By Sister Bernadette (Brigid) Ballasty, SSND
Sister Bernadette served in Chile twice, including January 1970 through mid-December 1975, and January 1979 through mid-August 2012. This is her reflection from that challenging time.
My first ministry was in Santiago in Colegio St. George, a school run by the Congregation of the Holy Cross priests and brothers. My work involved participation in the administration and teaching in Grades 7 and 8 in 1970 and in grades 3, 4, 5 and 6 in 1971, until the school was taken over by the military government in late 1973.
At that time, there were approximately 2,400 students from the primary grades through high school. Originally founded as a boys’ school, it was co-educational by 1971.
We SSNDs, including Sisters Paula Armstrong and Helenann Nelson, were invited by the Holy Cross Congregation to participate in the reflection and decision making. One of these was a course for all faculty members on the Medellin documents.
Both congregations withdrew from the school following the military intervention and the appointment of an air force commander as rector.
In the years prior to the Coup, one could feel the tension increasing in the country. It was very common to go to the center of Santiago and find yourself on the fringe or in the middle of a demonstration with tear gas. Certain food items or groceries were scarce or not to be found in the stores.
The reality of September 11, 1973, when Pinochet seized power, was stark.
We awoke to announcements on the radio. With the military already involved, attacks on government offices and factories became sites of battles. One by one the radios were silenced.
I went to school to see after the safety of the faculty and students. Civilians went home to shelter families.
I lived in a very poor area. As I looked up, I could see helicopters with military personnel pointing weapons at the people.
Curfews were announced. These were lifted for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Some doors of the poor houses in our neighborhood were destroyed, and staples like flour and sugar thrown on the floor.
The curfew was reinstated. Lists of names were read, saying that it was necessary for some to present themselves to a particular military office or base.
Arrests were made, and in some areas torture was initiated.
Afterwards the general curfew was lifted, and theoretically, life became more normal. (The curfew during the night lasted for a long time; I believe more than a year or so.)
Classes resumed October 1. St. George School was taken over by the military. Teachers were fired, and people were arrested and tortured. Some bodies have never been discovered. Local groups, unions and even parent meetings were suspended. Buses were halted. The military continued in power.
We listened to the pain of others, and did what we could to assist Chileans and others.
The Church through the Vicariate for Solidarity did a great deal to aid families and individuals in need. One of these was to provide a place of safety, another was to seek protection for them in an embassy.
Sometime in 1972, we were asked to receive a person into our home for a few days before they would leave Chile. We reflected and shared making the decision to accept.
This was done on various occasions, around 13 or 14 times before Helenann’s birthday, in October, 1975. On that particular day, three persons in need arrived, all through the Vicariate—two from one priest and one from another. Those who came to our house usually remained in the house while we went to school, but this particular case was more dangerous. Precautions were taken to safeguard those involved and to find secure places for them to stay.
Despite the care taken, Dr. Sheila Cassidy, who had treated one of the refugees, was recognized and followed. She was arrested and tortured until she revealed our address. The next morning, security personnel arrived, hoping to find those for whom they were searching.
This began a tense period of time. It was necessary for us to seek a safe place to stay. I spent days walking around Santiago. In the evening, I was received by different people (but without sharing names). One week, a family received me in their home after leaving their children with the grandparents. Paula, Helenann and Marynoll Sister Peg were expelled.
Greater precautions were decided upon. Kathy Osberger, a young volunteer from Notre Dame, and I were given temporary refuge in the United States Consulate. This continued from November 18 until December 5, 1975, when Kathy and I left Santiago.
Epilogue
I returned to Chile in January, 1979, to participate in pastoral work in a poor area with the Holy Cross congregation. I also was invited to participate in the team creating and assisting a program that incorporates the community from poor areas in the education of the children. The focus is on children from the first four grades between 6 and 12 years old who are having difficulties in school.
Youth who live in the same sector volunteer in different activities including sessions with the children, planning activities, visits to the families, and formation. The program spread to various sectors of Chile and in ten years over 9,000 children participated.
In 1997, I moved to a rural area northeast of Santiago, continuing with pastoral work in Los Andes, part of the San Felipe diocese.
My experiences gifted me with many blessings. Friendship and the relations that are formed grow deeper as one experiences life with others—the good and enjoyable as well as the challenging and difficult. The role of the Church with those suffering became more obvious.
"This is what our Lord asks of you, only this, to act justly, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8) God is here with us!
If you'd like to know more about the experience of living through this time, all three Sisters - Hellanann Nelson (deceased), Paula Armstrong (deceased), and the author of this reflection, Bernadette Ballasty - are featured in Kathleen Osberger's book, “I Surrender: A Memoir of Chile’s Dictatorship 1975." It was published in August, 2023, and is available on Amazon.
