CHICAGO (WLS) — Hundreds of people gathered in Pilsen on this Good Friday to reflect on Jesus’ final hours.
The community’s Via Crucis is a sacred tradition here…but immigration fears are casting a shadow for some on this holy day.
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One moving station at a time, the Pilsen community is uniting to recount the passion of Jesus Christ before Easter Sunday.
“This is when we need God the most you know? Hopefully we bring them closer,” participant Carlos Ortega said.
This is the 48th year of Pilsen Via Crucis – or “Way of the Cross.”
The reenactment of Christ’s final moments leading up to his death guides the audience through crucial events in the narrative, starting from the iconic Last Supper with his disciples, all the way to his crucifixion and subsequent entombment in a stone sepulcher.
“It’s a reminder of all of the stuff that Jesus did for us and how it brings all of us together,” Lunna Avila-De Marchi said.
But this year, there’s a different sort of energy looming over the powerful procession.
Organizer Nellie Quintana expressed empathy towards those who were unable to attend the event, acknowledging the challenges they face. She conveyed a message of support and solidarity, assuring them that they were being remembered through prayers and solidarity during this time.
Amidst looming threats of deportation by ICE and the current administration’s strict immigration policies, members of the undocumented community are opting out of participating in the event due to concerns for their safety and wellbeing.
“The streets are emptier,” Quintana said. “The businesses are suffering. The customers are not purchasing as they were before.”
Nellie says others including some who are undocumented are here and actively participating a powerful testament she says to faith over fear
“They have no fear because God lives in their heart. And they know they are doing this to portray that message,” she said.
That organizer also said special prayers are being read to recognize the very real fears some in the immigrant community are facing right now.
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