NEW YORK (EFE).— Hundreds of Catholics, mostly Latino immigrants, walked the streets of the New York county of The Bronx with a live recreation of the passion of Jesus Christ, in which the tears of some believers were not lacking.
parishioners of the sacred heart churchlocated very close to the popular Yankee stadium and nestled in an immigrant community, demonstrated their fervor on the day the Catholic Church observes the Holy Fridaybut his acting skills also stood out.
In this Holy Week procession, for which they prepare for at least three months, no person was missing, from Pontius Pilate, Mary, the mother of Jesus, Verónica (who wiped the sweat and blood from her face), soldiers, and Jesús, who was given life for the fourth time by Héctor Delgadillo, another resident of the community, and all with period costumes.
“For me this is something of great love for Jesus. It is something that I feel in my heart, what Jesus suffered for us, what he sacrificed, ”Delgadillo told EFE shortly before starting the procession, which he left the parish.
As it passed through the streets with religious songs, and with stops to represent each of the 14 Stations of the Cross —in Spanish and English— residents left businesses or their homes and fervently observed the dramatization.
There was no shortage of lashes, shoves and shouts from the soldiers to Jesus to “walk, move” while he carried the cross on his shoulders, scenes that brought tears to some of the faithful.
According to the parish priest, the Dominican José Cruz, the procession has been carried out for 25 years organized by the parishioners, a community made up mostly of Puerto Ricans and Dominicans and more recently Ecuadorians, Venezuelans, Haitians and a great number of Africans.
He stressed that this is an important day in which “the sacrifice of Jesus is valued, and how that sacrifice continues to be alive in immigrants, in how to find the strength to carry on.”
The community he serves, he added, “is a working people, with two or three jobs to bring food to their homes, a vibrant community that suffers, but has hope.”
The procession culminated with the crucifixion of Jesus in a packed church and among the parishioners was the Mexican Guadalupe Rojas, accompanied by her children and sister.
“It is the second time that I come for my faith. We are in Holy Week and it is a tradition that is being lost,” said Guadalupe.
In Mexico, migrants from the camp set up on the banks of the Rio Grande in the city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, participated in a Way of the Cross, organized by Jesuit priests from the city of Brownsville, Texas, where they asked for the end of policies that oppress women. families expelled from their countries.
