through the TV and the newspapers are really deeper symbols of the people of El Salvador," Hollenbach added.

The reverend gave special mention to one of the slain priests, Ignacio Ellacuria, who was in El Salvador on a scholarship from a Harvard-affiliated program.

"He was a man who engaged the power of the mind on behalf of the poor."

The service began with an opening prayer by Sister Mary Karen Powers of the Catholic Student Center at Harvard and a moment of silence, followed by an excerpt from a letter written by a former Harvard graduate staying in El Salvador, a short poem by a Guatemalen poet, and Hollenbach's reflection.

A candle was then lighted for each of 12 Salvadoran victims, and an additional one for the 80,000 Salvadorans killed in the civil war over the last 10 years.

Prayers from members of the audience and hand-holding concluded the service.