Yesterday I was in my office when the church secretary called and said: "I think you want to take this call. It's a Mr. Makiyama*. So I thanked her, pushed the button and said, 「牧山さん、初めまして。リアム神父ともうします。」["Hello, Mr. Makiyama. Happy to meet you. I'm Father Liam."]. To which he responded, "Am I talking with a priest? Is that Japanese? My stepfather's name was Makiyama. That's why I have the name. My mother married a Japanese guy. You a priest?"
I apologized for assuming he spoke Japanese and went on with the conversation. I assumed it was one of the members of the Boston-area Japanese Catholic Community for which I celebrate Mass in Japanese every couple of months.
*not the person's actual name, of course.
Personal musings and postings from an Augustinian friar living and working in the upstate NY Capitol region.
6/10/10
Mistaken Assumption
Labels:
Boston,
Catholic,
Japanese,
Japanese Catholic Community
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