Introduction

At the center of a long road in Owatonna, on 810 South Cedar Avenue, stands the Sacred Heart Parish, or as the Hispanic community refers to it, "La Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón." 

Because the parking lot is located at the back of the building, it is more common for parishioners to enter from the back rather than using the main entrance. In order to enter the parking lot, one must come through the busy street behind the church. Upon entering the lot, one can see how spacious it is. Rows upon rows for not only church members to park, but it is also shared with two other buildings: a medium-sized food market, and St. Mary's Catholic School. On Sunday afternoons, the parking lot is filled with Hispanic community members' cars, ready for the Spanish services to begin at 1 PM. 

Owatonna has two different Catholic parishes, but the Sacred Heart Parish is the only one of the two that offers Spanish services. The Latino community has become important to the church as it continues to grow. The location of the community is also interesting to consider. Minnesota, in comparison to more southern states, is further away from the home countries of many of these people. Every single individual that has migrated to this parish has a unique story and reason for why they came to this country.

Though we began the project thinking of focusing on the Hispanic community in general, many of the individuals we got the opportunity to interview were from Mexico or considered themselves to be Mexican-American. Because the Latinx community is so small in this town, looking at their interactions with one another and with the location of the church are important to understand because it helps us see how they have made Owatonna like 'home." Their migration has changed the demographics of the town, and their traditions have been a driving force in uniting the Sacred Heart community. Though the community lacks numbers, the effects on the church have been powerful and strong. They are a family, and when united with other parishes from other close towns in Minnesota, they become a force of faith.