Catholic mission formed in Decatur

DECATUR -- The sound of 30 voices singing worship songs in Spanish reverberated inside a small home in Decatur last week.

The group, made up of members of St. Mary Catholic Church in Siloam Springs who live in or near Decatur, was meeting in the home of Jesus and Maria Tirado for a weekly Bible study and worship.

They have been meeting twice a week -- for Bible study on Tuesdays and to pray the Rosary on Thursdays -- at various homes around Decatur for the past 15 months.

Over that time, the group of believers has swelled to up to 100 members. They organized into Santa Maria Mision Decatur -- or St. Mary Mission Decatur -- in March and established a Facebook page, Decatur Grupo de Oración Católico, with service times and announcements.

There is a large community of Catholics in Decatur, according to Ana Urquidi, who helped organize the group. Many of the members don't have transportation or their work schedules don't allow them to make it to churches in Siloam Springs, Rogers or Missouri to receive sacraments, she said.

Recognizing the need in the community, Father Salvador Marquz-Munoz, priest of the Siloam Springs church, began holding Mass in Decatur last March. Marquz-Munoz and a priest from the Rogers church alternate conducting the weekly service held on Saturday evenings. The group rents space in the Community Building or the high school cafeteria.

The first Mass, held in the Community Building on March 25, was a celebration of the feast of the Annunciation, Marquz-Munoz said.

"This day was chosen for a specific purpose," he said, "to reply to God's presence among those people who are conscious of their need for God in their lives and that for different circumstances do not have the opportunity to celebrate their faith as a Christian community, with their rites and traditions of faith as they need and are accustomed to in their journey of faith."

The first Mass was also a celebration of the worship group's first anniversary of meeting together, according to Clara Smith-Gomez, who serves as secretary and treasurer for the group.

"For us sacraments are very important," she said.

The celebration of Mass and Holy Eucharist is a vital element of the Catholic faith, Marquz-Munoz said. Celebration of other sacraments, such as Reconciliation or Confessions, Baptisms and Weddings are also required to build faith, along with Bible studies and religious instruction for both children and adults.

In March, St. Mary Mission Decatur also began working to raise money to buy property to build its own church, Urquidi said. The group hopes to raise $35,000 to purchase a piece of property, plus an additional $45,000 to build a church. The Diocese in Little Rock will help with the building fund if they are able to raise enough money, she explained.

So far the Decatur worship group has raised about $5,500, Smith-Gomez said.

Urquidi helped organize a festival on June 28 that raised $2,100. The event included a performance by Dandyni the clown, children's games, bounce houses, and a concession stand stocked with pupasas, empanadas, nachos, hot-dogs and brownies. It took the work of approximately 35 volunteers to put on the event, Urquidi said.

Her husband, Sergio Urquidi, organized a soccer tournament that was played during the festival. Seven teams participated, including several teams from Oklahoma.

St. Mary Mission Decatur has also done several other fundraisers, including garage sales and a chicken dinner.

Fernando Sanchez is one of those that found it difficult to attend church in Siloam Springs.

Having a church in Decatur "will be great because it will be close and because the kids can get their sacraments here instead of Siloam Springs," he said through a translator.

If a Catholic church is built in Decatur, it will be the first in the town's history, according to Lynval Abercrombie, a lifelong resident of Decatur and unofficial town historian.

Abercrombie recalled there was a small community of Catholics in Decatur, consisting of a few families, during the 1940s and 1950s but they traveled to Noel, Mo., to worship.

"I hope and pray that one day the community of believers from Decatur would be able to have their own building facility in which many of their faith activities could be developed and expressed in the way God wants for them," Marquz-Munoz said.

There is potential in the group of believers in Decatur, and that potential needs to be fed and encouraged continuously, he said.

"God's presence is there, and our task is to help people be not just aware of that but to respond to his presence among them," Marquz-Munoz said.