The concept of a way of the cross procession being acted out isn’t that new to me. Growing up a Portuguese Catholic has given me the opportunity to witness several Viacrucis processions, in fact I’ve actually gotten the opportunity to witness both indoor and outdoor processions. However, I never knew that there actually were outdoor processions that took place in the United States, since the only place I got to witness the outdoor procession was when I was in Portugal for Easter and even there I thought it was so strange that everyone in the community would be at this event. Other than that I thought that they were nonexistent anywhere else; that’s why I was surprised to find out that they actually occur here in New York City. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to walk out of work one day and see all these people dressed up for the procession walking in my direction. I would feel like such an outsider, but according to Galvez, that’s exactly what the Viacrucis del Immigrante was trying to achieve.
In Chapter 5 Galvez focuses on the viacrucis processions that occur in New York City. She observes four different viacrucis processions, one was an indoor at the St. John’s Parish, another at the same parish but outdoor, an outdoor procession at Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, and finally the Viacrucis del immigrante. It’s interesting to note that the parishes feelings towards the Asociacion Tepeyac vary depending on the structure of the parish. For example, at the Saint John’s parish where the parish is predominantly Mexican, the emphasis is put on the parish over the Asociacion, whereas the parish at Our Lady of the Rosary has a more dependent relationship with the Asociacion and this Galvez points out reflects the structure of the parish, which is ethnically mixed. The Asociacion therefore in this case allows the Mexicans, who in their parish feel a bit excluded, feel as though they belong to a group and a share a common identity with the group of people. Because the Asociacion unites Mexicans into a group that emphasizes that everyone in the group shares a common identity that separates them from the others, its not surprising that they would be at the forefront of the Viacrucis del Immigrante, where the Mexicans will relate their suffering to that of Christ’s suffering in order to raise awareness of their own suffering.
Using a connection to religion as a way to raise awareness is also seen in the binational torch runs that are performed annually by the Mexicans. The Antorcha Guadalupana, which started in 2002, is a way of connecting the people of Mexico with the migrants that are struggling in the United States. This torch run which connects two nations of people separated by a border makes its political message very clear and hopes to use the Virgin of Guadalupe as a messenger to raise awareness for the rights of immigrants in the United States. With all of these religious icons being used as a means of raising awareness for other issues, it brings up the question is it right to use religion as a means to achieve political change? This question has no simple yes or no answer and has caused tension within many parishes and groups of people.
