MAGNA — Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Magna officially welcomed Father Javier Virgen as pastor in December.
With Fr. Virgen’s arrival, Spanish Masses at the parish became a long-awaited dream come true.
"It’s a great blessing to have the Mass in Spanish so we can teach our kids our traditions," said Jose Luis Manzano, an Our Lady of Lourdes parishioner who always attends Mass with all his family. "It’s a blessing. To be able to have a Spanish Mass is really a blessing. We have to be thankful to God for what he gives us."
Every Sunday at 2 p.m. Fr. Virgen welcomes all the parishioners to the Spanish Mass, during which about 200 people fill the church and 200 more take seats in the gym, which is connected to the church by a sliding partition.
These Masses have benefited a lot of Catholics in the area.
"There are a lot of [Spanish-speaking] parishioners in Magna and the surrounding areas, and with these Masses we have been welcoming parishioners who used to go to other parishes," said Fr. Virgen.
One of the things that Fr. Virgen is very grateful for is that the Anglo parishioners in Magna have been very welcoming to the Spanish Masses.
"They have been openly supportive and are very happy because we now have the Spanish Masses as part of our Church," said Fr. Virgen, thanking all his parishioners as well as the Most Reverend John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, for his interest and support for the Hispanic Catholic community "and for making sure that the Hispanics have the necessary services."
Antonio Andrade, parishioner of Our Lady of Lourdes, agreed with Fr. Virgen.
"We did not have a Spanish Mass here, so we used to go to other parishes. We were thirsty for one. The Hispanic community here in Magna is very big," said Andrade.
The parish now offers confessions in English and Spanish, quinceañeras, and baptisms and weddings in both languages.
"To have a Hispanic priest here is a blessing, and I am not saying that because of me," said Fr. Virgen, referring to the fact that having Spanish Masses at the parish has opened the door to continuing them well into the future, even after he has been transferred to another assignment.
"This is great, great. I have now a bigger opportunity for all my family," said Rita Mosqueda, a parishioner who also works at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish.
"This is great. We do not fit in the church any more. This is a great satisfaction. We have been hearing a lot of positive things," said Andrade, adding that Fr. Virgen always is on call to the community. "He works very hard, and we come here full of joy. Having Fr. Virgen here and having Spanish Masses are real blessings."
"We are a whole community of faith," said Fr. Virgen.
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