Con los hijos de Dios nadie se mete: Guatemalan Immigrants and Cristo Rey Episcopal Church in Trenton

Abstract

Recent conservative political movements in the United States have aggressively targeted undocumented immigrants by obstructing any path to citizenship, a process that has simultaneously given a potent platform to attitudes of xenophobia and exclusion. Considering the oppressive silencing of these communities, this thesis aims to shed light on the population of Guatemalan immigrants that worship at Cristo Rey Episcopal Church in Trenton, New Jersey. The central research motive lies in the curious relationship between the immigrants and the institution of the Episcopal Church, which is rarely known for incorporating Latin American migrants. By performing a detailed examination of political and religious change supplemented by ethnographic research at services, I argue that Cristo Rey subverts the salient conception of assimilation by contouring the service to the needs of the immigrant community and thereby provides institutional legitimization. This is accomplished through a unique synthesis of traditional Episcopal practices, which mirror Catholic rites, and more emotive evangelical worship traditions that provide unique refuge amidst the realities of exclusion and uncertainty.