Parishioners gather to celebrate The Divine Savior of the World

Intermountain Catholic

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?El Divino Salvador del Mundo? is the patron saint of San Salvador. See video online at www.icatholic.org. IC photo/Laura Vallejo

KEARNS — On Aug. 4 Salvadorian Catholics and others in the faith community celebrated the feast of San Salvador’s patron saint, "El Divino Salvador del Mundo" (The Divine Savior of the World).

This was the second year that the Utah community commemorated this special celebration honoring Salvadorian culture and traditions.

"There are just a few Catholic Salvadorians here in Utah," said Jessica Arevalo, parishioner of Saint Francis of Xavier Catholic Church in Kearns and one of the celebrations’ organizers. She added that, despite their few numbers, it’s very important that they bring a little of their country to Utah.

The celebration included a small procession at St. Francis Xavier in which the parishioners sang folkloric songs, followed by a Mass celebrated by Father Joseph Frez, the parish’s associate pastor.

"Fr. Frez has supported us a lot and we thank him," said Arevalo.

During the event, Fr. Frez extended his appreciation to all the attendees especially for being united in the celebration.

"Here we are celebrating the patron of El Salvador all together as one church; no matter where we are from, here we are," said Fr. Frez to the parishioners who filled the parish and were very attentive to his words. "We will bring the Divine Savior of the World image and it will be for everybody."

After the Mass, a small gathering took place in the parish’s back yard, where people enjoyed traditional food and beverages from El Salvador.

"It’s very important to be able to celebrate this day and we are honored that we have the opportunity of doing so in Utah," said Maria Larios, another of the event organizers.

"We want to celebrate and share our traditions," added Oscar Anzoran, another St. Francis Xavier parishioner, who helped in the preparation of the "popusas," a traditional Salvadorian dish.

San Salvador is the capital of El Salvador, a city with 1.5 million people. The patron saint is represented by the body of Jesus standing over the world, and his feast is celebrated between Aug. 1 and Aug. 6.

Traditionally, during the first day of the celebration, there is a parade named "Desfile de correos" (The Mail Parade), led by the city’s mayor. Many people take their children to see the parade, which reaches lengths of more than five miles. Participating in the parade are many citizens, marching bands, members of the military forces, floats, and characters like The Female Giants, The August Old Men (men in scary masks), The Historians, The Flowers Procession, and clowns. Also as part of the celebration, a girl is elected Queen of the Feast.

"We need to keep our traditions alive and never forget where we came from," said Anzoran.