Hope CommUnity Center’s Jose Luis Marantes (L) and Sister Ann Kendrick led the crowd in prayer during the foot-washing ceremony for Holy Thursday in downtown Orlando. (Photo by Lola Fontanez)
ORLANDO| Faith and community leaders in Central Florida gathered outside of the immigration court in downtown Orlando April 17 to raise awareness for local immigrant communities through a foot-washing ceremony for Holy Thursday.
The act of washing one’s feet symbolizes humility and service, as Jesus is said to have done on Holy Thursday, according to the Christian Bible.
The event was hosted by Hope CommUnity Center and The Faith Leader Network of the Immigrants are Welcomed Here Coalition, featuring prayers, songs and foot washing by local pastors. The event’s organizers hope to bring awareness to threats posed by federal and state governments toward local immigrant communities as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s presence increases.
A land acknowledgment kicked off the event, leading into songs of worship and prayers in both English and Spanish. Sister Ann Kendrick, founder of Hope CommUnity Center, led the crowd in their first prayer from John 13:14.
“If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”
Kendrick also quoted poet and writer Warsan Shire in her speech, saying “No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark.”
“We’ve come to know these migrant people and our hearts are breaking,” continued Kendrick. “We know and love them, some of them are our own family members, they are noble, hardworking, generous and faithful people who are risking everything to be able, simply, to live.”
She was accompanied by Hope CommUnity Center Chief Impact Officer Jose Luis Marantes, who provided Spanish translations of the prayers. The crowd was then led in song by Pastor Socrates Perez with Horizon West Church, performing “They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love.”
Hope CommUnity Center Executive Director and Florida House District 42 candidate, Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet says that the event should serve as a reminder that faith has the power to bring together communities and support the marginalized.
“I grew up Catholic and when you learn about the story of Jesus, the first thing that you really understand is that one, he was fighting for justice; two, he stood up for the marginalized and three, He never stopped speaking up,” said Sousa-Lazaballet. “This is an example of how faith connects us with the route of justice and equality for all, we are here because at this moment in history we see people disappearing in our communities and it is unacceptable.”
Sousa-Lazaballet also acknowledged the overcapacity at Krome Processing Center in Miami-Dade County, where many immigrants are being sent as they await deportation. The conditions at Krome are said to have become unlivable as ICE continues to overcrowd the facility.
Pastor Sarah Robinson with Audubon Park Church led a second prayer from John 13:12-15. Robinson and Marantes then said a prayer to urge politicians to consider immigrant lives amidst policy challenges against immigrants.
“We lift up to you all politicians dealing with immigration, grant them wisdom and compassion to see the humanity behind each decision, may they act with justice and mercy inspired by your son’s example of humble service,” said Robinson. “Guide them to create laws that protect the vulnerable and foster unity, bless them with courage and integrity to champion love and acceptance and surround the immigrant community with support and kindness, in holy name we pray.”
Fidel Gomez Jr., LGBTQ+ & Immigration Justice Organizing Manager at Hope CommUnity Center, says that intention is key to organizing around immigration and LGBTQ+ communities, especially in regards to faith.
“A lot of the folks who are here today have been fearless allies and accomplices in these fights,” says Gomez Jr. “You have to find what means community to you, having faith and having a space where you can feel accepted is important, being in spaces like these and knowing that people are accepting is impactful. These faith leaders preach about love and how you should treat your neighbor, not anything else.”
Marantes reminds the community that society is overarchingly connected, whether that be through the medium of faith or merely looking at a sunset.
“It is a unifying force that we are connected by this comic idea,” says Marantes. “Whether you’re spiritual or Christian or Muslim, we are all connected by something greater than ourselves; I think when we tap into that it invites us to be humble and to see humanity in one another in a way that we sometimes don’t. … I want to invite all immigrants, whether you are undocumented, in status or queer or LGBTQ+, in all the ways that God made you beautiful as you are, to know that you belong here and this is your country.”
