Violence & Daily Struggles in El Salvador

September 2021 – Executive Director’s Reflections & News from El Salvador

Watercolor original by: Marie Spaeder Haas

PRIVACY, DIGNITY, SAFETY As most of you know, the COAR children come from tough backgrounds. They are victims of abuse that is sometimes horrific, often terrifying, and always humiliating. Healing shame is an important part of the staff’s work with the children. It is always a difficult balance for us to tell you about them […]

Community Film School and Facing Reality

Or, how to keep busy during an ongoing pandemic . . . Interhouse soccer tournaments, daily gospel reflections, and Zumba videos can only get you so far—even with the usual schoolwork and household chores. So Marta, our director, has found a creative outlet for six of our COAR kids. She’s signed them up for film […]

June 2021 – Executive Director’s Reflections & News from El Salvador

Watercolor original by: Marie Spaeder Haas

I DESERVE A PATH FREE OF VIOLENCE COAR Children designed this movie poster on emigration: “YOUR LIFE IS WORTH MORE THAN AN UNCERTAIN DESTINATION / I DESERVE A PATH FREE OF VIOLENCE” The film school opportunity (featured in our news this month) started as a remote‑learning, creative outlet during the pandemic. But the first project […]

August 15th – Foundation Day

August 15th – Foundation Day – A Day of Joy between two sorrows – and Joy for 40 years August 15th is the Catholic feast day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven. It was also the birthday of St. Romero in 1915. As refugee children came to the CLAM Team Parish […]

June 2019 – Executive Director’s Reflections & News from El Salvador

Watercolor original by: Marie Spaeder Haas

From the Peace Mission’s Executive Director By Mary K. Stevenson Preventing Faces of Fear In June I begin my regular summer of travel to parishes throughout North America to raise awareness and funds for COAR through the Mission Co-operative Plan of the Catholic Church. I will visit parishes that range from inner-city Miami, to rural […]

December 2018 – Executive Director’s Reflections & News from El Salvador

Watercolor original by: Marie Spaeder Haas

From the Peace Mission’s Executive Director By Mary K. Stevenson My Trail of Tears Monday, October 29th, on my way to see friends of COAR in SE Tennessee, I, literally, drove on the Trail of Tears. That is the path the Cherokee marched when President Andrew Jackson forced them off their land and out to western […]

Car Bomb Explodes on Highway to the Port of La Libertad

On Sunday, February 11th, 2018, possible gang violence rang out on the Highway to the Port of La Libertad a little over 1/2 mile from COAR.   Two policemen from Santa Tecla had come across an abandoned vehicle on the highway and opened the doors to investigate.  As soon as they opened the door, the car […]

Gangs Threaten All Civil Society: Worst violence since the WAR

“The violence is terrible.  Gangs occupy every inch of this country.  If you are young and you enter a neighborhood where you don’t live, they will shoot you dead on the spot.  It has not been this bad since the war!  No one is safe” remarked Rebeca (name changed for her protection).   During our last […]