History and Roots
Images of Refuge by Margaret Jane Kling, CSJP We are excited to announce that Images of Refuge by Sister Margaret Jane Kling was published in March by Kenmare Press, the CSJP imprint. This collection of letters and other documents records the period that she served in El Salvador during the civil war, first with Sister Andrea Nenzel and then with Sister Eleanor Gilmore, as volunteers with the Jesuit Refugee Service. A remarkable historical record, it also highlights how little has changed for refugees in wartorn countries. The CSJP’s relationship with the country and people of El Salvador remains strong and dear to their hearts today. What follows is one of the letters from this collection.
New Assignment: San Jose Changallo May 11, 1989 Dear Sisters – Well, here we are in San José Changallo, a small (I’d say about 250 - 300 families) village nearly an hour’s ride from San Salvador. We’re located down in a valley, not far from the beautiful lake Ilopango. Although extremely dusty during your winter months, the rainy season here has just begun, so now it’s getting quite green. Our house (rented for 75 colones or about $15 per month) has two rooms and a small back patio. The construction is mud and bamboo; One of the rooms has an outer coating of cement. No running water other than a few leaks in the roof! Our work here will be pastoral, and our priority right now is to visit and get to know the people. Most appear to be very poor. The first few families settled in this area 15 years ago, but the majority are displaced people who have fled from war zones; new families continue to arrive. The land is owned, they say, by “the bank” and has not as yet been subdivided into building lots. So, wherever there is a space, people put up a one- or two-room house – the better ones are made of mud and bamboo with a laminated metal roof; many are constructed only with heavy cardboard! I have never seen houses like these before! And now we have torrential rain nearly every night. One major problem is the lack of steady work, without
Above: Margaret Jane cooking oatmeal. Right: L to R: Sisters Margaret Jane and Eleanor with Jennie and Carmen. Top: Good Friday Procession 22
LIVING PEACE
