Message from Fr. James - August 9, 2026

Trip to El Salvador

Dear St. Martin’s Parishioners,

I went to El Salvador for the first time from July 18-25. My main purpose was to learn about the culture and history of the country so that I could serve the community at St. Martin’s better. The trip accomplished my purpose.

One of the most beautiful moments was my prayer at the tomb of St. Oscar Romero. He was the archbishop of San Salvador from 1977 to 1980. The “Martyr of El Salvador” was assassinated while celebrating Mass for speaking out against the repressive government. The government perpetuated economic and political injustice. When I met the saint at his tomb, I prayed for all of you, the people of St. Martin’s parish. On his tomb are carved a rose as the symbol of his love for the Blessed Virgin Mary, an olive for his pursuit of peace, and a palm for his martyrdom. These are three virtues for us to emulate, and three blessings to receive through his intercession.

“The Church must suffer for speaking the truth, for pointing out sin, for uprooting sin. No one wants to have a sore spot touched, and therefore a society with so many sores twitches when someone has the courage to touch it and say: ‘You have to treat that. You have to get rid of that. Believe in Christ. Be converted.” As this quote shows, St. Oscar Romero was strong on both denouncing sin and on preaching the Gospel. Please pray for your pastors, and for all the baptized, to reject sin and to receive the Gospel.

“Aspire not to have more, but to be more.” Money is one of our sore spots. Too many of us idolize money. Too many work on Sundays when we do not really need to. Possessions cannot make us happy because possessions do not make us like God. God does not have anything. God is being itself, the fullness of being, and the fullness of life. God achieves this and demonstrates this by giving away, creating, and even dying for us. Aspire to be more by serving and loving your neighbor. You can do this by going on a service trip to El Salvador with the Building Futures Project, as I did, or you can do this by serving in our own St. Martin’s Food Pantry.

In Christ,

Fr. James