SUMMIT, NJ - Last Saturday, Abelino Mazariego was murdered while he sat on a park bench in downtown Summit. On Monday, his life was celebrated in a funeral mass in downtown Summit at St. Teresa of Avila.

Fourteen years ago Mr. Mazariego emigrated from El Salvador, a country rife with high crime rates including gang-related crimes and juvenile delinquency. Like millions of other immigrants, he came to this country for the promise of safety, peace, tranquility, and financial stability. He chose Summit because he had family members living here.

His wife and four children, two sons and two daughters, joined him in their new life in Summit. He lived and worked in town. His son, Abelino Mazariego, Junior, explained that his father "had come to America because it was a land of opportunity and to get away from the poverty of San Salvador. He thought it was very safe in America and that his family would be safe here. He had come here to make a better life."

Mr. Mazariego had arrived. Sitting on that park bench after a day of work, he was enjoying the safety, peace and tranquility of the Promenade in Summit when his life was snuffed out. He leaves behind his wife, Julia Celina Moran, his sons Abelino Jr. and Geraldo, daughters Rosa and Carolina, and a 10-year-old granddaughter. Rosa and Carolina are pregnant, as is a daughter-in-law.

Mr. Mazariego’s widow said, "I want justice in this case. Abelino was a very good man." Mazariego’s son Abelino Jr. stated, "my father was the greatest. I would like to offer friendship to all those who loved my dad. As a son, I am angry—no one has the right to take another life." In his eulogy, Abelino Junior extolled the importance of paying attention to and cherishing one’s parents. He hopes to represent his father well and the family hopes to overcome this tragedy.

Members of the interfaith community of Summit attended the funeral. Denison D. Harrield, Jr. pastor of the Wallace Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church in Summit and former president of the Summit Interfaith Council stated, "This is a very tragic event which is not typical of Summit. I am praying for unity and healing for everyone in the community."

Father Brian Plate, pastor of St. Theresa of Avila, thanked the community for supporting the Mazariego family and eulogized Mr. Mazariego as a hard working father.

Robert Green, a rabbinical student who is interning as a Chaplin at Overlook Hospital in Summit, said that in the face of this tragedy, it is beautiful to see an outpouring of interfaith and interracial support.

Summit Mayor Jordan Glatt attended the funeral and stated that this tragedy is uncharacteristic of Summit and will not be tolerated. He explained that the murder is part of an ongoing investigation and has not as of now been classified as a hate crime.

The funeral was conducted in Spanish and led by the Reverend Marco Celis who addressed the family and told them that the community shared their pain. Father Celis told the nearly 200 attendees that "we are witness to a unique and intolerable act. We are all surprised and perhaps, some of us are angry and totally devastated at such an unspeakable act."

He continued, "those of us who knew Abelino have a very good and beautiful memory of him, his smile, his laughter and the sound of his voice….In our minds is an image of a man who leaves his country behind with the dream of working hard and sacrifice to provide a better future for his family."

Father Celis referenced Bishop Oscar Romero, an Archbishop of San Salvador, who was murdered and is seen in El Salvador as a martyr. Father Celis explained that both Romero and now Abelino Mazariego are, "...present in the heart of all his loved ones, that his blood is the price of tolerance and freedom."