Throughout the years there have been colorful characters who have attended St. Francis de Sales. Typically these people aren't harmful and, well, we just deal with them however we can. There was the man who pretended to be a brother and would "bless" people. There was the person who would yell at women for not veiling. Once there was a guy dressed as Jesus in a white jump suit - it turns out THAT guy makes the rounds at every church in St. Louis.
Then there was
Latin Man.
He was so named because he insisted on reciting not only the responses, but a lot of the priest's prayers during low mass out loud. Also, during the rosary, which is in English, he would respond in Latin.
Miserere nobis! He would talk to himself and make quite expressive faces before, during, and after mass. It was distracting at best, annoying at worst.
He would always get to church first, sitting in the front row in front of the St. Francis de Sales statue. He would place a piece of rug stop pad on the pew so his missal wouldn't slip off and he would never kneel on the kneeler, preferring to keep it up and kneel on the hardwood floor. He was fervent in his prayers, marking his St. Andrew's missal with chip clips, paper clips and prayer cards. He would bring additional prayers written in tiny script in zip-lock bags and pull them out during various parts of the mass. I also noticed he brought
The Liturgical Year by Dom Gueranger with him to mass. Many times he was at daily mass.
Well, I found out Latin Man died, alone.
| REQUIEM aeternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei. Requiescat in pace. Amen. | ETERNAL rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen. |
