The Spiritual Journeys of the Four Churchwomen

Abstract:On December 2, 1980, Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel, lay missioner Jean Donovan, and Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford were kidnapped and murdered by Salvadoran National Guardsmen. Influenced by the principles emanating from the Second Vatican Council, all four had knowingly put themselves in danger by intentionally choosing to accompany the marginalized in their struggle for justice and dignity. They had come to know the same fear of death and torture as the poor with whom they worked. These women knew firsthand the God of those with no power. Stripped of the security that their class status and nationality had provided, they grew to trust unconditionally. Their deeds and their words indicate that each one, in her own unique way, underwent a profound spiritual transformation.