HOPE WALK: Immaculate Conception of Mary, New York
-
December 4, 2023The Bronx is a difficult neighborhood to live in. While it is still technically New York city, it is an entirely different world compared to the streets painted with lights of Time Square. However, we do have the Yankee Stadium where thousands of baseball fans would come every year, bringing exuberance to an otherwise tired part of New York.
Our church, Immaculate Conception of Mary, is located near what I call the ‘square’, an intersection between 3rd Avenue and 149th street, where people would congregate day and night whether it is to preach, sell or just to watch the sun go down. This constant noise is on top of trash, feces and needles lining the streets and sidewalks, adding to a very distinct, unique and unforgettable smell of cannabis and urine.
For many first year students, the personality of Bronx is always on top of their mind and often is one of the first things that they would complain about. It was certainly the case for me last year, but that was before I got to be on the Hope Walk.
Whatever challenges we have to face living in this part of town, they are the same challenges that everyone else has to face as well. It is only by living among the poor and walking by their side that we may know how to help the poor. The Hope Walk was started out of a real need for outreach to the myriads of homeless individuals around the neighborhood, most of whom are drug addicted and abandoned.
Organized by Marty Roger, a longtime resident of the Bronx, the essence of the walk is simply to give food, drinks and, at times, socks and clothes to those in need. The more important purpose of the walk, however, is to pray for those we meet: calling out their name in the prayers, reminding them that they are a beloved child of God and a valuable member of the community.
The children from our Catholic school would often join us on the walk, helping to give out food and offer prayers on top of providing a certain innocence to those we meet on the street are not used to. I have seen, many times, men who were preparing to or are in the process of injecting their body with drugs would abruptly stop at the sight of the approaching children, very apologetic and remorseful of something we know that they can’t quite control.
The Hope Walk is much more than just giving away food, it is both a learning experience for us and the school children while also providing something special to the poor—revealing to each other the love of God.
Not every person we meet on the walk is homeless. Not everyone we meet on the walk wants the things we give away, however, while some deny the food, most would often pray with us if not offering the prayer themselves. For us, for the Hope Walk, hope is more important than any food, drink or clothes—God is more important than anything.
This is what I wanted to capture in my pictures, the emotions in the forgotten faces of those abandoned by society, our neighbors. Everyone we meet is always incredibly thankful for everything: their joy so genuine, their happiness so pure. There is a certain innocence that is apparent every time they see us, an innocence that mirrors the innocence of the school children they shy away from.
I hope everyone can pay more attention to the faces we often see on the street, to see their needs and realize your value in their lives. So much can happen with a simple “hey, do you want a sandwich?”