WENDELL - At St. Eugene Catholic Church last Tuesday, the sanctuary was full of families as children went to the altar to leave pictures of Jesus and dolls representing Christ.

The symbolic act of Mary and Joseph presenting Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem for service is called The Presentation of the Lord or Candelaria. This is one of many traditions of Latino Catholics. The scripture on which this is based is found in the book of Luke.

"They have learned the traditions from their parents and grandparents," said Father Joseph Lapauw, the pastor of St. Eugene. "These are centuries-old traditions. They all are scripturally based."

The Latino traditions and mass conducted in Spanish are a firm part of the life at St. Eugene. And the large numbers of Latinos who belong to the church have resulted in soaring attendance. In 1990 when the present education building and fellowship hall that is suited for worship were built on Lion's Club Road, there were 584 members. Today, there are 1,079 families -- not members -- registered.

Because of the growth, St. Eugene plans to build a sanctuary that seats 600 people with the ability to expand in the future to 800 seats. Plans are underway and architectural drawings of the new church by McClure and Hopkins of Raleigh are prominently displayed in the church's vestibule. The contractor will be G.G of. Builders of Wendell. A groundbreaking is expected to take place by the end of the summer.

About half of the church's membership is Latino. Masses are conducted in both English and Spanish.

Both priests - Lapauw and Rev. Johanes Raharjo--speak Spanish. They are missioners of Missionhurst, an international Catholic missionary association. Lapauw is from Belgium and Raharjo is from Indonesia. The church is part of the Diocese of Raleigh.

Lapauw has special training in Latino culture. He studied at the Mexican American Cultural Center during his 13 years working with Latino ministries in Texas.

Lapauw said the church creates opportunities for unity between Latinos and Anglos. There are bilingual masses and church events like the international festival in Wendell each year. There also are now six Latino members of the 20-member Parish Advisory Council, a decision-making body of the church. He hopes to have half Latino members and half Anglo members in the future.

There are religious education classes or Sunday school for children, youth and adults. And the church's busy calendar -events each night of the week - includes everything from a charismatic prayer meeting to the Ladies Guild.

Ministering to immigrants is not new to this church. In fact it has its roots in it. The Kannon family and Joseph family were Lebanese immigrants who wanted their own place to worship in Wendell instead of making the trip to Sacred Heart Cathedral in Raleigh for mass. In 1929, Julia Joseph offered the use of the Joseph family living room if the bishop would supply a priest.

Church members worshipped in the Joseph home until 1946 when they moved to the Wendell Woman's Club. Their own church was built on Wendell Boulevard a year later. The building still stands today. It's now the White Dove wedding chapel.

In 1990, the church moved again to the 19.9 acre site off Lion's Club Road.

And now it's welcoming newcomers again.

The new sanctuary not only provides a larger space for mass, but frees up the fellowship hall for other uses.

And, Lapauw notes, the growth and the new building and the activities are all for one purpose.

"For a priest, the responsibility is to be a spiritual guide," he said. ..."A parish is to be a community of faith, a community of hope and a community of love and service to our Lord."