Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Memorial 'The Eye That Cries'

August: the month of memory in Peru.  It is a month to ask for forgiveness for our indifference and acts of violence.  A month in which our martyrs from the religious life invite us in a special way to live in accordance to the gospel and in solidarity with our neighbors, to live in a way that we give everything we have. 

Therefore, together with the youth of the parish Reina de los Cielos in Los Olivos (Lima) we participated in a ritual of memory for the martyrs of Religious Life such as Irene Mc Cormack RSJ, Juana Sawyer SSC, Agustina Rivas BP, Miguel Tomazek OFM, Zbigniew Strazalkowski OFM and the diocesan priests  Alessandro Dordi and Victor Acuña; who gave their lives for the gospel and were assassinated during the internal armed conflict in Peru between 1980-2000.   

With this action, the youth were able to learn about the history and memory in order to better understand their grandparents, parents, and society that are still challenged by the processes of justice, forgiveness, and reconciliation. 

By traveling the path of the memorial “The Eye that Cries” the youth reflected on the role of the churches and above all gained an understanding that violence is never the way.  At the end of the visit the youth prayed a prayer for peace, uniting all of the countries and people of good will to build paths of peace and reconciliation.  

It is worth mentioning that the Memorial “The Eye that Cries” is a space designated to honor and preserve the memory of the victims of armed internal conflict.  It is a space for memory made up of a stone sculpture that represents the Mother Earth (Pachamama), from which water drips out like tears symbolizing the pain of Mother Earth for what her children are capable of doing to one another.  It is surrounded by a labyrinth made of eleven circles of stones inscribed with the name, age, and year of death or disappearance for each victim. 

This event was made possible thanks to the support of the Congregational JPIC Office of our Congregation of Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. 


You can see photos of the trip here: http://bit.do/cngqw 

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