Salvadoran Cardinal José Gregorio Rosa Chávez is visiting communities around Long Island this weekend. Over 100,000 Salvadorans live on Long Island. His visit comes after the Central American communities have come under attack from both MS-13 and the Trump administration in recent months.
Cardinal Rosa Chavez is the first Central American cardinal in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. He was a close ally of the murdered Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero and he has long worked for the dignity of the poor throughout Central America. His elevation to the office of cardinal in June was a great honor bestowed by Pope Francis and indicative of the pope’s turn towards justice for the poor.
In his first two days on Long Island, the cardinal visited the Nassau County jail and met with immigrant advocates at Catholic Charities. Here is the rest of his schedule as compiled by Newsday’s Bart Jones:
Saturday
1 p.m. Welcoming ceremony and talk at St. John the Baptist High School, West Islip
2 p.m. Mass at St. John the Baptist High School
7:30 p.m. Mass at St. Anne’s Roman Catholic Church, Brentwood
Sunday
9 a.m. Mass at Our Lady of Loretto Roman Catholic Church, Hempstead
1 p.m. Welcoming ceremony and talk at Kellenberg Memorial High School, Uniondale
2 p.m. Mass at Kellenberg Memorial High School
