On December 14, the House approved, by voice vote, a resolution (H. Res. 458) remembering and commemorating the lives and work of Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford, Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel, and Cleveland Lay Mission Team Member Jean Donovan, who were executed by members of the armed forces of El Salvador on December 2, 1980. The House International Relations Committee approved the measure unanimously on November 16 (see The Source, 11/21/05).
“They were young, dynamic, deeply committed missionaries,” said bill sponsor Rep. James McGovern (D-MA). Expressing admiration he added, “I believe these four American women represent the very best our country has to offer. They represent the best values and ideals, not only of the American people but of all people.” He further stated, “These four courageous American women dedicated their lives to the safety and welfare of others, to the poor and the desperate of El Salvador, especially the women and children left homeless and destitute by the violence and the war of that era.”
Acknowledging that “progress has been made in El Salvador following the war,” Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN) added that “the work of these missionaries on behalf of the poor remains unfinished. Therefore, it calls on us as a congress to engage ourselves and relevant U.S. agencies to continue to support and collaborate with the Salvadoran government and other private nonprofit and religious groups working to reduce poverty and hunger in El Salvador and to promote educational opportunity, health care and social equity.”
