18th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Fr. John Northrup wrote this reflection in 2010; it is also published in A Maryknoll Liturgical Year (Year C), available from Orbis Books.
Latin America
The history of Maryknoll in Latin America is rich and deep. Our commitment to the promotion of social justice and peace in the region cost several of our missioners their lives during the years of oppression, including Fr. Bill Woods, MM in Guatemala (1976), and Sisters Ita Ford, MM, Maura Clarke, MM and Carla Piete, MM in El Salvador in 1980. Some, like Fr. Miguel D’Escoto in Nicaragua, have served in public roles in support of those who live in poverty. Countless others have accompanied the Central American people in their daily struggles for survival, for social justice, for an end to the violence that destroys their communities; for new life.
Among the particular concerns of Maryknoll in Latin America are poverty, its causes and consequences; migration and refugees; health care, especially holistic care that includes good nutrition and preventative care; access to essential medicines for treatable or curable illness; HIV and AIDS; the rights and dignity of women and children; the response of authorities to the growth in gang violence; mining concessions; just trade agreements; debt cancellation; small and subsistence farming and other work accessible to people who are poor; and environmental destruction.
Latin America: Combatting investment tribunals
In response to the dramatically increasing number of lawsuits and claims in international tribunals by European and U.S. multinational companies, ministers and ambassadors from 12 Latin American countries met in Ecuador on April 22 at the “First Ministerial Conference of Latin American States affected by the interests of transnationals” in order to create mechanisms to better defend themselves.
Brazil: Rousseff avoids media-led coup
While it was progressive organizations like the Free Pass Movement (MPL) that organized the marches, this year, with complaints about public services, as the protests grew in size, conservative forces tried to take control of the marches to make them appear to be a generalized clamor against President Dilma Rousseff.
Guatemala: Indigenous people’s human rights
Indigenous peoples of Guatemala urge Sec. of State Kerry to hold the state of Guatemala accountable for unjust actions.
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Erica Olson recently returned to the U.S. after serving as a Maryknoll lay missioner in El Salvador.
15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Gene Toland has served the people of South America for many years; he writes this Sunday’s reflection.
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
This week’s reflection is written by Christine Perrier, a former lay missioner who continues to live and work in Peru.
12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Jack Northrup is a Maryknoll missioner serving in El Salvador.
11th Sunday in Ordinary Time
This week’s reflection is written by Kathleen Bond, a Maryknoll lay missioner who lives with her family in São Paulo, Brazil.
Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Anne Termini served as a lay missioner in rural Guatemala.
Guatemala: Reflections on outcome of Rios Montt trial
A few reflections from Maryknoll missioners on the recent trial of former president Efrain Rios Montt.
Feast of Corpus Christi
Fr. Steve Judd has spent many years as a missioner in Peru and now in Bolivia.
Holy Trinity Sunday
Ted and Maruja Gutmann-González served as Maryknoll lay missioners in Chile.
Haiti update
The following update is provided by Maryknoll Affiliate Renate Schneider who coordinates Haitian Connection, a non-profit that focuses on health and education needs in Haiti.
Venezuela: Can “Bolivarian Revolution” continue?
The death of President Hugo Chavez on March 5 led many to question whether the “Bolivarian Revolution” of significant social and economic changes could continue without Chavez’s larger-than-life presence.
Guatemala: Genocide trial continues
During the recent trial of former president Efrain Rios Montt and former chief of military intelligence Mauricio Rodriguez Sanchez, observers felt as if they were on a rollercoaster ride as the trial took many twists and turns.
Honduras: Impunity results in loss of support
Honduras continues to experience the highest levels of violence in the world with 92 deaths per 100,000 people (compared to a global average of 6.9 per 100,000). Sadly, members of the Honduran police and military not only have been unable to decrease it, but are often themselves perpetrators of the violence.
Guatemala: Constitutional court issues resolutions concerning some pending legal questions
The following article is reprinted from the Trial of Efrain Rios Montt and Mauricio Rodriguez Sanchez website.