St.

Friday, July 06, 2001

St. Theodore Catholic Church in Albert Lea is reaching out to the Spanish-speaking community with regular Spanish masses beginning Saturday, July 7, at 7 p.m with confessions preceding the service at 6:30. Baptisms are also available afterward. The Rev. Kurt Farrell, who is fluent in Spanish, will conduct the weekly mass.

According to Mike Ellis, parish administrator at St. Theodore, the Diocese of Winona recognized the demand in Albert Lea, and appointed Farrell a couple of months ago. Austin’s three Catholic Churches will also begin offering the mass.

&uot;The church is always here to meet the needs of the people, and the need is definitely there in our community,&uot; Ellis said. &uot;I think this will be an excellent addition to the church. It will be interesting to watch the services evolve over the next few months.&uot;

Ellis said he regularly receives calls from people wondering where they can find the nearest Spanish mass.

&uot;It will be nice to tell them that we’re having one every Saturday, as opposed to holding one periodically or directing them to another city or church,&uot; Ellis said.

To make the community aware of the new mass, Ellis put ads in local publications and put a notice at La Tienda Mexico.

&uot;It’s amazing how word is getting out and how many calls we’ve received wanting to confirm the time,&uot; Ellis said.

Ellis said the Hispanic/Latino culture has a rich history and association with the Catholic Church, and many families in the city have been waiting anxiously for a Spanish mass.

St. Theodore is the third area church to offer a Spanish service joining Grace Christian Church and Christ Episcopal Church.