On Dec 2 1980 four N. American churchwomen in El Salvador were murdered by Salvadoran soldiers. They had been targeted as “subversives” because of their work with the poor. Yet in bearing witness to the cross they were also witnesses to the resurrection. Maryknoll Sr Ita Ford... 
...wote to her niece on her 16th birthday: “This is a terrible time in El Salvador for youth. A lot of idealism and commitment are getting snuffed out here now. The reasons why so many people are being killed are quite complicated, yet there are some clear, simple strands....
“... One is that people have found a meaning to live, to sacrifice, struggle, and even die. And whether their life spans sixteen years, sixty or ninety, for them their life has had a purpose. In many ways, they are fortunate people. Brooklyn is not passing through the drama of...
“...El Salvador, but some things hold true wherever one is, and at whatever age. What I’m saying is that I hope you can come to find that which gives life a deep meaning for you, something that energizes you, enthuses you, enables you to keep moving ahead.” @OrbisBooks
