WASHINGTON (DC)
USA Today
February 24, 2019
By Lindsay Schnell
The Latino family entered the church after worship started, hustling to a pew in the back. The two young boys sat between their parents, while the little girl, a big white bow adorning her hair, perched on her dad’s lap, giggling.
During the homily, while the Rev. Mike Walker preached in English about finding joy in Jesus Christ despite hardships, the father whispered in Spanish for his children to be quiet and hold still. The mother handed the boys books with a Spanish translation. She wanted them to follow along.
Two hours later at St. James Catholic Church, located 50 miles southwest of Portland in the heart of Oregon’s wine country, the pews were packed again, this time entirely with Latino families. Now, the hymns were upbeat — full drums, a boisterous choir, congregants moving their hips.
Walker invited children to the front. “Escuela mañana?” he asked. Did they have school the next day on Presidents Day? The crowd of elementary school children shook their heads shyly, then headed for the Sunday school classroom, while Walker addressed his congregation and preached the same homily — this time entirely in Spanish.
McMinnville is 72 percent white and 22 percent Latino, but St. James is majority Latino, a growing trend in the U.S. Catholic Church.
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