Uploaded on: 06/24/2007
Mexican Catholics have had long presence in Twin Cities
Spanish-speaking Catholics have worshipped in the Twin Cities for more than 70 years.
In the early part of the century, “the Mexican community got together to take steps to find a location in which Mass could be celebrated,” recalled Juanita Rangel-Moran in a written family history shared by her daughter, Marie Zellner.
Rangel-Moran’s father, Francisco Rangel, and his wife, Cresencia, immigrated to Minnesota in 1928, along with their children. They lived in West Side Flats in St. Paul and were among Our Lady of Guadalupe’s early parishioners.
Begun in 1931 as a mission for Mexican-American and other Latino immigrants, Our Lady of Guadalupe on St. Paul’s west side was the first Spanish-speaking church in the state.
“They located a warehouse on the corner of Wabasha and Plato,” Rangel-Moran wrote. The community did not stay at the initial location for long. A new building was located on State and Fairfield, she wrote. In 1961, with the removal of the West Side flats, the parish moved to its current location on Concord Street.
Our Lady of Guadalupe was the only Twin Cities-area parish with Spanish Masses until about 20 years ago, said Anne Attea, archdiocesan Hispanic Ministry coordinator.
In 1985, a group of Minneapolis-area parishes — Ascension, Holy Rosary and St. Stephen — began a rotation of a weekly Spanish Mass, Attea said. Today, 19 parishes offers weekly Mass for Hispanics.
Following are other facts and figures about Latinos in the Twin Cities, provided by Attea and the Hispanic ministry office:
- In July 2002, there were 158,752 Latinos in Minnesota, or roughly 200,000, if undocumented residents are included.
- From 1990 to 2000, Minnesota’s Latino population increased 168 percent, from 54,000 to 143,400, according to U.S. census figures.
- Seventy percent of Latinos here claim to be Catholic — roughly 13 to 16 percent of the 850,000 Catholics in the archdiocese.
- Thirty-nine percent are under 18. The median age is 26.
- In Minnesota, 60 percent are U.S. citizens; 8 percent are naturalized citizens; 32 percent are non-citizens.
- Sixty-nine percent are of Mexican origin.
- There are 35 bilingual priests (their fluency varies greatly) and three bilingual deacons.
- There are two monolingual priests, both from Ecuador: Father Fredy Montero at Sagrado Corazon de Jesus in Minneapolis and Father Vicente Miranda at Divine Mercy in Faribault.
- Forty-five Latino leaders graduated in the Hispanic Leadership Development Initiative in June.
- Twenty-five to 30 are participating in the Spanish-speaking track of the archdiocese’s Institute for Christian Life and Ministry program.