El Salvador Immersion Program
March 2 – 9, 2024
Deadline for signups: December 20, 2024
Bienvenido, Bienvenida a El Salvador – Welcome to El Salvador
Consider joining us on this Maryknoll Lay Missioners-sponsored Pilgrimage to El Salvador.
With El Salvador being one of the three Central American countries from which most of the refugees and asylum seekers at the U.S. border come, you will learn how Maryknoll lay missioners are helping to address the root causes of migration by co-creating communities of peace, opportunity, and hope.
As you enter the lives of the people of El Salvador, you will be accompanied by Maryknoll Lay Missioners to go beyond the boundaries of your own culture, meeting and making friends with Salvadorans and learning about solidarity. However, the road to solidarity and sharing with the poor has its risks. The life of the common people in El Salvador is a difficult reality, and you must be aware the country is still in a critical and conflictive moment in its history.
What We Will Do There
- visit the communities where Maryknoll lay missioners live and work
- deepen and enrich your understanding on the complexity of El Salvador’s current historical context
- learn and understand the history of the country’s church and martyrs
We will visit the following locations:
- Historical Center – Cathedral in San Salvador
- Santiago Nonualco – North American Church women were martyred in 1980 (two Maryknoll sisters and lay missioner, Jean Donovan)
- St. Oscar Romero Residence and chapel where he was martyred
- UCA (Central American Jesuit University) where six Jesuit priests and their employee and daughter were murdered in 1989
Logistics and Costs
Prior to leaving, Friends Across Borders will provide an orientation which will include education about important cultural norms to follow during the trip. Our in-country guides are Maryknoll lay missioner Melissa Altman and Liz Cunningham.
TOTAL COST: $1,625 (ground cost plus registration fee).
This covers the program registration fee, all lodging and meals in country, all transportation within the country, medical insurance with medical evacuation, English-Spanish speaking guides, cultural activities, and tourist fees. International airfare, taxes, and visa are not included. (Roundtrip airfare cost from Miami is approximately $400-$600).
Friends Across Borders will provide information on obtaining a visa and immunizations, and will help you make the international flight arrangements.
Please make sure your passport is valid through September 2024!
To register or for questions contact FriendsAcrossBorders@mklm.org.