Jesuit Higher Education Secretary to Speak About Martyrdom in El Salvador

WORCESTER, Mass. – Rev. Paul Locatelli, S.J., former president of Santa Clara University and now on the staff of the Jesuit headquarters in Rome, will present “Jesuit Education in Response to the Murder of the Six Jesuits and Their Colleagues” on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 4:30 p.m. in the Rehm Library at the College of the Holy Cross.  His presentation is part of Jesuit Heritage 2009, which offers opportunities for the Holy Cross community to reflect on what martyrdom means—20 years after the murders in El Salvador of six Jesuits, their housekeeper and her daughter.  The event is free and open to the public.

Fr. Locatelli will talk about how the murders of the Jesuits in El Salvador personally affected him.  In the 1980s he visited El Salvador numerous times and he will share his experiences with the Salvadoran people whom he met during the El Salvador Civil War and describe how the events he witnessed in El Salvador changed his understanding of Jesuit education.

Currently Fr. Locatelli is the chancellor of Santa Clara University and is serving as the secretary for Jesuit Higher Education at the Jesuit headquarters in Rome. As the secretary he is responsible for promoting cooperation among Jesuit higher education institutions around the world.

Fr. Locatelli earned his doctorate at the University of Southern California and is a Certified Public Accountant.  He is a respected leader in both Jesuit education and in U.S. higher education and has been the recipient of numerous awards.