4th July 1976 – 4th July 2014
Friday 4th July marks the thirty-eight anniversary of the massacre of our five Pallottine confreres, Frs. Alfredo Leaden, Pedro Dufau, Alfie Kelly, and students Salvador Barbeito and Emilio Barletti. There will be several events in the Argentine to mark the anniversary.
In Mercedes there will be a memorial service which will be held in the entrance to the parish church of San Patricio at 10.30. This service is organized by the Municipality of Mercedes, the Pallottine Community and the Municipal Commission por la Memoria (to keep alive the memory). The Municipality of Mercedes commissioned new plaques to commemorate them and they will be placed on the three streets that form part of the block in which the Church, Secondary School and Parish House are. Part of the tradition is to visit the cemetery of Mercedes for a prayer service at the graves of the three priests.
In the parish of San Patricio, Belgrano, where the massacre occurred, a memorial concelebrated Mass will take place at 19.30.
As a Province let us pray for our deceased confreres and accompany the members in Argentina as they commemorate another anniversary of the massacre.
Derry Murphy, SAC. Provincial Rector.