Fr. Bob Kus 
Because Independence Day in the United States falls on a Saturday (tomorrow), Americans celebrate this national holiday today. So, it is very fitting that today we look at a modern American hero who is also a missionary hero of Central America. Her name is Maura Clarke.
Mary Elizabeth Clarke was born on January 13, 1931 in the Bronx, New York City and grew up in the Rockaway section of Queens.
In addition to learning about her Catholic faith, Mary also learned much about Irish history and how her family and their friends fought valiantly against oppression in Ireland. She knew that she came from people who believed in, and fought for, equality and dignity for all people. This love of the underdogs of society would be a recurrent theme in her life.
When she grew up, Mary became a Maryknoll Missionary Sister, known as Sister Maura John. After serving for a time in the Bronx, New York City, Maura was sent to Siuna, a remote town in Nicaragua in 1959. Most of Sr. Maura’s missionary life would be spent in Nicaragua.
Maura fell in love with the people of Nicaragua, and they fell in love with her. Maura loved teaching about Jesus, and she loved helping the people. She was thrilled by the Second Vatican Council’s call for Catholic Christians to return to their ancient roots. Part of this call was for the laity to be full members of the Church, and to engage in the social justice mission of Catholic Christianity. Maura loved empowering the people.
As the years went on, Nicaragua became more and more brutal. Government forces became hostile toward the poor, and they killed tens of thousands of peasants. Fortunately, however, the peasants were successful when they overthrew the dictator who had been so brutal.
Following peace in Nicaragua, Maura felt a call to El Salvador, which was on the brink of suffering the same nightmare that Nicaragua had just experienced. Though her friends begged her not to go to El Salvador, she said, “We’ve won here [in Nicaragua]. They [the poor] haven’t won in El Salvador.”
In August of 1980, Maura went to El Salvador to serve the people, just five months after the Archbishop of San Salvador, Oscar Romero, was martyred. And just as her Irish ancestors fought for justice, and just as Maura had fought for justice in Nicaragua, she was now ready for El Salvador.
After serving the people of El Salvador for only a few months, however, government forces murdered Maura and three other women on December 2, 1980. Along with Maura were three other American martyrs: Maryknoll Sr. Ita Ford; Ursuline Sr. Dorothy Kazel of Cleveland; and Lay Missionary Jean Donovan from the Diocese of Cleveland mission team in El Salvador.
To learn more about the amazing life of Sr. Maura Clarke, I highly recommend Eileen Markey’s book A Radical Faith: The Assassination of Sr. Maura. Also, you can learn more about Maura in other books such as Hearts on Fire: The Story of the Maryknoll Sisters by Penny Lernoux, et.al.; The Same Fate as the Poor by Judith M. Noone; and Witnesses of Hope: The Persecution of Christians in Latin America by Martin Lange and Reinhold Iblacker.
These Missionary Sisters did give their lives for the people they served in Christ’s name. A remarkable and inspired life. May she and the other Sisters rest in peace.