Springfield, IL. (CAPITOL CITY NOW) — Dominican Sister Anita Cleary will travel to El Salvador and Honduras this month to stand in solidarity with women deported from the U.S. and to honor four U.S. churchwomen murdered in El Salvador 45 years ago.

About 30 pilgrims will visit El Salvador Nov. 28–Dec. 6, with a Dec. 2 observance marking the 1980 martyrdom of Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford, Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel, and lay missioner Jean Donovan. Sister Anita will also join a smaller group in Honduras Dec. 6–10.

The pilgrimage, sponsored by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the SHARE Foundation, will include visits to historic sites tied to El Salvador’s civil war, meetings with deported women, and participation in health and empowerment projects.

Sister Anita, a bilingual spiritual director who previously served in Peru, said the trip deepens her lifelong commitment to immigrant justice:

“It is imperative for me to hear the stories of those who have been deported to understand what is happening to families and the land that forced them to leave.”
Virtual participants can register for daily reflections and a livestream of the Dec. 2 anniversary event. Learn more at springfieldop.org.