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PDF versionJesuit who replaced slain Salvadoran priests dies
Father Dean Brackley spent decades fostering solidarity across nations
Oct. 17, 2011
Jesuit Father Dean Brackley, who volunteered in 1989 to help replace faculty members slain at the Jesuit University in El Salvador during its bloody civil war, died Sunday in San Salvador. He was 65.
Brackley, a member of the New York Province of Jesuits when he relocated to San Salvador, served at Central American University from 1990 until his death. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer four months ago.
Brackley will be remembered for his tireless efforts to build awareness and solidarity between churches and universities in the United States and the poor in Central America. He wrote and lectured extensively on the need for higher education to connect scholarship to service and resources to the social reality of the poor.
His personal witness, meticulous scholarship and passion for the poor made him a voice of conscience within the global network of Jesuit schools in their response to the violence in El Salvador. His role in welcoming and orienting thousands of church delegations from the United States and Europe to the realities of Latin America helped shape the "accompaniment" of sister parishes and other advocacy groups, which in turn influenced a change in U.S. policy in the region at the end of the 12-year civil war and with the peace accords in 1992.
But when Brackley arrived at the airport in El Salvador in January 1990, he entered a war zone. His room at the Jesuit residence would be yards from the small garden where the bullet-riddled bodies of the Jesuits were found, their blood and brains spattered on the nearby walls. It was just down the hall from a parlor where the housekeeper and her daughter were killed at the same time, their decision to remain on campus overnight based on the assumption that they would be safer there because the army had sealed off the area during an offensive by the rebels.
The nighttime massacre of the six faculty members and the two women sent shock waves around the world in November 1989, shining a spotlight on U.S. support for the Salvadoran military in a civil war defined by the anticommunist rhetoric of the time.
When it was revealed that Salvadoran army commandos who had just returned from training in the United States had carried out the murders, outrage was organized into the ongoing annual protest at the School of the Americas in Columbus, Ga., where Latin American militaries have been receiving training for decades. For a time, Jesuit colleges, universities and high schools formed the backbone of the protest against the school. The protest's broad geopolitical implications permeated the curricula and public stances of some of the United States' most prestigious schools, whose graduates have held high-level positions at the State Department and Pentagon.
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Brackley took up duties on staff at Central American University and for the next two decades administered the School for Religious Education and assisted in schools for pastoral formation. He brought to El Salvador his 10 years of teaching theology and ethics at Fordham University in New York and his experience in social ministry in Manhattan's Lower East Side and in the South Bronx, where he encountered the kind of structural poverty and social breakdown he would witness in El Salvador in the aftermath of the war.
Born in upstate New York in 1946, Brackley entered the Jesuits in 1964. He was ordained a priest in 1976 and received a doctorate in religious social ethics from the University of Chicago's Divinity School in 1980.
In coming to Central American University, Brackley was stepping into the powerful currents of thought exemplified by Jesuit Father Ignacio Ellacuría, who, some say, was the main target of the government's wrath in the campus assassinations.
Ellacuría, a Spanish Jesuit who had come to El Salvador in 1947, helped to define the role of the university not as a source of private education for the privileged but as a source of empowerment that was to be projected into the social reality around it. The focus of education was not just to provide successful careers but genuine social analysis so graduates could address structural injustice and enter the process of change. Brackley would often say it was for this audacious understanding of higher education that Ellacuría and the others were killed.
Brackley worked closely with Father Jon Sobrino, another Jesuit at the university who escaped assassination by being out of the country the night of the raid. Sobrino's writings on liberation theology reflect Ellacuría's view that Archbishop Oscar Romero lived out the vision of the "church of the poor" proclaimed at the 1968 meeting of Latin American bishops with Pope Paul VI in Medellín, Colombia. Romero's death in 1980 had revealed the full cost of accompanying the poor when wealth and power are entrenched against change.
But the paschal mystery was also visible in such self-sacrifice as the source of hope and resurrection. Brackley's deepening analysis of the plight of the poor would connect the dots between Medellín and the complex inequities built into trade agreements, global capitalism, immigration policy and the war on terror. But his analysis was always within the theological vision that God is with the poor, making them ambassadors to the rest of us, evangelists who invite us to save ourselves by responding to their plight.
In numerous talks and in time spent teaching at universities in the United States, Brackley laid out the radical challenge that education and privilege place upon the shoulders of those with resources, often describing what contact with the poor does to us: "First, it breaks your heart, then you fall in love, then you're ruined for life."
In a July 1 email to friends, Brackley told of the cancer diagnosis, his hopes for more time to continue his work, but also of his surrender to God's will:
"The faith factor is decisive, as you know. When I ask you and Monseñor Romero to pray, I mean: Let us pool our faith. Mine is weak enough, but with all of us, that is another matter. God wants to give life more than we want life. St. Ignatius wrote to Francisco Borja: I consider myself wholly an obstacle to God's work in me. In other words, the exercise of faith, our fundamental human challenge, gets us out of the way of God's work. So, let us pray.
"I cherish your friendship now more than ever. Un fuerte abrazo. Dean"
On Aug. 29, when treatment options in California proved ineffective, Brackley returned to El Salvador. He died shortly after 11 a.m. Oct. 16, surrounded by his Jesuit brothers and close friends.
May the angels accompany you
May the angels accompany you into Paradise. May the prophets and martyrs welcome you.
Dean Brackley is way I like my priests.
When I heard Fr. Brackley
When I heard Fr. Brackley speak to a group from the US sponsored by the SHaRE Foundation in 2010, his was a message of grim reality and yet hope for the people of El Salvador. May he rest in peace.
Pray for us laity, Fr.
Pray for us laity, Fr. Brackley, so that we may bring about the needed change in our church. There are too few clergy as brave as you and Archbishop Romero.
Dean Brackley spoke, in 2000,
Dean Brackley spoke, in 2000, to a Cleveland delegation sponsored by IRTF and CIS. I will never forget his kindness and commitment, nor his encouragement to "Let the poor break your heart..." I was thinking of him and praying for him just this past week when I was on retreat. May he now know the fulfillment of the HOPE he lived.
RIP
RIP
A fine and holy man is now a
A fine and holy man is now a heavenly advocate for El Salvador and people who are poor. May he rest in peace.
Dean gave himself fully to
Dean gave himself fully to the people of El Salavdor. He was the Holy Spirit personified. He was an extraordinary priest, joyful companion and great friend. Let us each pledge to keep his vision and spirit alive especially in these difficult times.
God bless you Dean for your
God bless you Dean for your emptying of yourself for the people of El Salvador and for being an example of living the "good-news" life. You will be remembered. In peace and solidarity, LL
This is sad news indeed. Fr
This is sad news indeed. Fr Dean Brackley was a gem! May he rest in peace, and may we carry on his vision.
'Now, O Lord, let your
'Now, O Lord, let your servant rest in peace. I have seen
your glory and fullness.'
Dean Brackley, PRESENTE!
Dean Brackley, PRESENTE!
My heart is filled with deep
My heart is filled with deep loss as I learn of Dean's death.
I met Dean in the Bronx during the 1980's and considered him a friend.
His accompaniment in my spiritual journey was life changing. I then
visited with him in El Salvador in 1990 when I went on a delegation
for the 10th anniversary of Bishop Romero's death. I thought the world of him.
He taught us so well! Love, Betsy Clark, SSJ
While working in El Salvador
While working in El Salvador and after returning to the USA, I never ceased to be affected by Dean's authentic caring spirit, brilliance and humility. He shared these qualities generously with all of us who encountered him in life and in his writings.
Prior to the 25th Anniversary of Archbishop Romero's martyrdom, I called Dean to ask if the UCA would be having simultaneous translation into English during the week of Theological Reflection occurring during the anniversary period. Many in the international audience who didn't speak Spanish would need help. Dean quickly mobilized, getting most of the equipment (headphones, etc.) on loan. A small group of us took on the easier task of signing up translators.
Recently, I've thought about how beautifully Dean lived his ordained Jesuit priesthood. Yet, during the many years I knew him, I never saw him in a Roman collar nor heard anyone address him as Father. He was simply Dean, while being one of the finest priests many of us will know.
Earlier this afternoon,
Earlier this afternoon, before I learned of his passing, I did some things relevant to Fr Brackley's life and work: decided to sponsor Enrique, a six-year-old boy from Cuernavaca; made a hard copy of Fr Sobrino's "Carta a Ignacio Ellacuria" on the theme of Outside the Poor, No Salvation, because I've been wanting to read it carefully; and worked for a couple of hours on the homework assignment for the Spanish classes I'm taking here in Cuernavaca so that I can get closer to my Latino friends down here and back home in Oregon. Then I read the sad news in the NCR online. There is a tremendous flow of grace from the University of Central America (UCA) that perhaps began under Fr. Ellacuria's leadership there and has continued these many years unabated. Thank you, Jesus, for sending us these good men and women to teach us and support us along the way to your kingdom of justice for all!
On sponsoring kids and elders in dire need: See Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (www.cfcausa.org).
Thank you, Patrick Marrin,
Thank you, Patrick Marrin, for this beautiful meditation on the gift of life and the challenge of faith. Your portrait of Fr. Brackley as a loving servant of God is moving and remarkable.
Dean Brackley was ever
Dean Brackley was ever gracious to those of us who traveled to El Salvador as members of sister parish delegations. The last time I saw him was at the UCA in October 2010. When a member of the delegation asked him why he stayed in El Salvador, he said he stayed because of the privilege of teaching over 200 theology students each year, most of whom are preparing for ministry; the opportunity as the only Jesuit gringo on the faculty to speak to groups like ours and bridge the North-South gap; his love for the Salvadoran people and the fact that "all of us want to feel we are doing something useful with our lives" … and he concluded, “ I feel that here.” He was quite simply one of the saints--and I am saddened today to hear of his death. He poured out his life in so many ways-and we all are the better for it. I have no doubt that God has welcomed him home.
Yesterday, my country El
Yesterday, my country El Salvador lost an apostle, Fr. Dean Brackley, S.J.
While thousands of Salvadoreans left our beloved country looking for a safe future, Padre Dino, went to El Salvador to work for and with the poor in their communities. He was an optimistic who saw El Salvador and it people with the eyes of love and positivism. My family and I pay tribute to and reserve a special place in our hearts for Padre Dino: a modern saint, a friend, a proud Salvadoreno. He will live forever in our hearts!
I heard Dean Brackley only
I heard Dean Brackley only once, at a Pax Christi gathering. But I have never forgotten him because of his whole-hearted love for "the poor" and his putting himself on the line for the cause to which he was dedicated.
May that good man rest in peace.
I remember Dean telling a
I remember Dean telling a group of us that he believed admission into heaven is at the behest of the poor and marginalized. There must have been a crowd waiting to welcome him home. Dean, your essence lives on in all those whom you have touched
If you’d like to have more of
If you’d like to have more of a sense of who Dean Brackley was, he’s featured in a documentary about El Salvador called “Enemies of War.” You can get it from New Day Films (www.newday.com) or Third World Newsreel (www.twn.org)
What a wonderful, wonderful
What a wonderful, wonderful witness to God's love and compassion! Fr. Brackley will be deeply missed by many people. His example is an inspiration to me to commit my life to something greater than the consumption of goods and services. In the end all that really matters is the relationships we have with those around us. When we are dead and gone, what will our legacy be? Who will miss us because we mirrored the love of God in our lives? Fr. Brackley, please pray for all those who have been left behind on their journey to God.
Dean's ardor and example will
Dean's ardor and example will remain with us always, as will the gratitude I hold for his brotherhood and for the many ways he brought credit upon our religious family. May the angels lead him into Paradise and may Monsenor Romero and the other martyrs receive him.
Fr. Brackley is now one with
Fr. Brackley is now one with Archbishop Romero and his Jesuit brothers. May he rest in Peace!
Father Dean Brackley has
Father Dean Brackley has reached his heavenly reward. May we be inspired by his life of faith, service and love.
Dean was a wonderfully kind
Dean was a wonderfully kind brother Jesuit who intellectually and prayerfully challenged me and others with love for the poor. May his example continue to influence us Jesuits worldwide for our mission "to serve the faith and promote justice"! RIP Pete Henriot, S.J., Lilongwe, Malawi
Dean Brackley was my friend
Dean Brackley was my friend and seminary classmate in the Jesuits at Shadowbrook (New England Province) and later. We prayed together, studied together, tutored children in the "inner-city" of Boston, and played basketball with other Jesuit seminarians. In games, his eyeglasses kept being knocked off, but his patience and enthusiasm were seemingly endless. Later I visited him occasionally at Nativity parish in lower East Side Manhattan where he worked with youth. The church was a block or two from the original Catholic Worker house on First Street. Sometimes we saw Dorothy Day at Mass at Nativity. I cannot remember ever seeing Dean without a smile on his face, except for the odd moments when he looked quizzical. As for Dorothy, she seemed never to smile. I left the Jesuits, but Dean became my "neighbor" again as he came to El Salvador and I did research and peace work in Nicaragua and Honduras. It is a responsibility to have known Dean because his example has given me no excuse for evading the commandments of joyful love and social justice. Que le vaya bien, companero! Nosotros adelante, y luego reunimos.
Priest such as Father
Priest such as Father Brackley inspire all of us. So we thank God for him and may he rest in peace.
Powerful brave and
Powerful brave and holy-wholly committed witness. Suggest the media search the world for presbyters and religious men and women and laity like these instead of nailing bishops and the proportionately few clergy and religious who do harm.
RIP Dean; you are an
RIP Dean; you are an inspiration to me and many. You have, and will, inspire structural change that yields abundant justice.
Pat, excellent article.
-Joe M.
Congratulations NCR. One of
Congratulations NCR.
One of the best articles I've read on here and a fitting tribute to a man who "crossed over to the side of the poor."
I have lost a dear friend.
I have lost a dear friend. There is so much I could share. I prefer to treasure the memories.
I knew of Fr. Dean thru his
I knew of Fr. Dean thru his life and work and I am saddened by his death but life is renewed thru the lives he has touched by his ministry to the poor. You are in God's hands, Fr Dean. Requiscat in Pace.
I met Fr. Dean March of 2011
I met Fr. Dean March of 2011 when I was on a mission trip with Ohio dominican College. We had a two hour talk with him that I thought could have gone on for days or weeks. He understood the complexity of poverty and the forces that contribute to poverty more than any one person I have ever heard. I have since read some of his writing. I shall ever be greatful to God for allowing even that small amount of time with him, and I rest in the knowledge that this earth is losing one of its true saints.
I have known Dean for 40+
I have known Dean for 40+ years. He holds a special place in my heart. He is an inspiration to everyone with his enthusiasm and knowledge and his unique ability to make everyone around him feel comfortable.
His love for the poor and untiring work to give them hope and a better life are most admirable and I pray that his work will continue.
There are two special events that I will always remember: My wedding day when Dean was the principal celebrant and the day he said Mass for us in our home.
Though we have not seen each other for many years, I will miss his presence in my life.
May he rest in peace.
Dean’s book, “The Call to
Dean’s book, “The Call to Discernment in Troubled Times,” touched me deeply when I read and discussed it with our Ignatian Volunteer Corps community for 2009-2010. Thus, I was eager to meet him in November 2010 at the University of Central America when I journeyed to El Salvador with Maryknoll’s Friends Across Borders’ immersion program. His passion for his ministry and the people he served was contagious. After we participated in the 21st Anniversary Mass for the 6 Jesuit martyrs and 2 women, and visited the sacred sites where they and Archbishop Romero were gunned down, the 15 of us, hailing from various parts of the U.S., wanted to move beyond listening to action. By the end of our stay, we had given ourselves a name - “PRESENTES!”- and made a commitment to sponsor a student for the next 4-5 years in the UCA Martyrs Scholarship Program founded by Dean to help very bright and talented students from extremely poor families attain their dream of a college education. As the total cost for 1 year of college is only $1,100 per student, we decided that it was a small, but tangible step to be in solidarity with the legacy of hope Dean started. Now, more than ever, there is probably no better way to honor him.
During the spring 2010 semester, Dean taught "Christian Faith in Cultural Contexts (Liberation Theology and Catholic Social Teaching: A Latin American Perspective) at Marquette University as part of the Wade Chair Course Lectures. If you want to get further “ruined for life,” as Dean would say, view his lectures at: http://www.marquette.edu/theology/wadechairbrackleycourselectures.shtml
It is with great gratitude, Dean, that we now return to you across eternity what you first gave us, teachable moments and “un fuerte abrazo.”
Un fuerte abraza, Dean. Your
Un fuerte abraza, Dean. Your passion and commitment for the poor and vulnerable, for the person of Christ in each of us, and for the work of Love stand as an example for life well-lived. May Christ be peace and joy in you always.
Standing alongside Father
Standing alongside Father Brackley, the soon-to-be-sainted John Paul II and His Holiness Benedict XVI are spiritual pygmies. But what can you expect when you put the Church ahead of the Gospel of Jesus and allow a self-aggrandizing Curia of professional male Catholics to shoo two academics into what is probably the world's biggest pastoral job. If only Fr. Brackley had been Pope!
how wonderful to read a page
how wonderful to read a page of comments all in one accord of praise and prayers for this great priest and prophet, example for us all
Pat: Thanks for a concise,
Pat: Thanks for a concise, helpful and inspirational summary of Fr. Dean Brackley, SJ's work at UCA. May other witnesses take up his task with the same love and devotion to the poor! Que descanse en paz!
+Don Hanchon
Pat,thanks for the heartfelt
Pat,thanks for the heartfelt story of a man who touched our lives. Many of the folks from Kansas City on delegations to our sister communities visited the UCA. ONe of the special events planned for each delegation was the visit to the UCA and meet our friend, Dean. It is difficult to think that our next trip to El Salvador will be without a visit with Dean. I am sure one of the new tourist attractions for delegations will be at the grave site.... jerry waris
When I went to El Salvador
When I went to El Salvador with all sorts of questions about why the Jesuits in El Salvador kept seeking justice for the killers of the Jesuits and those in the government who had ordered the killing, it was Dean Brackley who took the time to listen to me and talk to me about the practical and ethical reasons in a way I felt heard and came to understand his side. I only wish I had more time to talk to him and be graced with his grace.
my country El Salvador lost
my country El Salvador lost an apostle. Fr. Dean Brackley, S.J. R.I.P.
While many Salvadoreans, left our beloved country looking for a safe future, Dino, went to El Salvador to work with the poor in their communities. He was an optimistic who saw El Salvador with the eyes of love and positivism. He worked hard to maitain alive the memories of the Jesuits assassinated in El Salvador. My family and I pay tribute to and reserve a special place in our hearts for Fr. Dean Brackley, a modern saint, a friend, a proud SALVADOREAN. He will live forever in our hearts!
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