Like Puleo, who died from a brain tumor at the age of 32, the martyr's lives also were cut short. It was 10 years ago this November when the six Jesuit professors and two female co-workers were brutally murdered by military troops of the El Salvadoran government.

"Faith that Does Justice: The Tenth Anniversary of the El Salvadoran Martyrs of UCA" honors those martyrs who were considered a threat because of their courageous support of the Church's "preferential option for the poor" and their call for dialogue to end the long-standing Salvadoran civil war. These assassinations stunned the world and focused greater attention on the ongoing violence and injustice in El Salvador. The conference will reflect on the lives, work and witness of the Jesuits and women and the challenges posed to Catholic higher education in the United States. A memorial Eucharist for El Salvador will be held at 10 p.m. Oct. 3 in St. Francis Xavier College Church at the corner of Grand and Lindell Boulevards. The conference also will feature speakers, movies and a display of Mev Puleo's works.

The Rev. William H. McNichols, S.J., an iconographer, will present the slide presentation and lecture "Companions of Jesus: The Martyrs' Way" from noon to 1 p.m. in Auditorium B of the Learning Resources Center, 3544 Caroline Mall, and from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Pere Marquette Gallery on the second floor of DuBourg Hall, 221 N. Grand Blvd. on Oct. 4.

Roman Mayorga, Ph.D., former president of UCA and a close friend of the Jesuits killed, will present "Remembering the UCA and its Martyrs" at 3:15 p.m. Oct. 6 in the lower level of St. Francis Xavier College Church at the corner of Grand and Lindell Boulevards.

The Rev. Dean Brackley, S.J., Ph.D., who teaches theology and ethics at the University of Central America, will present "Ten Years Later: A Salvadoran Reflection on the Challenge of Solidarity and the Christian University" at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5 in the lower level of St. Francis Xavier College Church at the corner of Grand and Lindell Boulevards.

Douglas W. Cassel, director of the Center for International Human Rights at Northwestern University School of Law and the American Bar Association observer at the trial of the Salvadoran military personnel after the murders, will present "Why the Jesuits and Women Martyrs Did Not Die in Vain: Peace and Justice in El Salvador" at 2:15 p.m. Oct. 7 in the Pere Marquette Gallery on the second floor of DuBourg Hall, 221 N. Grand Blvd.

Mev Puleo was a St. Louis native and graduate of Saint Louis University. In addition to being a photojournalist, Puleo was a teacher, campus minister and activist. She used photographs and interviews to draw attention to the struggles and aspirations of poor people attempting to defend their dignity and transform the world. Her pursuits took her to Brazil, El Salvador, Mexico and Haiti. Puleo was awarded the 1995 U.S. Catholic Award for furthering the cause of women in the Catholic Church. She also received the Pedro Arrupe Award from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley in October 1995.

Her parents, Peter and Evie Puleo, established The Mev Puleo Lectureship in Third World Theology and Culture in Mev's memory in 1997. The conference is co-sponsored by Saint Louis University's department of theological studies.

"Mev's passion and spirit did not end with her untimely death," said the Rev. J.J. Mueller, S.J., chairman of Saint Louis University's department of theological studies. "Her spirit finds a place still in her lectureship that attempts to raise the awareness of the University community to the needs of the poor and oppressed, especially our sisters and brothers in other countries."

The conference is free and open to the public. For more information, call (314) 977-2878.