The interior of St. Anthony's Catholic Church was decorated with bright colors symbolizing Mexico and icons of the Virgin Mary.

Church members - primarily Hispanic - processed from the back of the church holding long-stemmed red roses, placing them around a statue of Mary. In the background, Spanish praise songs were sung to a guitar.

The celebration was for Our Lady of Guadalupe, which depicts Mary dressed as an Aztec princess who was said to have appeared to an Aztec peasant in the 1500s and led to millions of conversions to Christianity in the Americas.

Each year, the evening service recognizes the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe with a walk from the county court house to St. Anthony's.

"Where we come from, this is a very important day," said Casper resident and southern Mexico native Beatriz Saldivar. "This reminds me of home a little bit, a little bit."

It is a unique service, always held on Dec. 12, but it is also different because it's in both Spanish and English.

Jesus Saldivar, a representative of the Hispanic community, said the service allows people from Mexico, South and Central America to worship in their native language in a ceremony they grew up celebrating.

"The reason this service started in the U.S. is because of our culture," Saldivar said. "Because when the Virgin appeared to Juan Diego, it was in Central America and it is a celebration for people there."

The church sanctuary was full, a mixture of Hispanic and non-Hispanic people, joining together to celebrate a 500-year-old tradition.

Casper resident John Doherty attended with his three children to support his two sons who helped other teens and adults from St. Anthony's perform the story in Mass.

"This is the first Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass I have been to," Doherty said, sitting in a pew after the service after his sons Brad and Dylon changed from their 1500s garb to 2007 clothes. "I thought it would all be in Spanish, but I liked it this way."

After dismantling the microphones and stands after singing, Martha Cross said the service is important to her because it celebrates the mother of Christ.

"It is better in Spanish for me because I can understand more," Cross said in Spanish. "But there are more people when it is in both languages and more people can understand."

Another singer, Florinda Sanchez, said she enjoys the service in English and Spanish because it allows everyone to understand what is happening.

Jesus Saldivar hopes both native English and Spanish speakers can continue to worship together.

"It is important because we are Catholics, all races and different colors," he said. "If we are Catholics, we should all get together and pray."

Rev. Kevin Koch led parts of the service in Spanish at St. Anthony's. He said he is working on learning the language.

"I need to learn it. It is more than a need, it is a have to," he said. "Would you feel more comfortable with someone who speaks English to you or Italian if you are trying to understand your faith?"

Koch said he and others in the church are working to make the Hispanic community feel more a part of the everyday life of the church community.

"We are in the process of determining what we need to do in the future and to find out what this holds for us," Koch said. "Do we continue to have a Spanish Mass or bring Spanish into all of our services? We have entered into that discussion."

Contact city reporter Christine Robinson at (307) 266-0639 or christine.robinson@trib.com