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.
In November the Guatemalan Bishops’ Conference issued a statement recognizing the current crises in Guatemala. Many of the points raised highlight the goals that the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns has outlined for our Sustainable Pathways to Peace and Inclusive Security (SPPS) program work
Statement from the Bishop’s Conference of Guatemala to all sisters and brothers of faith and to all Guatemalans of good will
Your help is needed to secure the signature of your U.S. representative on this letter.
Debbie Northern worked in El Salvador for eight years as a Maryknoll lay missioner. She now works as the training and education programs manager for the Maryknoll Lay Missioners.
Sr. Carol Marie McDonald, a missioner in El Salvador, writes this week’s reflection.
A scripture reflection on Our Lady of Guadalupe, written by Sr. Esther Pineda of Pax Christi USA’s National Council.
The following alert is circulated by SOA Watch SOA-WHINSEC [School of the Americas-Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation] graduates are once again stealing the lives of innocent Hondurans, this time with…
Maggie Fogarty, a former lay missioner who lived and worked in Bolivia, writes the reflection for today’s readings.
The following alert is circulated by the Guatemala Human Rights Commission (GHRC).
This week’s reflection on the readings is written by Sr. Rose Bernadette Gallagher, who, after decades of work in Asia, now serves as a Maryknoll representative to the UN’s NGO community.
The first Sunday of Advent 2012 falls on the 32th anniversary of the martyrdom of the four North American churchwomen in El Salvador. This reflection is prepared by Marie Dennis, co-president of Pax Christi International and former director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns.
The following update was provided by Maryknoll Fr. Dan McLaughlin and was published in the November-December 2012 NewsNotes.
Escalating violence and crime in Central America during the last decade and the devastating toll they take on society demand urgent attention. The following article was written by Rhegan Hyypio and published in the November-December 2012 NewsNotes Despite increased requests for alternative initiatives to curb violence and crime (for instance, see the Caravan for Peace,…
The following article is written by Maryknoll Fr. Eugene Toland, who lives in Cochabamba, Bolivia. See related articles in the March-April 2012 and November-December 2011 issues of NewsNotes.
The Pan American highway runs through a barren stretch of Guatemalan territory at kilometer 170. This cold and deserted place, known to the local population as the Alaskan Summit, was the site of Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina’s recent attempt to silence opposition resulting in the October 4 deadly clash between indigenous protestors and members of the Guatemalan military, a clash which resulted in at least eight deaths and several injuries.
Write to Guatemalan authorities to ask for an independent investigation into the actions taken by military forces on October 4 which resulted in the deaths of six people and injuries of over 40.
Join human rights activists in a one day fast to honor those killed by SOA/WHINSEC graduates.
This week’s reflection is written by Barbara Fraser, a former Maryknoll lay missioner.
