Father Salvo and the legacy of the old St. Patrick's CathedralRector Enrique Salvo celebrates 2 years at San PatricioThere is no mundanity when you are the rector of Saint Patrick's Cathedral and running The Basilica of Old Saint Patrick's.
"No two days are alike," shared father Salvo, and "There is no routine because every week provides another focus and something else is going on, and so that keeps it exciting... and I don't have to have a set routine of how many hours I am going to be at my desk…and Church." He continued, "These days, we have more flexibility to get our work done from so many places," which is something Father Salvo appreciates.
Having this "flexibility" is helpful because it allows him "to prioritize each day according to the needs of each day, which is very different, and is part of the excitement of this place," said Father Salvo.
At the beginning of Father Salvo's tenure, all of the faithful congregation were eager and excited to welcome their new rector, wish him well, and pray for him; some, however, had one or two friendly suggestions that were personal to them. The new rector was gracious, willing, and happy to listen to his new flock. One in particular is Madeline, who is 93 years old and has been a daily parishioner for over 55 years. Madeline has praised Father Salvo for many reasons. She said he was very eager to help her get situated in a Catholic home and for his decision to resurrect the image of the Divine Mercy, which had been in storage before his rectorship. Like many Catholics, Madeline is devoted to the Divine Mercy; coincidently, Father Salvo and his family also have an ardent devotion.
The Divine Mercy
Before Father Salvo's rectorship, a beautiful image of the Divine Mercy remained in storage in Saint Patrick's Cathedral. He told Omnes how it was made especially for the Cathedral in Krakow at the Divine Mercy Shrine and was donated by a former and very faithful parishioner who was very active in the Cathedral. She is now deceased.
"Madeline helped me to think about it, and she gave me a smaller image to remind me" to make it visible in the Church, recalled Father Salvo. He did and created a shrine in the Cathedral. Father Salvo agrees it's beautiful but said," ... the most important thing of all is to believe in the messages, which, of course, we are invited to, and something that the Church encourages." He is also aware of the many people who have this devotion and spoke of Saint John Paul II and how "he made sure that we all knew that this all happened, and that it's real, and that it is something for us to trust." He also said that we should remember what Jesus said: "Amongst things, He asked from us, including…the great feast of the Divine Mercy on the Second Sunday of Easter… is that He wanted that image to be propagated because it's not just an image that helps us to pray because it's beautiful…"
The interior of Saint Patrick's Cathedral is a sight to behold and has a host of statues from which one can choose to say a prayer, do a Novena, or light a candle. Father Salvo appreciates all of the imagery and statues, along with our Blessed Mother that are in the Church, "…and they are all sweet and beautiful, and we have Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and then we have the Crucifix…" acknowledges Father Salvo, however, he appreciates having "one of Jesus that isn't crucified or on the Cross." He says, "It's beautiful to see an image of Jesus as he is portrayed in the Divine Mercy," which we rarely see.
"We also have the Pieta," said Father Salvo, but reiterated the importance of the Divine Mercy and how Our Lord said, "He wanted that image to be propagated, so how much more beautiful is it then that we get six million people from all over the world that come each year through the Cathedral…" "I see people almost all day long taking pictures of it, and now everyone posts everything…, so I think Saint Patrick's Cathedral is helping that mission in a very special way because to propagate that image, which is an anointed image, of a reminder of how much we are to trust in Him."
Nicaragua And The Divine Mercy
Father Salvo was born in Nicaragua and shared that he has a family history connected to the image of the Divine Mercy. He told Omnes that the image has been close to his family for a long time. His real estate developer uncle developed one of two mountains to form a bay in Nicaragua's most popular beach town, San Juan del Sur. His uncle had "this miraculous and beautiful moment with Jesus the Divine Mercy and began a great devotion to Him." And he was inspired to build "a beautiful" statue on top of the mountain, so wherever you are in the town, you see the great statue of Jesus, and people go up on pilgrimages”, shared Father Salvo.
There is also a chapel at the base of it, where Rector Salvo celebrated the first Mass. The colossal statue is one of the highest statutes of Jesus in the world, and when cruise ships arrive in Nicaragua, the first thing that they see is the Divine Mercy. What a way to welcome everyone!
Jesus, I Trust In You
Father Salvo said he is grateful to his uncle who influenced him to have a devotion to the Divine Mercy, and he appreciates "the opportunity to propagate it, not only as a Catholic priest but also as someone from a family that has this devotion." His uncle has since had a stroke and is not in optimal health, but fortunately, he has a nephew who prays for the man who instilled the love of the Divine Mercy every time he passes the image in Saint Patrick's Cathedral.
Viva los latinos católicos
Hispanics comprise more than 48% of the Archdiocese of New York, and many of the faithful rejoiced when Father Enrique Salvo began his rectorship. They were excited to welcome their excellent new rector and having the first Hispanic was memorable and historic.
Father Salvo said that Hispanics are the "life of the Church." And they are all making a mark in their faith community here. The rector spoke of Bishop Joseph Espalliat, who was ordained a bishop last year and is the first bishop of Dominican descent; his parents were born in The Dominican Republic.
We are witnessing Hispanics "making a mark in their faith community here, and it's beautiful to be part of that," said Father Salvo.
While most liturgies are done in English, Saint Patrick's has a Spanish Mass every Sunday at 4:00 p.m., which Father Salvo says he "loves doing," and says "it's a nice combination of people that I see there every Sunday, and people that come from all over the world because there are a lot of tourists from Latin America here in New York."
Look out for more of my interview with Father Enrique Salvo soon.
