Churches across Indiana keep up with need for services in Spanish

NOBLESVILLE, Ind. -- His Spanish was a little rusty, but the small congregation gathered around the Rev. John Zahn didn't seem to mind. Hearing a Palm Sunday service in their native tongue was satisfaction enough.\n"This is needed more than you can realize," Westfield resident Jesus Ramos, 50, said of the 7 p.m. Spanish service at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church. "We only do this here once a month, but people really need it every week."\nDemand for Spanish-speaking church services is on the rise throughout central Indiana as the Hispanic population boom continues, particularly in Hamilton County, which has one of the fastest-growing Latino communities in the state.\nOf the seven counties surrounding Indianapolis, Hamilton has the highest percentage of Hispanics. They are moving there at a rate faster than in neighboring Indianapolis.\nThe reason: jobs -- and plenty of them.\n"Hamilton County continues to be a star on the map as far as employment for the Hispanic community with the housing boom we're experiencing, and the construction and landscaping industries continue to remain strong," said Rodney Goins, a Fishers resident who helps immigrants and minorities adjust to life in Hamilton County. "As a result, it continues to be an area where Hispanic individuals are coming to live, as well."\nAs they settle into the community, one of the first things many Hispanic immigrants look for is the chance to worship -- in their own language.\n"Most of the Hispanic parishioners here don't live in the immediate area," said Zahn, who admits he doesn't speak Spanish well but gets by through reading prepared sermons. "Many of them drive from places as far as Tipton to attend the service."\nDomingo Castillo assists Zahn with the once-a-month service at Our Lady of Grace. He travels from parish to parish throughout the Catholic Church's Lafayette Diocese helping with Spanish services.\nCastillo said the need for such services throughout the diocese, which covers the central portion of the state north of Indianapolis, is tremendous.\n"The latest numbers from our Hispanic office in Washington, D.C., show that the No. 1 fastest-growing area for Hispanics is Las Vegas, No. 2 is the Carolinas and No. 3 is north-central Indiana," Castillo said. "The growth of Hispanics in our diocese is amazing."\nWhen he started in 1991, Castillo said there were 8,074 Hispanics in the Lafayette Diocese. Today, he said, the number is more than 50,000.\n"The reason they come here is because it's a good place to live. Oh yeah, and there's a lot of work," he said. "There's a lot of construction, but look who's building -- it's Hispanics. Carpentry, concrete work, landscaping -- you name it, they're doing it."\nWhile at least 3,000 Hispanics call Hamilton County home, just a small handful of churches offer Spanish services, many of them at night or just once a month. Across central Indiana, the Hispanic Center in Indianapolis estimates, there are about 30 churches that offer such services.\nThe majority are in Marion County, where 10 Catholic churches celebrate Mass in Spanish. They're joined by Baptist, Episcopalian and Christian churches that offer similar services.\nOutside Indianapolis, Hamilton County is not alone. Weekly services are offered in Spanish at Catholic churches in Batesville and Columbus, with monthly services held in Richmond, Seymour and Shelbyville.\nRamos hopes the growth will lead to a larger Spanish service at Our Lady of Grace.\n"We just need to keep getting the word out and get more and more people to the Spanish service," said Ramos, who also teaches an English class at the church. "Then, once they get to know a little English, they can start going to the English services. That's how I did it"