Cardinal Jose Gregorio Rosa Chavez of El Salvador will visit Long Island next weekend as part of an anti-gang effort in the Catholic community.
Cardinal Chavez is the first cardinal to be appointed to El Salvador, the homeland of many Long Island immigrants as well as the MS-13 gang.
The visit will be part of a plan to establish anti-gang programs between Long Island and El Salvador.
Catholics leaders also hope the visit will help calm Latino communities that were shaken by the series of MS-13 gang murders in Brentwood and Central Islip.
West Islip will hold a welcome ceremony at St. John the Baptist High School on Saturday. Chavez will also celebrate evening mass at Brentwood later that day.
