(All Times Union materials Copyright (c) 2006 Times Union (Albany,N.Y.) a division of The Hearst Corporation, Albany, N.Y.)

ALBANY - As a group of children adorned in traditional garb hoisted a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe over their heads, hundreds of Hispanic parishioners filed into the church hall at Holy Family Parish Sunday to begin the yearly festival for their patron saint.

About a dozen women, all immigrants from Hispanic countries such as Mexico, Puerto Rico and Bolivia, worked frantically in the kitchen, making enough chicken, rice and salad to feed the crowd.

"The Hispanic community is a big family and this is a big feast for us to share," said Catalina Garcia, who was one of the head organizers. "Guadalupe is the patron saint for all Americans. She is our mother."

This is the 15th annual Our Lady of Guadalupe festival at the church. In those 15 years, the Hispanic congregation at Holy Family - formerly St. Patrick's - has grown exponentially to become one of the largest communities of Hispanics in the Capital Region.

The festival followed a noon Mass that began with a long processional.

"Throughout North America, it's the Hispanic community that is the future of the Catholic church," said the Rev. Anthony Kall. "All the guys who go through the seminary schools now have to study Spanish."

Kall is one of the head administrators of the diocese, who helps create new programs for the changing Catholic population in the Capital Region. As the numbers of Hispanics have grown in this area in the past two decades, the Spanish language Mass is now the busiest at Holy Family, which as St. Patrick's Church traditionally served Irish Catholics.

The diocese also has added English-as-a-second-language classes in Holy Family's church hall, as well as a soup kitchen and thrift store for the homeless.

"The church always adapts itself to the people it's serving," Kall said. "With the changing neighborhood, it's necessary to have the appropriate services." Hispanic Catholics revere Our Lady of Guadalupe as the manifestation of the Virgin Mary in the Americas. She is Mexico's most popular religious icon.

The Rev. Joseph Angelini, who is the head of Spanish services for the diocese, celebrates the Spanish Mass at Holy Family most weeks.

"We call him Father Jose," said Isabel Calderon as she worked in the kitchen and a line of hungry parishioners began to form.

Not only does Guadalupe represent a spiritual icon for Hispanic Catholics, but it also has a special meaning for those trying to create a new life for themselves in the Unites States.

"For immigrants, there is a lot of insecurity and searching," said Nestor Damian, the church's youth coordinator. "In Guadalupe, we find something we can hold onto."

Danielle Furfaro can be reached at 454-5097 or by e-mail at dfurfaro@timesunion.com.