José Inocencio Alas
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 Oscar Romero, and an advocate of peasant rights. Alas founded the Foundation of Self-Sufficiency in Central America, and is currently the director of the Mesoamerican Peace Project. He lives in Texas with his wife. His brother is Monseñor Higinio Alas, a well known bishop in Costa Rica.
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 Salvador, 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 Medellin 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 8th, 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 12th, 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 25th they began their exile which would last for 15 years. Prior to his kidnapping and exile, Alas ran retreats for the Opus Dei in El Salvador.
During the 80s, 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. His tireless work led Peace Abbey to award him the Courage of Conscience Award in 1991 (other recipients include Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama).
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."
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. [1]