Title: O'Neil Talking

Date: June 1983

Location: El Salvador

Sister Maryanne O'Neill voluntarily displaced herself when she wanted to participate in helping out with the Catholic Relief Services in El Salvador. She had a great position and chose to leave so that she could help those who are displaced from the Salvadorian Civil War. Although she had training before going to El Salvador, there is no way for her to be trained on how to deal with feeling displaced. The first night she was in El Salvador, she walked around the neighborhood at night which caused many people to stare at her. Although it seemed as if she was in a nice neighborhood it was still a dangerous place to be. During her first few days in El Salvador, she came across disturbing sights, such as the human skull she almost stepped on and seeing a human femur. Experiences such as those had caused her great distress and illness. Depsite this, she ventured on with her stay in El Salvador and one day came across a sight that renewed her spiritual connection. She came upon the head of Jesus Christ from an old staute, the eyes gauged out wih crosses and the head surrounded by dead flowers. The piece caused Sister Maryanne O'Neill to reflect on her position and purpose in El Salvador, and gave her renewed vigor in her goals.

The grave experiences of her first trip to El Salvador did not deter in making the trip again. Seeing the forced displacement of the Salvadorian people, along with all the harships they went through, made it all the more reason to go and find purpose among them. The purpose was in helping them and being with them through the civil war. The peole she was with in El Salvador did not have a choice in leaving their homes or not, it was about survival and doing what was best for their futures. Some were happy to leave, others weren't, but it meant living another day. Sister Maryanne O'Neill had more of a choice, and chose to put herself in the line of danger and despair to truly connect with those who had to choice but to face it.

Her willingness to be with those who were in need differs from those who cannot choose to be anywhere else. But Sister Maryanne O'Neill's choice showcases the lenghts people go through in order to reach those in need and how people have to put themselves in the shoes of others. Although she chose to displace herself, she made the best of her time there by helping those. She may have displaced herself, but she never let that be the connection to build a relationship with those there being displaced from their homes. She chose to leave her home compared to the displaced peoples of El Salvador, but tried to come from a place of common ground with the peole she interacted with, not leatting her displacement make her an outsider.