Remembering Dorothy

Thursday December 2, 2010 marked the 30^th anniversary of the martyrdom of Jean Donovan, Ita Ford, Maura Clarke, and my casa’s namesake: Dorothy Kazel. These four churchwomen were living and working in El Salvador in 1980 with the Maryknoll and Ursuline Sisters. Over the past few months, my community has been learning about all these women.  The four LA communities are named for these martyrs, whose faith and dedication to the poor serve as supreme examples for any of use striving to live out our faith.  I encourage you to read more about their lives and work.

On Thursday evening, we, Casa Dorothy Kazel, attended a remembrance service at Mount St. Mary’s college. The prayer service has been held each year in LA by religious sisters from all different orders.  It was an honor to be invited, and the organizers were thrilled to have the “people who live in Dorothy’s house” attend. At the beginning of the service, everyone – all 60 or so people in attendance – introduced themselves and stated their connection to the four women and where they were when they first hear the news of their deaths. The stories were incredible; the people in attendance all seemed to be on their own journey of faith and service all over the world, but were all devastated upon hearing the news of this martyrdom.  There were religious sisters, middle school students, LA Catholic Workers, community members, members of the press, college students.  They have protested at Fort Benning, lobbied in Washington, lived and worked all over the world, attended the 25^th anniversary of the martyrdom in El Salvador, celebrated the lives of these women for 30 years, been arrested, taught in schools, worked in parishes…you name it, some woman in that room had done it.  The response to petitions read during the service embodies for me how the men and women in the room had been inspired:

God, give us the courage to respond by imitating their lives of service.

Clockwise from top left: Jean Donovan, Ita Ford, Dorothy Kazel, Maura Clark
Also, fun fact: if you do a google-image search for "Dorothy Kazel" you will find pictures of my community from JVC orientation!

Two guests stood out to me in particular: one Ursuline sister who went to college with Dorothy, and who was in the same religious community as she in Cleveland. They were friends.  Also, one of Ita Ford’s nieces was in attendance; she told us how her family was forever changed by the events in El Salvador, and how they have been carried by the many religious men and women.  Making personal connections to Dorothy, Ita, Jean, and Maura was an invaluable experience. Before Thursday night, Dorothy was important to me because her story is so moving, but meeting people who knew her was, well, so personal.  I left the service so grateful for the opportunity to participate and feeling much more connected to our community’s namesake.  At the beginning of advent, it was touching reflection on how my community members and myself are living and serving.