Earlier this year, a group of diocesan officials made a pastoral visit to El Salvador to visit important sites in Catholic Church history.
Father Edouard Guilloux, parochial vicar of St. John the Apostle Church in Leesburg, Father Jonathan Fioramonti, parochial vicar of St. Leo the Great Church in Fairfax, and Joel de Loera, director of the diocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry, were appointed by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge to represent the Diocese of Arlington.
Also in attendance were representatives from the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, W.Va., Archdiocese of Washington, Diocese of Wilmington, Del., and the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.
One of the objectives of the visit was to honor the memories of the many Salvadoran martyrs, including St. Oscar Romero, Father Ignacio Illacuria, Blessed Rutilio Grande, and the four U.S Maryknoll Sisters, by visiting their memorial sites and celebrating Mass in the name of those who can’t return to El Salvador due to their immigration status.
Representatives saw the work Catholic Relief Services is doing in El Salvador and visited a neighborhood where CRS projects have helped many youths go to university through scholarships.
They also visited “El Mozote,” the site of the 1981 massacre, where the monument “Jardín de los inocentes” is located. The military killed hundreds of people during the civil war. The remains of 140 children, under 12 years old, are buried under the monument in El Mozote square.
During the visit, Mass was celebrated at the place where St. Oscar Romero was assassinated while celebrating Mass at the Carmelite chapel at the Hospital de la Divina Providencia March 24, 1980.
They also visited Ciudad Barrios, the hometown of St. Romero, and celebrated Mass at the parish where he offered his first Mass.
On the last day of the trip, Wheeling-Charleston Bishop Mark E. Brennan celebrated Mass.
The trip was of local interest, as according to the 2020 Census, there are 167,802 Salvadorans living in Virginia.
