McMurry Religious and Spiritual Life

05/23/2026

McMurry University El Salvador Pilgrimage - Day 8

“As a Christian I do not believe in death without resurrection. If they kill me, I will rise again in the people of El Salvador…May my death, if it is acceptable to God, be for the liberation of my people.”

Oscar Romero shared these words in an interview with Mexican magazine Excelsior just days before his assassination in 1980. In so many ways we’ve seen this again and again as we walked the streets of El Salvador. Forty-six years after his death, the life and witness of Saint Romero of the Americas lives on in the people of El Salvador.

Today we traveled to Santa Anna and hiked up the Cerro Verde Volcano. Along the way, I found myself fascinated with the rocky terrain - much of it hardened lava from 200+ years ago. As we neared the mouth of the volcano, the entire landscape was charcoal and ash, with very little vegetation. It was death brought by violent fire centuries ago. And yet, in the wake of such violent death, the lower regions of the mountain were filled with thick, green, tropical forests. Volcanic soil is rich in nutrients, growing things we love like mango, papaya, and the beloved coffee bean. Even the volcano, in its way, bears witness to the divine mystery that out of violence, dark ash, and death comes beautiful and unexpected new life.

These days have been a pilgrimage of death and resurrection. For every story of violence and bloodshed, there are those who now carry the Kingdom work of justice and peace. Where humans sow death, God always brings life.

We have one more day in El Salvador then fly home on Sunday. Please continue to pray for this incredible group of young people as they respond to God’s resurrection power in their own lives.

P.S. - Did you know lava is GREEN?! How did I never learn about this in any of my science classes??

05/22/2026

McMurry University El Salvador Pilgrimage - Day 7

Yesterday we drove out to the mountains of Morazan, just a few miles away from the border with Honduras. Along the way we stopped at the Limpia River which borders Honduras. During the Civil War, when Salvadorans attempted to flee to Honduras for safety, the Honduran military stood on the banks of the river and gunned down the refugees. It was said the Limpia River ran red during the war. The U.S. Reagan Administration had provided economic aid to Honduras, on the condition that they support the military forces in El Salvador. Yet again, blood ran through the Salvadoran countryside at the hands of U.S. Foreign “Aid”.

This morning we visited the small village of El Mozote. In December 1981, four thousand troops marched in the village, rounding people up in the town square with promise of food supplies from the Red Cross. They separated the men from the women, and the young girls from the rest of the children. The military battalion began executing the men, then the women. The children were kept in the church, and after everyone else in the village has been killed the military executed 40 children, infants through 18 year olds, and left their bodies in a mass grave behind the altar. The church was set on fire, and the village demolished. Nearly 1,000 Salvadorans were executed at the hands of the U.S. trained Atlacatl Batallion.

After Mozote, we visited with a Base Christian Community in Morazan. This parish stewards the stories of the Salvadoran martyrs, over 800 by name. Through studying the Bible from the vantage point of the poor, they seek to tell the truth about the Pharaohs and Cesars, along with the crucified peoples, of both the historical and present reality. They have preserved the historical memory of the Church in El Salvador and advocate for equality and justice for all of God’s beloved people.

We are nearing the end of our trip. Two more days with some fun and a little more learning. Please continue to hold our team of pilgrims in your prayers as we conclude our journey!

05/19/2026

McMurry University El Salvador Pilgrimage - Day 5

Sunday morning we attended mass at San Cristobal. Father Ulysses visited with our group before worship, sharing about the challenges his parish faces to address the needs of hunger, violence, poverty, and trauma in the community. He reminded us that the liberating power of God’s love not only frees us from the power of sin, but calls the Church to address the systemic sins that hold people captive in this world.

In the afternoon we visited a church in Panchimalco. This structure dates back to 1543, with the balsam wood beams nearly 400 years old. The congregation supports a school that teaches the Nahuatl indigenous language and traditions.

Monday we drove out to the Escuela Granadilla, one of six schools supported by the Romero Center. These schools, located in rural mountain regions, provide free public education to children who otherwise would have no access to schools. Some children walk up to 3-miles each day to attend school. We were reminded of Oscar Romero’s deep love for the children and belief in the transformative power of education.

In the afternoon we visited Divine Providence Cancer Hospital. When Romero was appointed as Archbishop, he refused to live in the episcopal palace built for him by the oligarchy. Instead, he lived alongside those suffering from esophageal cancers on palliative care. For the first six months, Romero lived in a small room behind the altar that was also used as the sacristy. The Maronite Sisters convinced Romero to allow them to build him a small two-room home on the grounds. In this chapel on March 24, 1980, Romero was assassinated by a military sharpshooter while consecrating the elements during mass one evening. His blood-soaked vestments remain on display. The inscription above the altar reads, “At this altar, Monsignor Romero offered his life to God for his people.”

It’s been an incredibly moving journey, and we are now halfway through. Please continue to hold our team of pilgrims in prayer as we continue our journey!

05/17/2026

El Salvador Pilgrimage - Day 2
24 pilgrims from McMurry University landed in San Salvador Thursday afternoon. Our journey began eating pupusas on a mountainside garden. Pupusas date back 2,000 years to the indigenous Pipil of El Salvador.

On Friday morning we visited the University of Central America (UCA). We walked the hallways where, in 1989, the Salvadoran military stormed the seminary in the middle of the night, executing six Jesuit priests, the UCA Housekeeper Elba Ramos, and her 15 year old daughter Celina. In the Martyrs Museum we saw the torn bed clothes of the priests, along with a blood-soaked copy of Jurgen Moltmann’s “The Crucified God” and a Bible ripped in two by machine gun fire.

In the afternoon we visited a local human rights organization advocating for education, healthcare, and women’s rights. We discussed the history of El Salvador, including the 1932 La Matanza (massacre) of 30,000 indigenous people by the Salvadoran military. When civil war broke out against military oppression again in 1979/1980, the United States sent $1-million per day in military “aid” to support the Salvadoran military. This included training of the death squad forces responsible for assassinating 16 priests, four American nuns, Archbishop Oscar Romero, and thousands of men, women, and children across the country over the 12 year war.

This morning (Saturday) we drove to Itzalku and were warmly received by the indigenous people of the Alcaldía community. We participated in a sweet grass cleansing ceremony, giving thanks for the gifts of the land that sustain us each day. In between tamales, pollo asada, and sopa we visited with the great-great granddaughters of the caciques who led the 1932 indigenous uprisings against the oppressions of the Salvadoran government. We discussed the many challenges and oppressions indigenous peoples in El Salvador continue to face today.

Finally, this afternoon we visited the San Salvador Cathedral where Saint Oscar Romero is buried. We learned more about his life, and the deep love he continues to inspire in the hearts of the Salvadoran people.

We have seven more days of pilgrimage ahead of us. Please pray for our team, for our learnings, and for the work God continues to do through the people of El Salvador.

04/20/2026

Chapel guest speaker for tomorrow!
11 Am at Carleton Chapel 📍

04/09/2026

Sing up using this link!
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/RnbyCnaJU7

03/31/2026

Hint: 🌳⛪️

03/30/2026

Jesus is out!!

03/16/2026

Joins us tomorrow!!

03/02/2026