Asociación Tepeyac de New York251 West 14th Street/ New York, NY 10011
Phone: 212 633 7108/ Fax 212 633 1554
Web Site: www.tepeyac.org
E-mail: AsocTepeyac@hotmail.com
Press Release
December 5, 2000
.
ANTORCHA
GUADALUPANA
2000
A fight against the Discrimination of the Mexican People
1. On Tuesday, December 12, 2000 at approximately 12:30 PM., the Tepeyac Association will be sponsoring their third citywide torch run with more than 1500 runners. This religious pilgrimage has been planned to begin at St. Patrick Cathedral located at 5th Ave. and 50th Street in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe. All runners will follow only one route around the borough of Manhattan and at the end they will take buses to their own churches.
2. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patron saint of all the Mexicans. On the 12th of each December a feast occurs in her honor, wherever Mexicans live. Traditionally, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe marks the date of the apparition of the Virgin Mary Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1531 to Juan Diego in the Tepeyac hill, northeast of what is now Mexico City.
3. The Asociacion Tepeyac de New York, Inc. is a non-profit corporation sponsored by the Archdiocese of New York to organize and develop the Mexican people and defend the civil rights of the member of the Latin American community. The Tepeyac Association celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe with a Mass and a religious pilgrimage to be conducted running on the streets of New York. Each congregation, member of the Tepeyac Association from the five boroughs of New York, brings a torch to symbolize the faith of the Mexican people, which is alive wherever they are. Runners will take turns to carry their torches, according to an ancient Mexican religious tradition and they will take the torches from the Mother Church to their own church.
4. The congregations of pilgrims are scheduled to gather around St. Patrick Cathedral, after a Mass to be celebrated at 10:30 am. All the representatives of each congregation get together, carrying the torches, outside of the Cathedral, beside the Altar in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, on 50th Street, at 12:00 o'clock. Torches and runners will be blessed for the Vicars General of the Archdiocese of New York, Bishops Patrick J. Sheridan and Robert A. Brucato. Runners will be sent in mission to their own churches to empower their people's identity, the heritage and faith of their ancestors, and announcing publicly this faith to the City of New York.
5. After the torches are blessed, representatives return to their own congregation and get ready to leave. All congregations will leave the Cathedral at 12:30 PM and will start running. Since the beginning the Tepeyac Association has been fighting to get the police permit.
6. A history of discrimination. The first year (1998), the Tepeyac Association received the denial of this permit. The police department argued that we did not have experience to organize citywide events. However the Cardinal O'Connor called the Police Commissioner and we got the permit. The second year (1999), we received the denial of this permit and the argument against was that the City of New York did not have enough resources to pay overtime to the police officers because December 12th fell in weekend. We went to the Supreme Court and we won the permit with some changes in our routs. This year (2000) we received the denial because December 12th falls during the week and the Police Department thinks that St. Patrick Cathedral is not the best place to start the Pilgrimage. We expect to negotiate this permit in the Supreme Court during this week. We feel that this is a history of discrimination against the Mexican Community. We feel that they do not respect our believes and we will struggle to establish December 12th, as the Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe in New York. There is no place without celebration for Our Lady of Guadalupe where Mexican people live. Lawyer Brian O'dwyer (212 571 7100), is helping us in the Supreme Court since last year.
Very early in the morning on December 12, we will sing to Our Lady of Guadalupe the typical songs in all the neighborhoods where Mexican live. Groups of Mariachis, singers will get together since the night of December 11 to sing the Mañanitas overnight. During the afternoon we will have free Mexican food and folkloric dances for all our neighbors around the five boroughs of New York. We will empower our identity and our community. Workers will try to take a comun day off since Mexican people do not have any comun day off even when it is Thanks Given, or any other comun Holiday, Mexican have to work.
Bro. Joel Magallan Reyes, SJ
Executive Director of the Asociacion Tepeyac de NY
Background Information:
"Assault on Mexicans Shakes Long Island Town,"
The Washington Post;
Tuesday, November 28, 2000; Page A03:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62482-2000Nov27.html
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