A Hillcrest church is hoping to spread a message of unity and inclusivity this Ash Wednesday, by showing solidarity with immigrants. NBC 7’s Audra Stafford has more.
A Hillcrest church is hoping to spread a message of unity and inclusivity this Ash Wednesday, by showing solidarity with immigrants.
Wednesday morning, members of University Christian Church traveled to the San Ysidro Port of Entry to distribute “ashes to go.”
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WATCH HERE“We like to serve the community – the immigrant community that comes and works every day in the U.S. but lives in Mexico,” said Reverend Diego Salazar Galvis. “In their daily life they’re busy working, so we wanna be at the point where they’re crossing. They’re able to start the day with the ashes, because even though they might not be able to go to a physical church, they wanna experience the faith and the tradition of the Lent season.”
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SIGN UP In the Christian tradition, Ash Wednesday marks the start of the holy season of Lent, a time for reflection and repentance in preparation for the celebration of Easter.
For centuries, Christians have received a sign of the cross with ashes on their forehead at the beginning of that season as a reminder of mortal failings and an invitation to receive God’s forgiveness.
The ashes Salazar Galvis distributed came with another sparkling reminder as well.
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“There’s always that spark inside of you that is telling you there’s something in life that makes you appreciate life and embrace who you are and love who you are, and the glitter helps us remember that there is a spark inside of all of us,” he said.
In a statement, the church said it also wanted to use the opportunity to call attention to “the many immigrants who have been deported, who have died while crossing the border, and whose immigration status is in limbo due to current border policies.”
“We wanna build unity and we want to be there for our community as well,” said Salazar Galvis. “So, we wanna have a church that goes beyond the walls.”
