St. Patrick’s Cathedral rector goes ‘the extra mile’

Father Enrique Salvo been rector of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City and chaplain of the New York City Chapter of Legatus since November 2021. He was born in Nicaragua, where his father managed the family’s dairy factory. He and his three siblings grew up in an observant Catholic home. It was a “traumatic time” when the Sandinista regime came to power, however, and the family was forced into exile in Miami in 1979. They returned to Nicaragua a decade later.

Enrique returned to the U.S. to attend college. He and a brother founded a financial services company, but soon after he discerned “that God was calling me to something else.” Enrique moved to New York and entered the seminary for the Archdiocese of New York. He was ordained a priest in 2010.

You served as a vocations director. How is the archdiocese doing for vocations, and what did you do in this role?

We have a decent number of seminarians, but certainly need to pray for more. My role was to walk with those men who felt called to the priesthood.

How is ministering at St. Patrick’s Cathedral?

It is exciting and different. People come here from all over the world to visit us.

Covid-19 had a major impact on us, however, with many people opting to watch Mass virtually. We’ve been reminding people now that if they are out and about, they should come to Mass in person. We are seeing local people coming back to church slowly but surely, but many of the businesses that occupy the buildings around us have closed or have reduced staffing, which adversely affects our daily Mass attendance. Our major events are still drawing crowds, though. Ash Wednesday, for example, drew a constant flow of tens of thousands of people from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. to receive ashes.

One big blessing of Covid has been that people all over the world have been viewing our Masses virtually. We have the opportunity to evangelize them and have come to occupy a special place in their hearts. Some have come to visit us in person and told us, “I am a virtual parishioner.”

What did you do to minister during the Covid lockdowns?

Before coming to St. Patrick’s, I was in a parish in the South Bronx. I thought it was important for people to see their priests, so one Holy Thursday I took our Lord in the monstrance up and down the streets. People watched us from their windows, scared and in need of the consolation of our Lord.
We were creative in other ways. If we had a funeral, for example, we’d have the prayer service outside of the church before going to the cemetery.

What ideas are you implementing at St. Patrick’s?

We’re going the extra mile with our celebrations to bring people back to church. We’re also emphasizing our online presence. For example, we now offer Gospel reflections online.

What have been your experiences with Legatus?

It was a role I inherited from my predecessor, but one I’ve been happy to take on. Its events are inspiring.

I have great respect for Tom Monaghan. In the 1990s, he helped fund the reconstruction of Managua’s cathedral after it was destroyed by an earthquake. He also founded a branch of Ave Maria University in Nicaragua for Central American students and American students who wanted to study abroad. One of my brothers is a graduate.

It was my pleasure to offer the final blessing for the December 2021 Legatus gala in New York City and share with him how grateful I am for all he has done.