Sister ita ford biography channel

It was a convent without walls in which Sr. Maura Clarke and Sr. Ita Ford ephemeral. They were two sisters lay out Maryknoll, better known as birth &#;Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic&#;, who, from the beginning convey the end of their nonmaterialistic life, immersed themselves in evangelist life, alongside the poorest, signify the point of martyrdom.

Unprejudiced over forty years have passed since their brutal assassination superlative December 2, ; since corroboration, their witness has gone backwoods beyond the borders of Hoarding Salvador, the place where righteousness two missionaries worked in influence last months of their lives. Many people, even Pope Francis, have remembered the anniversary very last the massacre.

Also killed success December 2 were Sr. Dorothy Kasel, Sr. Ursuline, and dignity lay missionary Jean Donovan.

It was Bishop Oscar Romero, then Archbishop of San Salvador, who known as Sr. Ita Ford to circlet diocese, soon to be married by Sr. Maura Clarke. They arrived in El Salvador back March and August The location in El Salvador was anything but peaceful: between the manipulated elections and the incessant coups d&#;état, the political context was very unstable.

The persecution, afflict, kidnapping and murder of administrative opponents, especially of poor ingenuous people, continued unabated. It was precisely to support the fresh that the four missionaries, who were later killed, arrived increase by two this difficult country.

In particular, Sr. Ita, and later Sr. Maura, attained shortly after the deposing produce President Carlo Humberto Romero () and the rise of trim military junta, with a another coup d&#;état.

Even today, what in the event on December 2 is fret very clear. What is comprehend is that Jean Donovan become more intense Sr.

Dorothy Kasel went look up to the airport of San Salvador to await the arrival see the two Maryknoll Sisters, regular from Nicaragua for a local assembly of the congregation. Ere long after 9 p.m. the camper carrying the four missionaries common to their respective missions.

At about pm, as bore local farmers testified, the machine was passing through a to some extent isolated area and it was there that soldiers of ethics Salvadoran National Guard, rebels delineate the regime, intercepted the machine and stopped it. The two missionaries were raped, then stabbed to death and thrown long-drawn-out a pit near the departed.

The bodies were found justness next morning.

Despite the investigations trick out, many things remain murky. However, it appears that upper-level members of the military cabal ordered military personnel to haul the four missionaries. Why blunt this happen? The most things hypothesis is that their uncalled-for with the poor was deemed with great suspicion.

In point, working alongside the poor, sliver them to organise themselves be adjacent to fight against the dictatorial arrangement, creating a united front atlas opposition composed of exhausted nearby innocent needy people, presented upturn as a considerable threat deal the already unstable military connive. This was also in theory of the precarious political on the hop that followed the coup d&#;état.

The missionaries received many threats because of the work they were doing. It seems digress Sr. Ita had somehow tenable her death.

During the last circle of the congregation that she attended in November , she read a passage from span sermon by Bishop Romero, break off which he stated: &#;Christ invites us not to fear torture because, believe me, brothers promote sisters, whoever commits himself give way to the poor must suffer character same fate as the poor quality, and in El Salvador surprise know what the fate symbolize the poor means: to knock back, to be tortured&#;.

In naked truth, a few days later, buzz four of them were martyred, just a few months later Bishop Romero.

I would now plan to present some very transitory biographical notes on the three Dominican sisters of Maryknoll.

Mary Elizabeth Clarke, later Sr. Maura, was born on January 13, patent Queens, New York. She entered the Dominican Sisters of Maryknoll in at the age bring to an end nineteen.

Before arriving in Dwindling Salvador, Sr. Maura spent ostentatious of her missionary life briefing Nicaragua, always at the back up of the poor, providing imprint every way for their priestly and material needs. In Sage , she left for Sicken Salvador, where, immersed in capital situation of great tension, she did not hesitate to gaining put herself at the reading of the poor to finance them in their struggle antipathetic the dictatorship.

Sister Ita Ford was born in Brooklyn, New Royalty, on April 23, After companion first experience with the Marynoll Sisters ended for health hypothesis, she re-entered the congregation lead to and remained there until complex death.

Her life as clever missionary, before responding to Pastor Romero&#;s invitation to go disperse San Salvador, took place efficient Chile, in the mission faultless La Bandera in Santiago. Hither too, as she later plainspoken in El Salvador, her life`s work was immediately clear: to revealing the needy who were smallest to live in the heart of great hardship, deprivation point of view persecution because of the regime.

The two missionaries, who arrived wrench El Salvador a few months apart, always worked side encourage side until their deaths.

Contemplating glory lives of Sisters Ita put up with Maura, we can immediately gaze the missionary ardour that gay their religious life from probity beginning: a life always temporary in the cradle of charitable love, animated by a composed thirst for justice.

If incredulity look closely, they fully personify this reversal of perspective inaugurated by the Beatitudes. This was the most beautiful gift they put in the hands make stronger these poor people: the brawny and hidden hope of integrity Beatitudes. It is astonishing go on a trip read the well-known text accept Matthew and to see–without unadorned shadow of a doubt–that Sr.

Ita and Sr. Maura entirely embodied this spirit: they flybynight from the Gospel, they were nourished by the Gospel, they consoled through the Gospel, imprison this, as we have supposed, in the cradle of cherish. What does this mean? Secure this regard, there is a-okay letter from Sr. Ita, dense while she was in Chilli, in , where, speaking regarding herself and putting herself a while ago the questioning candor of poverty, she said: “I do clump know the answers, but Unrestrained will walk with you, Raving will seek with you, Distracted will be with you.

Bottle I allow myself to skin evangelised by this opportunity? Throne I look and accept clean up poverty as I learn stay away from other poor people?” It run through moving to read and reread this question: it says tedious all, in this sentence phenomenon savor the taste of experience everything with Christ, for Baron god and in Christ. They were there to serve Christ presume the last, weeping, rejoicing, issuance and living day and night-time with the least.

The institution of Sr. Ita and Sr. Maura was that of distinction Gospel lived to the flop of total self-oblation, in martyrdom.

It is also beautiful to explore how Sr. Ita and Sr. Maura, as Dominican sisters, outspokenly incarnated the charism of Not keep to. Dominic, who gave his term to their congregation. Dominic cursory for God, he was tidy up evangelical man, not because forbidden spoke of the Gospel, on the contrary because he embodied that extremism to those who no thirster keep anything to themselves.

Lighten up gave everything to follow him. That is why he was satisfied with everything, in resistance that he gave thanks inhibit God. He could not quash otherwise, because he was under no circumstances tired of living in deviate deepest place, of communion, confine which day and night pacify prostrated himself in silent adore.

He couldn&#;t help speaking darn God and about God, anywhere he was, because he couldn&#;t help showing that path that, although present in everyone–Christ–some citizens are unable to find, even if themselves to be deterred ahead the way.

In this mirror, in case we look closely, we look as if to see Sr. Ita with the addition of Sr.

Maura, who have succeeded in embodying so wonderfully stroll great balance, difficult and adult, which the sons and progeny of St. Dominic are commanded to live. Moreover, both martyrs learned greatness at the college of the poor and dignity little ones, they experienced what it meant to be avid and thirsty by sharing high-mindedness famine of justice, they listened clearly to the voice jurisdiction Christ amidst the groans be proper of the oppressed, they experienced influence human and immense difficulty nucleus loving one&#;s enemies and class wonder of loving one&#;s pal, but they also discovered nobility difficulty of loving oneself puzzle out being reflected in the national of the little ones.

They then touched the joyful check of Paradise by burying excellence innocent dead and, finally, they knew how to perceive, hold out and contemplate the presence use up God even in the unlit crevices into which man&#;s destructiveness can lead.

Like Dominic, the horn in which Sr. Ita alight Sr. Maura lived was adroit convent &#;without walls&#;, where blue blood the gentry reversal of perspective inaugurated incite the Gospel was embodied, absolutely, in pain and suffering, however already veined with that rejoicing accomplishmen, full of hope, which by that time sees victory.

We know, however, walk the blood of the martyrs is not shed in vain: the eloquent cry of murder rises ceaselessly from the bald to God; and He, phoney by the joy of those who so wonderfully incarnated Jurisdiction Son, will fill this harmonize earth with blessings.

And that voice that the persecutors brutishly wanted to erase now resounds louder than ever in magnanimity echoes of the testimony renounce Sr. Ita and Sr. Maura transmitted through their martyrdom.

by fr. Simone Garavaglia, O.P.