«« back
All Jesuit saints
All Jesuit blesseds

Introduction:
What is martyrdom?

Modern Jesuit martyrs

Since the renewal of Vatican II led to the Society of Jesus sharpening its sense of the intimate connection between faith and the quest for justice, a steady number of Jesuits have had to affirm their commitment to Jesus crucified by facing threats of violence, violence and eventually death at the hands of those who would silence them. What follows is an unofficial list of Jesuits who have been killed in the past 40 years because of their commitment to faith and justice.

---

Father Herman Rasschaert (1922-1964)
24 March, 1964 - India

Brother Alfredo Pérez Lobato (1937-1973)
1 December, 1973 - Chad

Father León Dumas (1901-1975)
25 October, 1975 - Lebanon

Father Alban De Jerphanion (1901-1976)
14 March, 1976 - Lebanon

Brother Nicolas De Glos (1911-1976)
23 May, 1976 - Chad

Father João Bosco Penido Burnier (1917-1976)
12 Oct 1976 - Brazil

Brother John Joseph Conway (1920-1977)
6 Feb. 1977 - Zimbabwe

Father Martin Thomas (1932-1977)
6 Feb 1977 - Zimbabwe

Father Christopher Shepherd-Smith (1943-1977)
6 Feb 1977 - Zimbabwe

Father Rutilio Grande García (1928-1977)
12 Mar 1977 - El Salvador

Father Desmond Donovan (1927-1978)
15 Jan 1978 disappeared - Zimbabwe

Brother Bernhard Lisson (1931-1978)
27 June 1978 - Zimbabwe

Father Gregor Richert (1930-1978)
27 June 1978 - Zimbabwe

Father Gerald Pieper (1940-1978)
26 Dec 1978 - Zimbabwe

Father Francis Louis Martiseck (1912-1979)
24 Feb 1979 - India

Father Bernard Darke (1925-1979)
14 July 1979 - Guyana

Father Mathew Mannaparambil (1938-1980)
7 Mar 1980 - India

Father Luis Espinal Camps (1932-1980)
22 March 1980 - Bolivia

Father Godofredo Alingal (1922-1981)
13 April, 1981 - Philippines

Father Carlos Pérez Alonso (1936-1981?)
2 Aug 1981 - Guatemala (disappeared)

Father Nicolas Kluiters (1940-1985)
14 Mar 1985 - Lebanon

Father João de Deus Gonçalves Kamtedza (1930-1985)
30 Oct 1985 - Mozambique

Father Silvio Alvés Moreira (1941-1985)
30 Oct 1985 - Mozambique

Brother Vicente Cañas Costa (1939-1987)
6 April 1987 - Brazil

Father André Masse (1940-1987)
24 Sept 1987 - Lebanon

Father Jean de Boisséson (1910-1988)
29 May 1988 - Madagascar

Father Sergio Restrepo Jaramillo (1939-1989)
1 June 1989 - Colombia

Father Raymond A. Adams (1935)
12 Nov 1989 - Ghana

Father Ignacio Ellacuría Beascoechea (1930-1989)
16 Nov. 1989 - El Salvador

Father Amando López Quintana (1936-1989)
16 Nov. 1989 - El Salvador

Father Joaquín López y López (1918-1989)
16 Nov. 1989 - El Salvador

Father Ignacio Martín Baró; (1942-1989)
16 Nov. 1989 - El Salvador

Father Juan Segundo Montes Mozo (1933-1989)
16 Nov. 1989 - El Salvador

Father Juan Ramón Moreno Pardo 1933-1989)
16 Nov. 1989 - El Salvador

On Nov. 16, 1989 six Jesuits, their housekeeper and her daughter were assassinated at the Catholic University of El Salvador by soldiers who entered the Jesuit residence at night and brutally murdered them. Reflections on the 10th anniversary of their deaths.

Father Eugene John Hebert (1923-1990)
15 Aug 1990 - Sri Lanka

Father Patrick Gahizi (1946-1994)
7 April, 1994 - Ruanda

Father Chrysologue Mahame (1927-1994)
7 April, 1994 - Ruanda

Father Innocent Rutagambwa (1948-1994)
7 April, 1994 - Ruanda

Mons. Christophe Munzihihirwa Mwene Ngabo (1926-1996)
29 Oct 1996 - Zaire

Scholastic Richard Michael Fernando (1970-1996)
17 Oct 1996 - Cambodia

Father Thomas Anchanikal (1951-1997)
27 Oct 1997 (India, in the region of Hazaribag)

Father Thomas E. Gafney (1932-1997)
14 Dec 1997 - Nepal

Scholastic Tarcisius Dewanto (1956-1999)
8 September, 1999 - East Timor

Father Karl Albrecht (1928-1999)
11 September, 1999 - East Timor

Father Remis Kerketta (1953-2000)
12 July, 2000 - India

Father Martin J. Royackers (1959-2001)
21 June, 2001 - Jamaica