Suchitoto

While in El Salvador we had the opportunity to visit a town outside of San Salvador called Suchitoto. This village was colonized by the Spanish and the remnants of this are seen everywhere from the cobblestone streets to the architecture of the buildings. This town was involved in several massacres during the time of unrest and civil war. The majority of the persons living in this town were either murdered or fled for their lives. We had the opportunity to meet with a nun who lives in Suchitoto and has been in El Salvador for over 40 years. Her name was Sister Peggy. She allowed us into the church area including the chapel and the area where she and the other nuns reside. This building that they are living in was originally a part of a private hacienda. The landowner had commissioned a private chapel for himself around the year 1880. Eventually, a group of nuns bought the building and were using the chapel for services and outreach into the community. However, the nuns were physically run out of the town of Suchitoto for the work that they were doing during the civil war. Sister Peggy mentioned that the sisters actually had mutilated bodies placed on the doorsteps to the church telling them to leave or they would be next. The sisters abandoned the church within 9 hours and never returned. The grounds fell into disrepair and were eventually then purchased by a different group of nuns. The grounds are now entitled Centero Arte Para la Pas. This is where Sister Peggy lives.

Since the war, Suchitoto has now become somewhat of a tourist area (as much tourism as El Salvador can generate) and is well-known for it's beauty and for the work that is being done with sanitation efforts and community outreach.

Sister Peggy also took time to talk with us about the concept of belonging. She is not your average Catholic nun....let's just be honest. She was interested in each of our stories and asked many questions about our passions and our interest in El Salvador. She told us horrible stories about the war and about what it means to be a nun in contemporary society...and what it is like now-trying to heal after so much oppression and hate. The people of Suchitoto have such stories of struggle, of perseverance, and of grace.

Being with Sister Peggy was a sacred experience. Sitting in her presence reminded me of a passage in the Bible in Exodus. In this passage, God says to Moses..."Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground" (NIV). While I was in the town of Suchitoto, I felt like I wanted to remove my shoes...the ground was sacred ground. I was not worthy of being in this presence. Today, in her presence and in the presence of the people of Suchitoto, I saw the face of Jesus. It was a face of struggle, of tension, of grace, and of love.