Modern Day Martyrs

Churchwomen martyred in El Salvador in 1980

We usually think of martyrs as saints from long ago who were burned at the stake or beheaded. A number of holy people were martyred in the 20th and 21st century in modern gruesome ways. Surprisingly, a number of them were women and a priest from the United States.

Ohio-born Sister Dorothy Stang was a missionary in the Amazon Basin of Brazil for four decades. She fought for the rights of the landless poor and was shot by assassins hired by illegal loggers and ranchers. She lay in the forest in the rain for a whole day because the farmers were afraid to remove her body.

In 1992, five women religious were killed in Liberia by soldiers in the army of warlord Charles Taylor during a civil war that left thousands dead. Sisters Barbara Ann Muttra, Mary Joel Kolmer, Kathleen McGuire, Agnes Mueller, and Shirley Kolmer were Adorers of the Blood of Christ from Ruma, Ill. They too ministered to the people who were being persecuted.

Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel, Maryknoll Sisters Ita Ford and Maura Clarke, and Jean Donovan, a laywoman from Cleveland, were abducted, raped, and murdered in El Salvador on December 2, 1980, during the brutal civil war. They were killed  because of their dedication to the peasants who were without rights.

Father Stanley Rother, a priest from Oklahoma, was martyred in Guatemala, working among the Mayan Indians. Although he was warned of the danger of staying at his parish there, he chose to remain, saying: “The shepherd cannot run at the first sign of danger. Pray for us, that we may be a sign of the love of Christ for our people, that our presence among them will fortify them to endure these sufferings in preparation for the coming of the Kingdom.” He will be beatified in September. 

These martyrs are shining examples of outstanding courage who risked their lives because of their beliefs. Others not so well known. According to the United States Department of State, Christians in more than 60 countries face persecution from their governments or surrounding neighbors simply because of their belief in Jesus Christ. May we gain strength from their witness.