Father Enrique Salvo emphasized the power and importance of invoking the Holy Spirit to students, faculty, staff and guests at Columbus St. Charles Preparatory School’s annual Borromean Lecture on Thursday, Oct. 26 in the Robert C. Walter Student Commons.
Father Salvo, who has served as the rector at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City for the past two years, shared some of his personal encounters with the power of the Holy Spirit before a crowd of approximately 750 and touched on his experiences as the priest in charge of one of the world’s famous religious sites.
The Borromean Lecture Series was established in 1961 by St. Charles alumnus Robert Dilenschneider, a nationally recognized public relations executive, to bring speakers to the school to address topics related to morals and ethics in society, business and government.
The lecture series has attracted prominent speakers over the years that include Cardinal Avery Dulles, S.J.; Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Carl Anderson; presidents of Catholic universities; Church leaders; and editors of major publications.
Father Salvo’s 25-minute presentation, followed by a brief question-and-answer session, started with a reading from the Acts of the Apostles recounting Pentecost, which is recognized as the birth of the Church.
“Remember, the Holy Spirit is called love between the Father and the Son,” he said. “It is the love of God, the most powerful force in the universe of existence. It is the love that makes all things possible.
“No matter how many times we talk about this subject, it has to be ingrained in each of our minds and hearts that the Holy Spirit is here to guide us throughout our lives.”
Reciting a prayer to the Holy Spirit asking Him to renew the face of the earth, Father Salvo spoke of the urgent need for renewal of a society in which “there is so much happening in our lives, in our families, in our schools, in our communities.”
“When we look at the world right now, yes, it’s in shambles and it needs to be renewed,” Father Salvo said. “But there is also so much more love happening each and every day in this world than there is hatred.
“There are so many more acts of heroic love and sacrifice in people giving their lives to help one another than there are people taking away the lives of others. There is so much more happening in the souls of so many people than there are people that have taken the route of looking for evil to fill their souls.”
Father Salvo experienced some of the difficulties in the world early in his life. Born in Managua, Nicaragua, he and his family were forced into exile when he was 7 years old after surviving a major earthquake, a revolution and Communist takeover.
His family relocated to the United States, which he considers a blessing, and he grew up in Miami, lived for a time in Texas, briefly returned to Nicaragua and then came back to Texas, graduating from Texas A&M University and later earning a master’s degree in Mexico.
After ordination to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of New York in 2010, he was assigned to St. Elizabeth parish in Manhattan and then became director of vocations for four years. In 2017, he was named pastor at St. Anselm and St. Roch parish in the South Bronx, where he served for four years before Cardinal Timothy Dolan appointed him rector of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in November 2021.
Seeing the millions of visitors and parishioners who come to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, located in the heart of Manhattan, gives the priest hope.
“The Holy Spirit’s always surprising me,” Father Salvo said. “And now I’m in charge of this beautiful cathedral.
“It’s very common for us to only point out what’s wrong, what’s missing in the Church. … A lot of people want us to think that the Church is basically on a downfall, a forever downfall. And that is not the case. I’m seeing it with my own eyes each day. The Church is very alive because the Holy Spirit is alive.”
He said he witnesses the manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s unifying power at St. Patrick’s each day through the visitors from throughout the world. In addition to being open for prayer, the cathedral offers seven daily Masses.
“You can see the sincerity in people’s faces,” he said. “They pray, they light candles. They are in awe with the beauty. And if someone asks for a blessing from me or another priest, all of a sudden you have a line all the way to the door because everyone wants a blessing, which is a beautiful thing.
“People are there to be in the same place adoring God. … Just day in and day out to have such a mix of everyone and even other religions in the same place under the same God is the Holy Spirit’s work of unifying in action.”
Father Salvo referenced the unifying power that can come from the use of technology and the ability of the Church to reach people all over the world with its teachings through the livestreaming of Masses from the cathedral and through social media.
“But no matter how much St. Patrick’s Cathedral and other beautiful places in the world are there, no matter how much livestreaming we have, if the Holy Spirit weren’t alive in people to receive that, it would all be empty,” he said.
Speaking to those assembled for his presentation at St. Charles, Father Salvo encouraged them to be instruments of the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth and enkindle the fire of His love in their daily lives.
“Each and every one of us has to be renewed individually, and I see this with my own eyes,” he said. “You have to do hard things throughout your life where you’re trying to follow God’s will, but you never have to do it alone because the Holy Spirit is there.”
Father Salvo shared a story from his time in seminary that showed him the power of the Holy Spirit.
During Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to New York in 2008, Father Salvo received a surprising last-minute assignment to hold the boom microphone for the Holy Father at his Mass in Yankee Stadium. Nerves often caused the seminarian’s hands to shake, making him extremely nervous that he wouldn’t be able to handle the job.
“Look at what could happen,” he thought. “I can start getting the shakes. I have this pole and, God forbid, I hit the pope. And I am going to go viral, and this is going to become a meme.
“I was praying to Mary and the Holy Spirit and said you have to do something. And it was the most amazing thing. We come out to Yankee Stadium behind the pope, and it was like a power, a peace that got to me that was almost like a surreal dream. It was not normal; it was something so beautiful and powerful.
“It went great, … and from that moment on, I’m like the Holy Spirit is real.
“When we’re trying to do His will in the big picture of our lives, when we’re trying to serve the Holy Spirit and when we are trying to serve Jesus Christ and the heavenly Father, it is through His will that the Holy Spirit is there to help each and every one of us.”
Father Salvo encouraged everyone to offer their heart, mind and soul to the Holy Spirit because He will give His people the fortitude to withstand everyday challenges and to bring light into the world.
“Imagine if every single person in Columbus did that,” he said. “Imagine every single person in New York did it. If everyone around the world were open to the Holy Spirit. … When we receive the sacraments, the Holy Spirit comes when we invoke Him, but we need to be conscious of that and rely on Him.
“And then we can say, especially when the church and the world are upside down, that we can cope with darkness because at least I did my part in letting the Holy Spirit kindle in me the fire of His love.”