In Memory of Rutilio Grande

Dear Friends, Exactly 25 years ago, on March 12, 1977, I was living in a seminary in El Salvador along with Archbishop Oscar Romero. At 6:30pm that day, he knocked on my door. His face was full of sadness. Choking back the tears, he told me "Chencho, they killed Father Rutilio Grande on the outskirts of Aguilares." A sharp pain gripped my heart. We had lost an exemplary priest, a friend, and a valued coworker.

Why did they kill Rutilio? Because he dared to work for social justice for the poor.

He was loyal to the teachings of the Latin American Bishops. At their 1968 conference in Medellin, Colombia, they declared that the church "must encourage and favor the efforts of the people to create and develop their grassroots organizations in order to restore and consolidate their rights and their search for true justice."

Rutilio's own Jesuit order had adopted the same mission. "The survival of the human race depends on people caring and sharing with one another." They were inspired by and living Jesus' message: "The Father has sent me to bring the good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and give sight to the blind, to set the oppressed free." (Lk. 4:18)

We can trace this message back to the Jewish principle of Tikkun Olam: the need to reconstruct the world through social action.

Rutilio died, as did Monsignor Romero, because he pledged his life to help the poorest, the oppressed, the victims of economic and political structures that have no respect for human rights. Twenty-five years have passed since Rutilio became a martyr, but his message remains relevant today.

Sincerely,

José "Chencho" Alas
President & Executive Director

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