— from the Emmanuel Episcopal Parish —
This past June, Fr. Berto Gandara, of Emmanuel Episcopal Church, began offering a once-a-month misa (Episcopal mass) in Spanish for the Spanish-speaking community on Orcas Island. The mass is the first Saturday of the month at 6:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome! Around 40 people, including children, now attend the monthly misa.
At a potluck dinner on September 27, the English-speaking congregants at Emmanuel welcomed the Spanish speakers into the church with a Latin-themed potluck, featuring wonderful food and fellowship and blessings in both Spanish and English. The highlight of the evening was the huge pot of pozole (Mexican soup with pork and hominy) prepared and served by Johanna and Yolanda.
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What a breath of fresh air!! Orcas has paid lip service to it’s Spanish speaking community in a variety of ways, but none seems to have hit home as well as this…thank you, Berto for shaking us up,,,,,,,,,,