The Saint of the Sick & the Poor

Author

Itzel Castro, Craig Newmark Graduate School of JournalismFollow

Graduation Date

Fall 12-14-2018

Grading Professor

Alia Malek

Subject Concentration

International

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Abstract

The Saint of the Sick and the Poor

One man’s mission to celebrate his Mexican village saint here in NYC, for those who can’t go back home

By Itzel Castro

New York City, United States  — Amid an altar covered with offerings of marigold flowers, stands a porcelain statue of San Lucas. Known also as “Luke the Evangelist,” the three feet tall figurine is dressed in intricately-designed vestments, made of real red silk and covered with crucifix patterns woven in gold thread. A crown on its head glimmers under the lights.

“He is the saint of the village,” said Alejandro Morales, 43, a native from Puebla, Mexico and the founding organizer of the San Lucas celebration that takes place every year in Bath Beach, Brooklyn. As he moves the statue to the middle of the altar, he looks back at San Lucas and adds, “We do this in part for those who can’t go back home.”

The celebration honors San Lucas, a saint beloved in San Lucas Atzala, a village in Puebla located in Central Mexico. According to the U.S. Census, in New York City, there are around 319,000 Mexican immigrants. The majority of them come from Morales’s home state of Puebla and they make up the third largest Latinx diaspora. The celebration that Morales founded gathers poblanos, people from Puebla, many of whom are undocumented and can’t go back home. In past years, thousands have attended. The celebration is community funded and it creates a sense of unity.

Link to capstone project: https://www.castro2018capstone.com

Recommended Citation

Castro, Itzel, "The Saint of the Sick & the Poor" (2018). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gj_etds/281