Saturday, October 3, 1998

To reach the masses, many churches try Espanol

By FLORENCIA ARBISER

San Antonio Express-News

SAN ANTONIO -- When the Rev. Roger Scott Penrod talks about pecados (sins) he uses the wrong accent. Likewise, when he uses the Spanish word for the Lord, Señor, it comes out sounding instead like "senior."

But 11 parishioners at the Sept. 6 service at Trinity Episcopal Church didn't seem to care.

"We have a pastor that is trying to be bilingual," said Barbara Hanson, a grandmother and teacher of blind students in the San Antonio School District when she talks about the San Antonio rector with Anglo roots but a Venezuelan grandmother.

Because more than half of the city is Hispanic, many churches hold bilingual services or are trying to start them. Some do literal translations and others switch from English to Spanish for prayers, sermons or songs.

El Sendero Assembly of God claims to be the largest bilingual church in Texas.

"About 2,000 people come to these services," said the Rev. Roi Garcia, church pastor.

Four times a week, El Sendero holds two bilingual services, one in Spanish and one in three languages. The Friday night service for a Messianic congregation uses English, Spanish and Hebrew.

For Brother Edward Loch, archivist for the Archdiocese of San Antonio, "Every (Catholic) church south of Hildebrand Avenue is basically bilingual."

At least three-fourths of the parishioners in 39 of the city's 82 Catholic churches have Hispanic parishioners, Loch said.

The six Masses held on Sundays at San Fernando Cathedral, for example, include two bilingual services and a Spanish one. Many cathedral members speak only Spanish.

"The Hispanic people feel they have come here (to the U.S.) and they are eager to learn English, but they find it hard. So, they prefer Spanish when it comes to cosas del alma (things of the soul)," said Father David Garcia, cathedral rector.

"The Spanish is more spiritual for me, because I completely understand it," said Carmen Lujan, 67, of Mexico, who attends a weekly bilingual Mass there.

Garcia avoids literal translations so he doesn't "interrupt the flow of the Mass."

"Whenever you change language, you have to change cultures -- the images, stories, dichos (sayings,) the value system," said Garcia.

Of the four religious services at Trinity Episcopal, the only bilingual one attracts mostly Anglo parishioners.

"Our parishioners are 90 percent Anglo but they love the (Spanish) language,"Scott said.

Barbara Hanson, who considers herself a "struggling bilingual," travels 30 miles to the Northwest Side church. "There is a closeness in this small service and the Spanish music is joyful."

Surrounded by brilliant-colored stained-glass windows, Hanson tries to sing in Spanish and to follow the readings.

She also attends the English service, held on Sunday two hours earlier. But "this (the bilingual service) is the one I never miss," she said.

"Christianity is about people from different cultures and languages coming together," said Barbara Stanush, who speaks muy poquito Spanish and also attends Trinity Episcopal's bilingual service.

Stanush's Anglo accent on Spanish words doesn't interfere with her joy. After one hour, her feet marked the rhythm of Spanish in the last song of the service, "Yo voy caminando" (I go walking.)

Dressed in white, Scott, who has taken Spanish lessons, rocked his head to the same rhythm.

Francisco Garcia-Treto, religion professor at Trinity University and a Presbyterian minister, said being bilingual is not enough to lead church services in San Antonio.

Americans who learned English first and later studied Spanish often complain about not being able to understand what they hear, he said.

"Even though people may know Spanish, they probably didn't read Spanish poets but they studied (William) Shakespeare and (Ernest) Hemingway instead."

Garcia-Treto said the five Presbyterian churches in San Antonio have "some Spanish" in their services.

He said some English speakers with Hispanic roots attend bilingual services "because they feel more at home when they listen to some Spanish."

Other young people from similar cultures go to English services after marriage, but come back to the bilingual ones for Christmas or Mother's Day, said Garcia-Treto.

Trinity United Methodist is a San Antonio church that's considering bilingual services.

"We want to invite the Hispanic community around the (South Texas) medical center," said the Rev. Eradio Valverde, church pastor.

La Trinidad United Methodist Church has a bilingual service on Sundays at 11 a.m., after an earlier English service. "It is so bilingual that anything said in a language could have been in the other. The idea is that the parishioners would get most of the message, even if they don't understand every word" said the Rev. Dan Rodriguez, church pastor.

First Mexican Baptist Church has a monthly bilingual sermon. "When we sing in both languages at the same time, the two cultures are united," said the Rev. Al Flores.

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Distributed by The Associated Press