Unlike many Catholic parishes, the congregation that gathers at St. Nicholas' tiny brick church on a hilltop in rural Carver is undergoing a renaissance.
Every Sunday at noon, families squeeze into its pews, sit on the stairs, or stand hip to shoulder at the back of the church.
After adding a mass for Spanish-speakers four years ago, the parish has doubled in size to more than 400 families. Several large projects — much of the work done by parishioners — have accompanied the growth, including an elaborate prayer garden with a grotto and a total church renovation that preserved the building's 1868 charm.
"We kind of created a family-like church," said the Rev. Thomas Joseph, St. Nicholas' priest for eight years. "I fell in love with this place."
Many credit Joseph with creating the new energy and a sense of community, uniting long-standing parishioners of European descent with Latino newcomers.
The older parishioners love the church deeply, Joseph said. "At the same time they have embraced the new immigrants."
Christian Nava, 17, comes from Farmington to attend the Spanish mass.
"It's a really important place for people," Nava said as he vacuumed the carpet after mass recently. "You've got to treat it the way it treats you."