Churches and Universities

Today we visited Rosario church, or Church of the Holy Rosary. This is another site where the church, the military forces and the protestors intersected at various times. It served as a physical refuge for people during the massacres, and I think it must have provided some feeling of tranquillity and transcendence as well. It has a breathtaking modern sanctuary, with levels of windows that let the natural light in as the sun moves across the sky.

Next we got an impromptu tour of the Lutheran University. Pictured is Dr. Rolando Martinez, one of the deans. They have a strong focus on making education accessible to the poor. Most students can't afford textbooks so the keep three copies in the library and make a lot of photocopies. They are also starting to use ebooks on students' mobile phones. Dr. Martinez said all this country makes is Salvadorans - so that's what they have to export to build their economy. They are trying to start a nursing program, not so much because there is a shortage of health workers here, but rather so they can work abroad and send money back home. He said several times, this is our reality. (Also pictured is Ingrid, our translator, and I will write something about her later.)

And finally, we visited the building at Central American Catholic University (UCA) where a group of priests, along with a housekeeper and her daughter, were murdered in 1989. There is a small museum displaying the clothes they were wearing, a book soaked with blood, many other personal items, and photos of the aftermath. We were not able to see the photos and I think that is okay. So much violence in such a lovely place. The woman's husband has planted a rose bush over each grave.

I don't know how to describe what it is like to go to these sites. The violence is so recent and it feels so intimate, standing right in the spot where a person was torn apart by guns. And it's still happening with the gangs, which are into the most remote parts of the country and very powerful. An impossible situation, without grace and reconciliation; even then impossible.