José Inocencio Alas
Encyclopedia
José Inocencio "Chencho" Alas was born in Chalatenango
, El Salvador
, in 1934, one of ten children. He was a Catholic
priest
for many years, a friend to Archbishop Óscar Romero, and an advocate of peasant rights. Alas founded the Foundation for Self Sufficiency in Central America
http://www.fssca.net, and is currently the director of the Foundation for Sustainability and Peacemaking in Mesoamerica. He lives in the U.S. state of Texas
with his wife. His brother is Monseñor Higinio Alas, a well known bishop in Costa Rica
.
, he founded the Cursillos de Cristiandad movement in El Salvador.
In 1968, he became parish priest of Suchitoto
, and founded the first Christian base communities
, rooted in Liberation Theology
and the reforms of the Second Vatican Council
of 1965 in Medellín
Conference of Latin American Bishops
of 1968.
Alas's work to bring dignity and justice to the lives of the poor did not go unpunished. On January 8, 1970 he was kidnapped, drugged, stripped naked, and left for dead on a mountain top. Fortunately, he survived. Despite continuing death threats and attacks, he continued his pastoral mission in Suchitoto.
By 1977, the threats against Alas had increased along with repression throughout the country. On March 12, unidentified assassins killed Father Rutilio Grande. A few days before, at the request of Monsignor Oscar Romero, Chencho and his brother Higinio - another "rebel" priest - had gone into hiding. On May 25 they began their exile which would last for 15 years.
During the 1980s, Chencho continued working on behalf of the poor of Central America through a variety of different institutions, including the Inter American Development Bank and Capp Street Foundation.
The signing of the Peace Accords in 1992 brought an end to El Salvador's civil war. Chencho returned to El Salvador to help found ITAMA, the Institute of Technology, Environment, and Self-Sufficiency. As that organization's international representative, he relocated to the United States to facilitate fundraising in this country. In 1996, in order to better work for social justice and economic development, he helped to found the Foundation for Self-Sufficiency in Central America as an independent US-based non-profit.
In 2000, the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding awarded Alas its Peace Activist Award "in recognition of his dedication to human rights, and notably for his efforts to preserve peace in El Salvador during the violent aftermath of its civil war."
Alas was most recently awarded the Don Antonio Amaya Award from the Foundation for Self-Sufficiency in Central America as well as Catholic Digest
s Twelve Catholic Heroes for America and the World (October 2007).
Chalatenango
Chalatenango can refer to:* the Chalatenango Department in El Salvador* the city Chalatenango in El Salvador...
, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, in 1934, one of ten children. He was a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
for many years, a friend to Archbishop Óscar Romero, and an advocate of peasant rights. Alas founded the Foundation for Self Sufficiency in Central America
Foundation for Self Sufficiency in Central America
The Foundation for Self Sufficiency in Central America is a non-profit organization headquartered in Austin, Texas that works in partnership and solidarity with low-income communities in Central America....
http://www.fssca.net, and is currently the director of the Foundation for Sustainability and Peacemaking in Mesoamerica. He lives in the U.S. state of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
with his wife. His brother is Monseñor Higinio Alas, a well known bishop in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
.
Biography
Following study of theology and philosophy in El Salvador, Canada, Rome, and Belgium, he began working as a priest in his native country in 1961. While working in the Mejicanos slum of San SalvadorSan Salvador
The city of San Salvador the capital and largest city of El Salvador, which has been designated a Gamma World City. Its complete name is La Ciudad de Gran San Salvador...
, he founded the Cursillos de Cristiandad movement in El Salvador.
In 1968, he became parish priest of Suchitoto
Suchitoto
Suchitoto is a municipality in the Cuscatlán department of El Salvador.Suchitoto is widely known throughout El Salvador for its church and for its cobblestone roads...
, and founded the first Christian base communities
Christian base communities
Christian Base communities are autonomous religious groups often associated with Liberation Theology. The 1968 Medellín, Colombia meeting of Latin American Council of Bishops played a major role in popularizing them....
, rooted in Liberation Theology
Liberation theology
Liberation theology is a Christian movement in political theology which interprets the teachings of Jesus Christ in terms of a liberation from unjust economic, political, or social conditions...
and the reforms of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
of 1965 in Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
Conference of Latin American Bishops
Conference of Latin American Bishops
The Conference of Latin American Bishops was a bishops conference held in 1968 in Medellín, Colombia. In this conference the bishops agreed that the church should take "a preferential option for the poor." The bishops decided to form Christian "base communities" in which they would teach the poor...
of 1968.
Alas's work to bring dignity and justice to the lives of the poor did not go unpunished. On January 8, 1970 he was kidnapped, drugged, stripped naked, and left for dead on a mountain top. Fortunately, he survived. Despite continuing death threats and attacks, he continued his pastoral mission in Suchitoto.
By 1977, the threats against Alas had increased along with repression throughout the country. On March 12, unidentified assassins killed Father Rutilio Grande. A few days before, at the request of Monsignor Oscar Romero, Chencho and his brother Higinio - another "rebel" priest - had gone into hiding. On May 25 they began their exile which would last for 15 years.
During the 1980s, Chencho continued working on behalf of the poor of Central America through a variety of different institutions, including the Inter American Development Bank and Capp Street Foundation.
The signing of the Peace Accords in 1992 brought an end to El Salvador's civil war. Chencho returned to El Salvador to help found ITAMA, the Institute of Technology, Environment, and Self-Sufficiency. As that organization's international representative, he relocated to the United States to facilitate fundraising in this country. In 1996, in order to better work for social justice and economic development, he helped to found the Foundation for Self-Sufficiency in Central America as an independent US-based non-profit.
In 2000, the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding awarded Alas its Peace Activist Award "in recognition of his dedication to human rights, and notably for his efforts to preserve peace in El Salvador during the violent aftermath of its civil war."
Alas was most recently awarded the Don Antonio Amaya Award from the Foundation for Self-Sufficiency in Central America as well as Catholic Digest
Catholic Digest
Catholic Digest is an American Roman Catholic monthly magazine.It was founded in 1936 and today circulation totals 300,000.In December 2001, the French Roman Catholic media group Bayard Presse purchased the magazine from University of St. Thomas...
s Twelve Catholic Heroes for America and the World (October 2007).
Quotations
"Something has to be done. We cannot fold our arms and hope that these problems resolve themselves. Everyone can contribute, either a little or a lot, but definitely something, towards the creation of humane living conditions. In my case, I believe that my duty is to accompany the Coordinadora del Bajo Lempa in their Local Zone of Peace Project."Writings
- Iglesia, Tierra, y Lucha Campesina: Suchitoto, El Salavador 1968-1977. http://fssca.net/pastreports/book/index.html