Brick City’s Annual Way of The CrossSince 1984

Good Friday 2012

I. IntroII. The Urban LandscapeIII. HistoryIV. DemographicsV. The ProcessionVI. Interviews Felix P. Tingson Carol VII. Analysis Surroundings SemioticsVIII. Conclusion

The practice of Stations of the Cross originates in pilgrimages to Jerusalem. Though many follow an order of fourteen stations, earlier practices depicted seven scenes. The practice of replicating the Via Dolorosa, or the route which Jesus walked in suffering can be traced back to the Franciscans who were granted permission to mark Christian holy places in Jerusalem in 1342. The purpose of this Good Friday event that is practiced in several areas around the world is for spiritual reflection, medita-tion, prayer, and renewal.

For this project I attended Newark, New Jersey’s annual Way of The Cross procession that starts at 407 Broad Street and Ends at 950 Broad Street, a walk that spans a 1.7 mile route, in a time frame of about 3 hours. Six churches, composed of four different Christian denominations, and the Good-will Rescue Mission (an addition to the procession in 2007) make up the seven stations that are significant to this particular observation- A representation of the seven last words of Jesus. The four denominations that join forces and line Broad Street in an almost linear fashion are Episcopalian/Anglo-Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist and Reformed. The procession is composed of interaction with outdoor public space, while stops for reflection take place indoors at churches and institutions. All six of the churches that take part are recognized as landmarks, listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places.

Expectations

-Entirely outdoors with stations set up on the sidewalks in front of churches-Crowds, festival-like with activities for children, and hand-outs to give to the public-A large cross held by a minister through the entire route, all ministers of the churches in front leading-A small group of people sticking together and stopping at sites of disparity and reciting Bible verses

What really happened

-Cops on horses and motorcycles stopping traffic-Not as heirarchical -Cross was exchanged -Group did not stick together-No outdoor preaching

1 House of Prayer (Episcopal) “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”

2 Goodwill Rescue Mission “Truly, I say to you, today you shall be with me in paradise”

3 North Reformed Church (Reformed- Calivinist) “Woman, behold your Son! Behold you Mother!”

4 First Baptist Peddie Memorial Church“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

5 Trinity and St. Philip’s Cathedral (Episcopal Church of the Anglican Communion)“I thirst”

6 Old First Church (Presbyterian)“It is finished”

7 Grace Church (Episcopal Anglo-Catholic) “Father, into your hands I commend my Spirit”

1. Forgiveness, 2. Salvation, 3. Relationship, 4. Abandonment, 5. Distress, 6. Triumph and 7. Reunion.

Newark Penn Station to School

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History of Newark

Newark, New Jersey has its roots in strict religious doctrine as church and government went hand in hand. Deprivation of state benefits was consequence of rebellion. The first public building where town meetings and services were held was in fact, a church named First Church. Property surrounding the Passaic River was bought through barter with the Hackensack Indians. The city was founded in 1666 by Puritans under the leadership of Robert Treat. These migrants came from the state of Connecticut and wanted to establish Newark as a colony under church rules, similar to what they had done in their previous state dwelling. Newark is a shortened version of “New Ark” or “New Work”, representing this mission.

Control by the Church continued through 1733 until 1746 when Episcopalian missionaries came to break the Puritan theocracy. The Industrial Era saw rapid growth with the population at 8,017 by 1826. This was ten times the population in 1776. In 1880, Newark’s population stood at 136,508; in 1890 at 181,830; in 1900 at 246,070; and in 1910 at 347,000, a jump of 200,000 in three decades. By the 1920’s the population was close the half a million. As of 2010, the population has dropped to 227,140.

By the early to mid-20th Century the intersection of Broad Street and Market Street served as a bustling area for commerce and successful department stores. After World War II, the construction of highways displaced many residents and divided neighborhoods. It also enabled middle class workers to move into the suburbs and commute to the city.

Despite a current population that is lower than it was in 1900, Newark remains the largest city in New Jersey and is the 67th largest city in the United States. It is part of the 783,969 that currently live in Essex County. New Jersey as a whole currently has a population of 8,821,155 that make up its 21 counties and 52 cities. As of 2010 the racial makeup of the city is 26.31% White, 52.35% African American, 0.61% Native American, 1.62% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, and 15.22% Other. About 22% of families and 25% of the population live below the poverty line.

Poverty remains a consistent issue in Newark. The result of 1967 riots was a loss of 130,000 middle class Whites- many of them Jews. The 1970s and 1980’s saw more decline. As of 2010, the city was ranked the 23rd most dangerous city in America.

Downtown Newark is a major central, business, air, shipping, rail, retail and cultural district, located at a bend in the Passaic River. Broad Street, the site of The Way of The Cross Procession runs through major historical sites, recreational parks, major highways, bridges, and universities. Institutions in-clude the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Prudential Center, and Rutgers University.

“These changes in religious practices (more attention to the promotion of justice particularly for the poor and more effective evangelization among people in the neighborhood) intersected historically with shifts in social values in general occurring in the United States during the 1960s.” (Ashley, 545)

Demographics + Graphs

How does the urban landscape affect the practice of religion and vice versa?

Methodology:

From a Design and Management PerspectiveAnalyzation of “The Church Value Chain”

Spatial Arrangements SemioticsThe MessageThe PreacherThe Music

Comparing and contrasting with The Stations of the Cross and Viacruz Readings

Using other readings to expand recurrent themes

Newark’s Procession

7 Stations representing the seven last words from the cross

outdoor procession and indoor service alternating

the message of Jesus, navigating urban space

cross as a reminder of Jesus

Different people carry the cross

***Politics and social iniquities contained in the Goodwill Rescue Mission

Processions in New York according to Glavez and Ashley

14 Stations representing the narrative of the Passion

entirely outdoors with service afterwards

post-structuralism, assigning meaning to urban space

cross to reenact Jesus

Cross usually carried by one person rep-resenting Jesus

***Church members pick and choose what social and political issues to high-light (metaphors to Christ’s suffering)

***Conclusion as to why this is successful

The Procession

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The event starts with a short service at a church located on a quiet bend in the busy street. There are police on motorcycles and horses waiting by. Eventually, I would find that these black uni-formed and helmeted officials would accompany us the through the entire procession to guide us, stop traffic, and even wait as we proceeded with

House of Prayer (Episcopal)The Words of Jesus- “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”

The Reverend quoted Shakespeare saying “All the world’s a stage” and he reminded the audi-ence about the first passion play that took place there in the 1960s and the fight between dark and light.

The procession proceeds with the leader car-rying a relatively thin wooden cross (compared to what it commonly seen in photojournalism or what Jesus would have carried) and the group passes under a bridge, through the sidewalk of a busy street and then a quiet one with a park-ing lot, a view of Rutgers Business School and somewhat abandoned and fenced in spaces. After passing a Halal shop emblazoned with a bright red sign we stop at the Goodwill Rescue mission where smaller hand-held crosses are distributed upon entrance.

Goodwill Rescue Mission The Words of Jesus- “Truly, I say to you, today you shall be with me in paradise”

This organization provides food, shelter, work for low and moderate income people who are destitute or have dealt with substance abuse. The Pastor spoke about how he signifies one the thieves that hung on a cross next to Jesus. He told a story of how he found calvary at New-ark Penn Station. He had been to prison and started drugs at the age of thirteen, but stopped one day when someone told him, while he sat on a bench at the train station, that Jesus loved him.

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After each stop for indoor service a different person holds the cross and leads the outdoor procession on to the next church. We continue through a quiet suburban-like neighborhood with apartments, pass Washington Park, a railway and cross the busy intersection of Broad Street

North Reformed Church (Reformed- Calivinist/ Protestant denomination) The Words of Jesus- “Woman, behold your Son! Behold you Mother!”

The Reverend’s message was about tearing down the walls that divide. He quoted Tim keller and Marin Luther King Jr and stated, “Jesus rec-onciled us together. There are no variations or divisions. We are blood related in God’s family.”

We continue along the sidewalk of Broad Street and pass business offices, a bank, a cafe and a theater.

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First Baptist Peddie Memorial ChurchThe Words of Jesus- “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

Service started with a special guest singer who sang the “Via Dolorosa” song by Sandi Patti. A speaker made a welcoming introduction and invited to the church’s annual International Sun-day Celebration where members dress in their native costumes and share ethnic dishes. The church is known for representing over twenty nations from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, and the West Indies. The Pastor continued with a story about his son and mari-juana. When his son was tempted, the Pastor said to him, “I will be the first to call the police and send you to jail.” He explained that even though it hurts him as a father it must be done. He related this to God’s feeling for his Son who had to die on the cross to fulfill prophecy.

Trinity and St. Philip’s Cathedral (Episcopal Church of the Anglican Communion)The Words of Jesus- “I thirst”

The Reverend reminded the congregation how in these words we see both his humanity in his physical needs and deity- the fulfillment of prophecy. He spoke about the difference between here and Israel where there lies theological and politi-cal turf. He examined the difference often out-weighs spiritual connection and we are gathered together this day, because we are drawn. After this point we pass more parks and businesses, including the self-employed on the street. The traffic is heavier, the noise from several sources much louder and the density of people gather on the street much higher. This is the area that prospered with department stores in the early 20th Century. After waiting for buses, cars and people to pass, we crossed the intersection of Broad Street and Market Street. The police who would stop traffic for us as we walked had no control this time.

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Old First Church (presbyterian)The Words of Jesus- “It is finished”

Grace Church (Episcopal Anglo-Catholic) The Words of Jesus- “Father, into your hands I commend my Spirit”The message of the female Reverend- “God shares our suffering…Music is something be-yond ourselves”The Organist plays Jesus Dies on the Cross by Marcel Dupré. It comes from a collection of pieces entitled (The Way of the Cross)- each inspired by one of the 14 stations of the cross.

The composition of the music- 1. Lamenting theme2. Human voice3. Earthquake4. Shock and Despair

When all is done, everyone is invited for drinks and cookies upstairs.

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InterviewReverend Felix P. Tingson

What is the purpose, goal, and mission of the Way of The Cross Procession?

to celebrate the suffering and the resurrection of Jesus Christ- That’s one. By celebrating the honor of God, the goal is that the city also and the people will be reminded that Jesus Christ came to redeem us- and that’s only for Chris-tianity- other beliefs don’t accept that. The city helped by providing us with police to guide the traffic. But the ultimate goal is to awaken the spiritual life of the people- both the church and the city

How long have you been participating in this?

Since 2001 when I became a senior minister.

Have you seen any changes over time…in the procession?not in the procession, but the number of people coming to church increased- in other churches and here also

Do you know how this whole thing got orga-nized?It was organized by the..Bishop Finerty and the Bishop of St. John’s Catholic Church..and Trin-ity Episcopalian Church- I forgot the name, but Bishop John Finerty is the one who awakened us that we need to organized ourselves in that procession.

Do you know if there are any tensions amongst the churches being they consist of different congregations?

Thank God that there’s no tension. We help each other. We respect each tradition. There’s no tension.

Do you know why and how the Goodwil Mis-sion got involved? They got involved in expression of recognizing that the churches who gave- or their mission was supported by churches also aside from

other secular contributions. The churches con-tribute in their missions and their involvement express their thanksgiving.

Was this the Goodwill’s decision to get in-volved? or Did the churches come to them asking to be a part of it?

We have a meeting. The leader…the director of the Goodwill attend our monthly meeting…so he is the one who encouraged his people to get involved.

Was there any trouble getting city permits? Legal issues?

There was none. The city cooperates.

What is the difference between the indoor church and outdoor procession atmo-sphere? Inside the church it’s easy. People inside the church listen attentively when you preach, but in the outside there are many distractions. It is in open air so the sound distracts the proceedings. the worship…and also I think the difference is that outside, the people can witness that the ones who get involved are identified as followers of Jesus and others, they don’t identify them-selves- they are just spectators…but still they will be reminded that there is only we- so if they will believe that it’s alright- they will be a witness

Do you think this procession is successful in fulfilling its mission/ goals?

It accomplishes it spiritually, but expecting that many people will join- It didn’t accomplish that, because only the milieu while we are witnessing only God can convict a person. Our responsibil-ity is just to witness and then we leave it at that. so it is not accomplished much, but there are many people who will come to church. but spiri-tually i think we accomplish, because we remind busy people that they must have time…for the ? cause?

Semiotics

Mimics the PassionReminder of Jesus

ImposingReminder of ChristianityLooking upFollowing the cross

The Stations of the Cross- Wayne Ashley“Managing and negotiating boundaries and representations of place is a constant cultural and politi-cal struggle. Seen in this light, the Good Friday Procession of St. Brigid’s was an assertion of limits. Not only did it trace the physical boundaries of the parish, it attempted to ritually maintain and bound the collective body by linking and purifying those sites of disorder and deficiency that threatened its integrity” (ritual reinforces internal order by defining what they are)

“...many of the stops along the procession route were organizations that either sympathized with the clergy’s political viewsor had actually worked with them on various causes” (Goodwill Mission)

‘In my opinion, the church leadership’s attempt to provide a religious motivation for change and soli-darity among all classes, and to achieve unity in its fight against poverty, war, and the deteriorating condition in its neighborhood, fell short. Finally, the Stations of the Cross procession could not mobi-lize a unified collective body; and no singular congregation could be sustained by the Christ allegory”

El Viacrucis del Inmigrante and Other Public Processions- Galvez“...whether it succeeds in making its members feel that they belong to aa collective...” (more about connecting its own members than the “outside”)

“While outdoor Viacrucis are highly dramatized and symbolic, indoor ones are often meditative and quiet”

Organizers’ dual purpose of spiritual and social- did not achieve goal of inner solidarity, because so-cial issues did not affect all of them in the same way.

Themes in other readings

Sennett Flesh Stone and VeniceFear of Touching: The Jewish Ghetto in Renais-sance Venice

Jews and Christians are co-dependent, but Jews are still kept as “the other”

Eck Introduction to a New AmericaE Pluribus Unum “From Many, One.” Is not an accomplished fact but an ideal that American’s must continue to claim

Walking in the City...a spatial order that organizes an ensemble of possibilities (e.g., by a place in which one can move) and interdictions (e.g., by a wall that prevents one from going further)

Lefebvre From City to Urban Society