Father Edgar Gutiérrez-Duarte

Father Edgar Gutiérrez-Duarte, St Luke’s Episcopal Church–I came to Chelsea 13 years ago to take over St. Lukes Church, to be in charge of a congregation that was in bad shape. Over the years, I fell in love with Chelsea. I see a community that pulls together, where you truly feel that you’re part of a community. It isn’t just our leadership; it is our neighbors who want to help. In Chelsea we are undergoing the process of gentrification. We are afraid of change. When gentrification happens, change usually brings destruction andan end of a part of a population, of the heritage of a city, and a loss of identity.In Chelsea we have a great opportunity to think about change not as losing our identity and character, but as enriching that character by actually saying we are in solidarity with one another. We are hospitable, we open our arms to the new neighbors that are coming, and together we can create a better community.

Darlene Devita, Father Edgar Gutiérrez-Duarte, 2020. Digital Photograph. ©Darlene Devita. All rights reserved.