A rocket-propelled grenade hit the hood of the white Toyota pickup truck. The four passengers were then attacked with automatic assault rifles.
Maureen Courtney had planned on attending a four-day church conference in Nicaragua when she climbed into the truck on the first day of 1990. However, that was the day that the former Stag committed the ultimate sacrifice by giving her life for the sake of principle. She then became Fairfield’s own official martyr and one of its most noteworthy alumni.
In a letter written March 28, 1983 to Sr. Mary Ann Czaja, Courtney explained the dangers she was facing in Nicaragua. She wrote:
“Well life around here gets a bit more tense daily. You get used to living ‘the present moment’ because it’s the only one you’re really sure of. Just between us, I guess you could say that one day we may have to give our lives that others may live. I guess that’s really what our commitment is all about. I think the only thing that worries me is that I won’t be willing to give it generously. But that’s a grace I ask for.”
Courtney’s act of Magis, “seeking the more,” parallels the Jesuit values that are continually emphasized at Fairfield. Conor O’Kane, associate director of Campus Ministry, explained, “Maureen Courtney is special and unique because she is part of our story and our connection to a much larger movement.”
Courtney received her Master’s Degree from Fairfield University in June 1978. Before working in Nicaragua, Courtney helped families in Harlem. Despite the many warnings from people telling her that she should continue her work in the United States, Courtney went to Nicaragua to establish schools and work with women’s cooperatives.
Sister Leanne Sitter, secretary of the congregation of the Sisters of St. Agnes, was quoted in a New York Times article describing Courtney as “very bubbly, effervescent. The people of Nicaragua loved her.”
The article, published on January 3, 1990, described the attack that killed 45-year-old Courtney and Nicaraguan nun Teresa Rosales and left two others injured.
While driving to Puerto Cabezas for a church gathering, Courtney and three others were attacked in a pickup truck by American-backed revolutionary forces, according to government and church officials. They were near the town of Ojo de Agua, 160 miles northeast of Managua. The travelers were warned of a supposed group of contras stationed along the highway they would be traveling.
The Times quoted Bishop Schmitz, one of the travelers, as he was interviewed in the evacuation plane. “We couldn’t see anything before we were hit,” said Bishop Schmitz. “Everything just exploded.”
According to O’Kane, “students have a tremendous opportunity while they are here, both inside and outside of the classroom, to use their gifts and talents, not only for our well-being but others’ too, especially those who live on the margins.”
On November 20, 2011, Campus Ministry dedicated a mass to martyrdom where students recited a dramatic reading and offered up their own reflections. By relating Courtney’s martyrdom to student participation in service trips, the mass demonstrated the ways in which students are continuing in her footsteps.
Dr. Martin Lang, a retired Fairfield University professor of Religious Studies, informed the University of her death and suggested she be recognized. Lang knew Courtney personally while she attended Fairfield. When he discovered her story, he referred to her as Fairfield’s “hidden gem.” Last spring, a portrait of her was commissioned and is now located in Campus Ministry.
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