Inside the candlelit L.A. church where emo lovers analyze My Chemical Romance lyrics - BERITAJA

Every Sunday, location are those who beryllium wrong of Immanuel Presbyterian successful Los Angeles for worship, but location are besides those who linger outside. Most deterioration each black. The ones connected Wilshire Boulevard dream for a peek wrong the church, which was made celebrated by emo-rock set My Chemical Romance.

Longtime congregation personnel MarAnthony Aparicio, who has worked arsenic believe head astatine the Koreatown religion for 16 years, has welcomed My Chemical Romance fans who travel from about the world connected a visit to Immanuel, the location of the band’s beloved euphony video for the 2004 anthem “Helena.”

Aparicio said whenever the set performs successful Los Angeles — they will during 5 shows astatine the Hollywood Bowl later this period — the number of visitors astatine the religion increases. For a religion for illustration Immanuel, it mightiness conscionable beryllium a dream travel existent to beryllium considered a haven for those who whitethorn place arsenic the “broken, the beaten and the damned,” arsenic the set put it successful its 2006 opus “Welcome to the Black Parade.”

Worship head MarAnthony Aparicio walks past lit candles earlier the commencement of My Presbyterian Romance night.

The religion has ne'er shied distant from the association. Many volunteers for illustration Aparicio were progressive pinch Immanuel earlier the “Helena” euphony video was shot, and he credits himself and his music-loving colleagues for being portion of the logic the religion approved the band’s rental of the space.

This year, a mini squad led by unpaid Eric Esquivel decided to thin successful and wed their 2 interests: My Chemical Romance and the words of Jesus Christ.

Without immoderate paid promotion, the flier for the church’s arena series, My Presbyterian Romance, garnered about 5,000 likes connected Instagram.

A logo for My Presbyterian Romance nights hangs connected a bulletin committee astatine the church.

“We spot truthful galore group travel present to spot wherever the video was made and we knew we needed to clasp this phenomenon,” said Aparicio. “We don’t want to fto it go. We’re here, we’re a church, but we are not the Helena church, we are Immanuel.”

At 7 p.m. connected the first Wednesday of October, about 2 twelve attendees settled successful the pews. “I thought. like, 2 group would come,” Esquivel said.

Dressed successful a My Chemical Romance T-shirt and donning ample gauged earlobes, Esquivel introduced himself arsenic the erstwhile adjunct head of a Hot Topic store. His co-host, pastor Andy Schwiebert, stood successful achromatic slacks, a achromatic button-up garment and a reddish tie, a motion to the “Helena” video. Aparico, besides successful a My Chemical Romance T-shirt, was situated astatine the backmost of the pews projecting a PowerPoint presentation.

Guests introduced themselves by name, pronouns and a condemnation about their narration to My Chemical Romance. The crowd of about 20 was predominantly Gen Zers and millennials who identified arsenic ace fans. Next to them, a fewer Gen X members of the Immanuel organization came to support without anterior knowledge of the band. A Brazilian person of My Chemical Romance and follower of the Baháʼí religion wandered successful aft seeing the motion extracurricular conscionable minutes earlier the arena began.

Gerard Way, Mikey Way and Ray Toro of My Chemical Romance execute connected shape astatine Dodger Stadium successful 2025.

Fans respond arsenic My Chemical Romance performs connected shape astatine Dodger Stadium.

To begin, Esquivel cued up the euphony video for the band’s opus “Welcome to the Black Parade” connected 2 projectors flanking the pulpit, which was illuminated by candles. As the title way from the rock-opera medium “The Black Parade,” the five-minute, black-and-white video cements the conception album’s story: A crab diligent reflects connected his life and mortality earlier dying. The Black Parade, a marching band, guides him into the afterlife.

“When I was a young boy / My begetter took maine into the metropolis / To spot a marching set / He said, ‘Son, erstwhile you turn up / Would you beryllium the savior of the surgery / The beaten and the damned?’” the band’s frontman Gerard Way sings.

Whether aliases not you’re familiar, this fandom is thing but niche. “Welcome to the Black Parade” boasts complete 1 cardinal plays connected Spotify; the euphony video has 433 cardinal YouTube views. To immoderate members of the assemblage astatine Immanuel, it’s a halfway representation of their teenage years; to others, it was thing marque new.

It’s apt the opus and medium will person renewed liking erstwhile a 20th day edition is released by Warner Records connected Oct. 23 on pinch My Chemical Romance merchandise.

Music head MarAnthony Aparicio plays aerial guitar earlier the commencement of My Presbyterian Romance night.

My Chemical Romance does not place arsenic a belief band, though the band, whose halfway members were raised Catholic, leaned into belief aesthetics successful the “Helena” euphony video, which depicts a dramatized gothic funeral.

Some fans, including a fewer seated astatine Immanuel, construe the band’s lyrics otherwise.

Attendees of My Presbyterian Romance collapsed into 3 mini groups to reply lyric-centric chat questions, 1 of which was: “Who gets called ‘broken, beaten and damned’ successful our world today?” Murmurs about the powerfulness of politicians and unfair advantages of the rich | were heard arsenic participants warmed up to each other.

Each group shared their answers. Then Esquivel introduced the Scripture pairing: Psalm 34:18 and 1 Kings 19: 3-8. After reference the Bible passages aloud, the groups collapsed into a 2nd group of questions, this clip straight incorporating their faith.

Attendees stitchery successful groups during My Presbyterian Romance nighttime to talk various thematic similarities betwixt My Chemical Romance and Christianity.

One of the attendees, Brooke Nitti, discovered the My Presbyterian Romance arena connected Instagram. “I’ve been a instrumentality of My Chemical Romance since I was 10 years old,” said Nitti, a 32-year-old surviving successful Hollywood. “I grew up successful a Christian family and I didn’t deliberation these 2 worlds went together. My mom wouldn’t fto maine get [‘The Black Parade’] CD arsenic a kid, but I called her to fto her cognize that I was going to the religion from the band’s euphony video. And she really asked if she could unrecorded watercourse it.”

There was a unrecorded watercourse of the event, but it was trim short owed to copyright issues during the euphony video. The religion is looking into hosting Zoom versions of the lyric and Bible study, and religion leaders person passed the program to different Presbyterian churches willing successful hosting their ain type of the event. Over the adjacent 3 events, Esquivel will lead discussions of opus lyrics paired pinch Scripture, focusing connected 1 opus per week.

After an hour, the huddle of group wearing achromatic T-shirts gathered successful a broadside room for cookies and java and a chance to mingle.

Event attendees perceive to “Welcome to the Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance.

Benjamin Hunsaker, a 19-year-old surviving successful Visalia, discovered My Chemical Romance a small complete a twelvemonth agone and besides recovered retired about the religion arena done Instagram.

“I wasn’t live erstwhile the set was successful their peak, but a friend successful precocious schoolhouse showed maine the music. The lyrics really said to me,” he said. Hunsaker hadn’t initially connected his religion to My Chemical Romance’s lyrics, but erstwhile he drew those connections, he “I could subordinate to the lyrics successful a caller way, not conscionable arsenic thing I could shriek successful my car to.”