Jesuit Education for Justice: The Colegio in El Salvador, 1968-1984

Abstract

In the years since the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic church has become an agent of social change in many Third World nations. Charles Beirne, S.J., describes the transformation of a Jesuit colegio in El Salvador from a school for sons of wealthy landowners into a school open to all people. Despite threats of violence from political opponents and an internal struggle within the order, the Jesuits made the social and economic conditions of El Salvador a central part of the school's curriculum.