Happy Birthday Barbara Schaible

By Eileen Purcell
First SHARE Executive Director

Querida Barbara –  Happy happy birthday, my friend.  What a gift you are to this world of ours, to all of us who know and love you. There are so many fond memories.  Here are just a few from our years together at the SHARE Foundation when I was Executive Director. (1986-1991)

First Meeting:  The Reception for Jon Sobrino sj and Jon Cortina sj

It was fall! 1986.  30 or 40 of us gathered in a comfortable room at the Theological Center at Catholic University in SHARE’s Washington, D.C. offices.  I was the Executive Director at the time. 

The event: a reception to inaugurate SHARE’s first annual Human Rights Award which we bestowed on two Salvadoran Jesuits: Jon Sobrino and Jon Cortina. Basque by birth, Salvadoran by choice, Jon and Jon had lived and worked in El Salvador for decades. Jon Sobrino was a world-famous liberation theologian; Jon Cortina was an engineering professor at the UCA and a beloved pastor in Chalatenango on weekends.  The war was raging in El Salvador.  SHARE was mobilizing humanitarian aid for the hundreds of thousands of internally displaced families in El Salvador and the thousands of refugees in Honduras, working with our faith counterparts in the region and across the United State.

The event sought to recognize the “two Jons” (as they were fondly known) for their extraordinary work as well as to credential SHARE.

Our mutual dear friend, Gus Schultz, was president of the Board of Directors, and he had come to Washington DC for the occasion.  You and your beloved Max had relocated to Washington DC due to Max’s new job leading the Montgomery County college system.

I’ll never forget our first meeting as you crossed the room with Gus, who was anxious to introduce us.  My first impression of you:  beauty, grace, generosity.  Such a warm spirit. And that’s when Gus said you might be interested in volunteering with SHARE!  You came! And you became an integral part of the team that went on to move mountains.

1987 SHARE Staff BACK: Sister Margaret Sullivan, Jean Stokan FRONT: Mike Hoffman, Locke Schultz, Paul Scire, Eileen Purcell, Teri Chin, Babara Schaible

Going Home – the Theology of Accompaniment

In late 1986, SHARE was approached by the refugees in Mesa Grande, Honduras with an extraordinary request.  After years in the UN-sponsored refugee camps, they had determined to return to their homes of origins in El Salvador which happened to be in zones of conflict.  The request:  would SHARE accompany them on the journey, even though the idea of repatriating was opposed by the United Nations High Commission on Refugees, (UNHCR), the Honduran military, the Salvadoran military and government, as well as the US military advisors in Honduras and the US government and some of the faith-based NGOs in El Salvador who feared retribution.

SHARE had accompanied the refugees in Honduras since its inception in 1981.  I had visited Mesa Grande refugees in the early 80s and worked with the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant (EBSC) to organize religious delegations to visit the refugees in Mesa Grande shortly after the declaration of public sanctuary in 1982.

I went to Mesa Grande to meet face to face with the refugees and their leaders to assess.  All were fully aware of the risks. And there were many. But their conviction and faith were greater than their fear.  They wanted to return home.  They wanted their children to know their roots.  They wanted to contribute to ending the war by inserting themselves – civilians, young and old – into the zone of conflict and declaring, “Enough!”   They viewed the journey as the “parting of the Red Sea.” We consulted with our counterparts in El Salvador, including Monsignor Urioste and Lutheran Bishop Medardo Gomez. Their question: “What would Jesus do.”  We concluded we would walk with these beautiful communities in faith and hope.

And thus began accompaniment for 10,000 refugees from Mesa Grande Honduras. SHARE and Jose’s Interfaith Office on Human Rights created the GOING HOME Campaign. We built a national blue-ribbon committee, a steering committee and dozens of support committees across the US. We organized interfaith delegations that accompanied each repatriation, stunning those who sought to block the repatriation. In hindsight, we were privileged to participate in one of the most effective non-violent direct actions of the war pressing for a negotiated peace settlement.

We worked with Dimas Vanegas, Executive Director of DIACONIA, the national service organization of mainline protestant churches in El Salvador, that included representatives from the Archdiocese of San Salvador, to develop a multi-year capital campaign to fund the reconstruction of villages that had been bombed and razed. We launched a “Seeds of Hope” campaign.  YOU, dear Barbara, were part of the monumental undertaking – every step of the way!

First Repatriation: GOING HOME Delegation members Rev. Gus Schultz, Sister Janet Gottschalk, SCMM, Jesuit Larry Castagnola, Joe Nangle, OFM, & Jose Artiga meet with Monsignor Ricardo Urioste at Salvadoran/Honduran border

The 4th Repatriation:  Jose’s Arrest 1989

In October, 1989, the 4th Repatriation from Mesa Grande, Honduras took place.  It was the first time the US faith delegation won the right to cross the Honduran/Salvadoran border to accompany the families to their villages.  It was a momentous, celebratory occasion. 
 
But for one glitch.

On their way out of Chalatenango, 3 of our delegates were arrested by members of the 4th Brigade.  Ron Morgan, Bob Perillo, and Jose Artiga.

Initially, the military only detained Ron and Bob, since Jose blended in with the native Salvadorans packed in the back of the truck. But Jose came forward, declaring that he was with them. Thus began an ordeal:  detention, transfer to the notorious Treasury Police, death threats.  I was at the SHARE office in Washington DC when the call came – around 3pm.  Sister Cathy Arata, SSND, a volunteer missionary in Chalatenango, was on the other line. She reported that Jose, Ron and Bob had been taken into custody.  A person from the repatriated community had followed them to make sure they had safe passage.  When they saw the military detain them, they alerted their friends in San Jose de las Flores, the provincial capitol where they were held. A young boy had approached the three who were sitting on a bench in the plaza at San Jose de las Flores where the 4th brigade detained them while the soldiers were awaiting orders. Jose scribbled a phone # and their names on a piece of newspaper.  The boy gave the number and names to Sister Cathy.  And thus began a major international mobilization to secure their safety and their release.  Our staff, our sister parishes, the sanctuary network, our GOING HOME committees, the Salvadoran community, bishops, women religious, congresspeople, governors, mayors, ambassadors interceded.  Thousands of calls poured into the US Embassy, State Department and into the Treasury Police Headquarters.  Initially, the US Embassy said they only had jurisdiction to help Ron and Bob.  They could not help Jose. We worked around the clock. Finally, we got word they would be released – all 3 of them.

I had 3 little ones at home. Camilo (5), Tilo (2) and Alejandro (6 months).  Once we were told that they would be released, I could breathe. You and Max came to our home in Silver Spring that night, just to give me a hug, and to hold our babies.  I have a mental picture of Max sitting in the rocking chair and holding Camilo. Laughing! As protective as I was of the kids, Camilo was old enough to know something was up.  You and Max reassured him that all would be well! Accompaniment. Such a gift.

November 16, 2024 – the Offensive, the Assassination of the Jesuits & Bishop Medardo Gomez’s Exile

Just two weeks after the 4th repatriation, Jose’s arrest and miraculous release, on November 11th, 1989, the FMLN launched an unprecedented military offensive, penetrating San Salvador and several provincial capitals.   In response, the Salvadoran Armed Forces unleashed a scorched earth assault. Salvadoran President Alfredo Cristiani was in contact with the rector of the Jesuit University, Fr. Ignacio Ellacuria, who had been out of the country. He asked Ellacu (as he was known by his friends) to return to help broker a ceasefire. On November 16th, in the middle of the night, military operatives of the US-trained Atlacatl Brigade stormed the Catholic University and assassinated 6 Jesuits, including Father Ellacuria, their housekeeper and her daughter.  Their bodies were found in the rose garden outside their residence. It was a devastating blow.

NY Times Headline Nov 17, 1989

The head of Jesuit Refugee Services, Frank Moan, called me early that morning to inform me of the horrific news. I reached Senator John Kerry’s chief of staff to alert him. The world was in shock. Our staff quickly gathered to strategize and worked with Jesuit Joe Hacala (who headed up the US Catholic Bishops’ Campaign for Human Development) to plan a memorial service that night at our Jesuit Parish, St. Aloysius, in the heart of Washington DC. I remember asking you if you thought we could get 300 red and white carnations.  You said, “No problem.”  The sanctuary was overflowing. The entire Washington press corp was present. The Jesuit community, the national leadership of Women religious (LCWR), and religious men (CMSM) and the community, packed the church. A huge bucket of carnations was in the back of the church – and you and others handed every person a flower.  We had 8 empty chairs in the front of the church – each with the name of the Jesuits, Elba and Celina and a red carnation – a symbol of martyrdom.

Original paintings by Mary Pimmel-Freeman

We wept, we sang, we renewed our commitment to accompany the people of El Salvador.

The death of the Jesuits, Celina and Alba is widely regarded as the turning point in the war.

Accompanying Bishop Medardo Gomez

In addition to killing the Jesuits, the Salvadoran Armed Forces attacked other faith leaders and missionaries. Medardo, of course, was at the top of their hit list.  A military detail had already barged into the sanctuary of Medardo’s congregation, Resurrection Lutheran Church, and detained foreign nationals/missionaries. (They also confiscated the large, white cross that had stood on the altar that had words written on it:  the sins of the times:  poverty, hunger, violence against women, war … it was dubbed “the Subversive Cross” by the military) The Spanish Embassy, among others, implored Medardo to leave the country for his safety, and he reluctantly did so.   He came to Chicago at the invitation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America which is headquartered there, and prepared a press conference.

Gus Schultz and I flew to Chicago to meet Medardo.  He was devastated, filled with grief and regret that he had fled while his people remained.  We asked if he wanted to go back, and promised that if he did, we would accompany him. And thus was born the idea of the Epiphany Delegation!  Gus and I organized Chris Grum (the Vice President of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America),  several Lutheran Bishops, 1 episcopal Bishop, 2 theologians, Oscar Chacon, Eric Popkin and ourselves to accompany Medardo back to El Salvador to celebrate Epiphany with his people.  It would be a lightening visit - 3 days in the country, after which he would return to Guatemala City where Medardo could plan for a more permanent return.  Once on the tarmac of the International Airport in El Salvador, we were met at the door of the airplane as we exited by US Ambassador William Walker, who could not afford another political assassination of a high-ranking bishop.

In the airport lobby, hundreds of Medardo’s community awaited him. It was an extraordinary moment. We visited the rose garden at the UCA, the crime scene of the Jesuits’ assassination. We visited neighborhoods that had been bombed. We held the first interfaith service at the UCA in the aftermath of the offensive. A young catechist spoke and declared, “Do not weep for them, imitate them!” We accompanied Medardo and his community for their Epiphany services at Resurrection Lutheran Church. We held a press conference, shortly before heading to the airport to return to Guatemala City with Medardo – triumphant and hope filled. We promised that when Medardo was ready to return, we would accompany him.

Hundreds greet Bishop Medardo Gomez at El Salvador’s Internat’al Airport upon his return for Epiphany, Jan. 1990, after the assassination of the 6 Jesuits, Elba & Celina

A few months later, Medardo notified us he was ready to return. We promised to find someone to accompany him, 24/7. Jose and I were in my office.  You had asked how you could help.  Without hesitation we said:  Would you like to accompany Medardo Gomez in El Salvador.  Your initial response was that you weren’t qualified, you didn’t speak Spanish…  I believe Jose immediately countered by saying your job would be to stand by him. No Spanish required! My response I believe was that your ability to communicate love, grace, support transcended words. And the words would come. You accepted the invitation to accompany Medardo.  Not for a week, not for a few weeks, but, if I recall correctly, for months.   A priceless gift.  Medardo and his entire family and community fell in love with you.

Lutheran Bishop Medardo Gomez, San Salvador, El Salvador

1992 UN Brokered Peace Accords

In 1992, the United Nations brokered peace accords were finally signed. It was a truly momentous occasion. You, Gus Schultz, Jose and I attended the ceremony installing COPAZ in the capitol. I remember seeing US Ambassador William Walker in the crowd.  He grimaced when he saw me.  You walked right up to him, engaged him, generously moving to the next stage of rapprochement.

1992 COPA Peace Accords, San Salvador, El Salvador: Barbara Schaible, Jose Artiga, Eileen Purcell & Rev. Gus Schultz

These are just a few snippets of the countless memories of our shared history, Barbara.

Your solidarity has touched so many lives. Your love and friendship have meant so much to us, to our world, even across time and distance. You have lived a life of hospitality to others from near and far.  We cherish you. And are ever grateful for knowing you and having you in our lives.

Feliz Cumpleaños!
Always,

Eileen

SHARE's amazing staff 1990 BACK: Sheryl Bergman, Eileen Purcell, Paul Scire, Gigi Gruenke, Jean Stokan MIDDLE: Barbara Schaible, Sr. Margaret Sullivan, op, Anne Carrabino, SSS FRONT: Shana Grossman, Teri Chin, Locke Schultz