Good Friday Procession. South Bronx, 2005

For years, the Bronx has had its own Calvary, a flat patch of grass where the County Building once stood by Tremont and Third Avenues. Every Good Friday, a procession would wind its way from St. Joseph’s Church to the park, where the Passion Play was reenacted.

For a while, the area’s fortunes seemed as bleak as the surrounding communities. But just as churches helped rebuild the borough, they also gave residents new found hope.

Rafael González, who portrayed Christ the year he was photographed in 2005, sees it as a transcendent experience. ”It is something divine, and I assure you that you will get closer to the Savior.”