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Dylan Breen '24 reflecting in El Ocotillo. (Photos courtesy of BC Campus Ministry)

One of 艾可直播 College鈥檚 hallmark service-immersion programs has resumed for the first time since January 2020, affirming听 for a new cohort of 艾可直播 College students the deep ties of the Jesuits to El Salvador.

Through Arrupe International Immersion, two groups composed of about a dozen BC undergraduates, two adult mentors, and a community partner visited the Central American country from May 25 through June 2. For the students, the trip was the culmination of a yearlong commitment to the Arrupe program that included weekly community building and education, and ongoing faith formation.

鈥淥ur initial plans didn't take us to El Salvador, but COVID spikes forced us to pivot,鈥� said Campus Ministry Associate Director Ryan Heffernan. 鈥淕iven how closely connected El Salvador is to some of the themes of our immersion program, it was an ideal place for us to resume post-confinement,鈥� and provided a meaningful experience for both students and in-country partner organizations, he added.

Through the immersions, themed "Faith and the Struggle for Justice," students learned how faith communities in San Salvador and Morazan advocate for human rights, from the civil war years (1972-1992) to the present day, according to Campus Minister Emily 艾可直播, who runs the Arrupe program.

Partner organizations included CRISPAZ (Christians for Peace in El Salvador), an ecumenical faith-based organization dedicated to building solidarity between the Church of the poor and marginalized communities in El Salvador and communities in the United States, Canada, Australia, and other countries; and the Center for Global Education and Experience, whose regional study centers in Central America, Mexico, and Southern Africa offer programming which emphasizes social justice and community engagement.

鈥淎rrupe participants learn about the complex realities of the countries we visit by hearing the stories of our hosts in their own words, in their own spaces. Those moments of encounter and accompaniment allow us to foster a spirit of mutuality,鈥� according to Heffernan. 鈥淥ur hope is that, by taking part in the yearlong program and visiting with our partner communities, students are prepared to put what they have learned into action鈥攅mbracing [the late Superior General of the Society of Jesus] Pedro Arrupe's call to be a person for and with others.鈥�

Among the groups鈥� robust roster of activities was a visit to the Jesuit University of Central America to pay homage to the six Jesuits and two lay women martyred there in 1989 during the Salvadoran civil war. The BC contingents also met with UCA students for discussions.听

Victoria Newell '22 in front of the Jesuit Martyrs grave at the University of Central America.

听鈥淭he legacy of the martyrs continues to influence the work we do at Jesuit institutions around the world, so introducing current 艾可直播 College students to that is deeply important,鈥� Heffernan explained.

Participants also met with members of the Committee of Family Members of Migrants who have died or disappeared, to hear from those who have lost loved ones trying to migrate to the U.S. They visited the gravesite and home of Saint Oscar Romero, attended Mass, and had a homestay in the rural community of El Ocotillo, with which BC has had a relationship for more than two decades.

A significant aspect of their faith formation experience was evening prayer and reflection鈥攚hich is grounded in Ignatian spirituality and invites students to pay attention to the way God is calling them on the immersion and beyond. The aim, according to organizers, is that students translate their learning into action. 听

That goal is affirmed by the experience of Victoria Newell 鈥�22, a student leader of the CRISPAZ group.