Remembering Jean Donovan

Jean Marie Donovan (April 10, 1953 – December 2, 1980) was an American lay missionary who was beaten, raped, and murdered along with three fellow missionaries: (Maryknoll Sisters Ita Ford, MM, Maura Clarke, MM, and Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel, OSU) by members of the military of El Salvador on December 2, 1980. LAST UPDATED: October 5, 2025
About US
If you've discovered Jean Donovan, then you probably have a few questions. We hope this website will answer them. If you have further questions, feel free to contact us with the form below. But also understand that we are just a few volunteers (friends and family) who are close to Jean's legacy. We may not get back to you quickly. Please contact us more frequently if you need a rapid response. Pictured are friends and family gathered in Cleveland in April 2025, at the annual benefit of the COAR Peace Mission, one of the living legacies of the service and sacrifice of Jean in El Salvador.
Basic Facts
Note that many sources available through the internet have small errors of fact about Jean, her companion martyrs, and the circumstances of her death. Most were introduced at the time of her death due to the fast-moving nature of breaking news and the confusion around many details at that time. Those details have tended to roll forward in subsequent research projects. We will list a few of the basic facts here, and answer more below in our frequently asked questions (FAQs). However, we welcome any updates from the community.
[under construction]
Resources
Good basic resources:WikipediaMaryknoll SistersUrsuline Sisters of Cleveland
Published resources:Books:
Film: Plays/musicals: Other: [under construction]
Glossary
Religious order (nuns)DioceseUrsuline SistersMaryknoll (a Catholic non-profit mission movement now comprised of four organizations: Two "orders": Priests & Brothers and Sisters; two "lay" organizations: Lay Missionaries and Affiliates)Cleveland Latin American Mission (CLAM) TeamLay womanEl SalvadorSaintsCanonization/Sainthood/The CauseMartyr [under construction] (pictured is fellow martyr Sr. Dorothy Kazel, OSU, teaching in 1966, in El Salvador in 1974, with Jean at Mach Pichu (Peru) in 1980, courtesy of the Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland)

FAQ's

[under construction] Who “owns” Jean Donovan? Family: Jean had no children. Her parents, Raymond and Patricia, are deceased. Her sole sibling, her brother Mike, died in 2004. His widow sent his archive of Jean’s material to COAR Peace Mission in 2005. They were subsequently transferred to the archives of Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland in August 2025. Mike had a son who is currently not involved in Jean’s archive. Jean's father was born in Cleveland, Ohio, where the bulk of the extended Donovan clan still resides, mostly 2nd cousins to Jean. Press and biographers: Many of Jean’s letters and other possessions found their way to members of the press and a few biographers in the early 1980s. Those items are still held by those individuals. We encourage them to send those materials or at least copies and a list of what they have, to the Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland archive of Jean Donovan. Friends: Various friends have letters or other mementos of their friendship with Jean. However, the bulk of material about Jean’s life is held by members of the press and biographers who researched and wrote about Jean in the early 1980s. Institutional: Unlike the three women who were martyred along with Jean on December 2nd 1980, Jean did not belong to a religious order. Rather, she was a laywoman who volunteered to join the Cleveland Latin American Mission (CLAM) Team. In preparation for that volunteer service, she took some classes with the Maryknoll lay missioners in Ossining, NY. For that reason, she is sometimes called a member of Maryknoll, but she was not. However, because of her association with the CLAM Team, the Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland have agreed to house Jean’s archives. Is Jean a Saint? Not as of our last update. Jean’s cause for canonization has been introduced by the Archdiocese of San Salvador along with 47 other “companion martyrs of St. Oscar A. Romero”. The cause was officially introduced on August 6, 2023. The process of investigating all 47 martyrs continues as part of the established procedure of the Catholic Church for individuals being considered for canonization. Jean’s companions are also included among the 47 companions (Srs. Ita Ford, MM, Maura Clarke, MM, and Dorothy Kazel, OSU). Where did “St. Jean the Playful” originate? Jean joked to her Cleveland-based friends (in late 1980) that if she were martyred, they would have to pray to her, and if so, she’d like to be known as “St. Jean the Playful”. [under construction]

JEAN’S DAILY DIARY

Jean kept a daily diary from Wednesday, January 30 – Friday, October 24, 1980. The entries are short and mostly describe an event of that day. A few examples are shown here. We are in the process of scanning, transcribing, and preparing the diary entries for easy access here.
"Monsignor Romero received the degree of Honorary Doctor of the University Louvain in Belgium and gave the reason of his position in Salvador. Voice of those without a voice, striving for peace, and defending justice. Fabian Amaya preached. " -- Saturday, February 2, 1980
"Meeting with Jesus Delgado about funeral plans [of Monsignor St. Romero] . Only 10 people attend. Guarded coffin during 12 o’clock mass. " -- Friday, March 28, 1980
"Fun day - Carla, Ita [Maryknoll Sisters], and I came down for night. -- Carla read articles in Glamour [magazine] and we finished off a bottle of Chilean wine." -- Tuesday, August 19, 1980

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