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Salvadoran Martyrs

On November 16, 1989, members of the Salvadoran military brutally murdered six Jesuit priests and two others at the University of Central America in El Salvador.

The priests were assassinated because they spoke out against the government and were advocates for the poor. The two others—a housekeeper and her teenage daughter—were murdered because the killers didn’t want to leave any witnesses to the crime.

To honor the eight Salvadoran martyrs, Loyola built a memorial on campus in 2010. The structure, which curves along the sidewalk on the west side of Madonna della Strada Chapel, contains the names of each of the victims.

These are the stories behind those names.

Ignacio Ellacuría, S.J.

Ignacio Ellacuría, S.J.

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Ignacio Martín-Baró, S.J.

Ignacio Martín-Baró, S.J.

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Amando López Quintana, S.J.

Amando López Quintana, S.J.

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Juan Ramón Moreno Pardo, S.J.

Juan Ramón Moreno Pardo, S.J.

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Joaquín López y López, S.J.

Joaquín López y López, S.J.

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Segundo Montes Mozo, S.J.

Segundo Montes Mozo, S.J.

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Elba Ramos

Elba Ramos

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Celina Ramos

Celina Ramos

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(Profiles written by Latin American Studies student Kendyl Berger. Visit her blog to learn more about her research into the eight martyrs.)

On November 16, 1989, members of the Salvadoran military brutally murdered six Jesuit priests and two others at the University of Central America in El Salvador.

The priests were assassinated because they spoke out against the government and were advocates for the poor. The two others—a housekeeper and her teenage daughter—were murdered because the killers didn’t want to leave any witnesses to the crime.

To honor the eight Salvadoran martyrs, Loyola built a memorial on campus in 2010. The structure, which curves along the sidewalk on the west side of Madonna della Strada Chapel, contains the names of each of the victims.

These are the stories behind those names.


(Profiles written by Latin American Studies student Kendyl Berger. Visit her blog to learn more about her research into the eight martyrs.)