The church is packed. I happened upon a mass in German, which is fitting (coincidental? inspired by God?) I guess. If I was here with Patience we would have dipped our fingers in the holy water, and she would have meant it.
I remember when this happened, you know. It was the summer of 1981, and in Yugoslavia some children had seen an apparition of the Virgin Mary. My future in-laws, all very nice intelligent Irish Catholics, some with advanced degrees, debated whether the children had indeed seen Mary. As Frank Zappa might inquire, is that a real apparition or is that a Sears apparition?
The area around the church is filled with American voices.
The streets are absolutely wall-to-wall shops selling religious bric-a-brac.
Check this guy out: his gaze is earnest, intense. You can tell that here is a man who is serious about salvation. Whereas Mary, Mary is meek and mild. You know she is forgiving, and will let a sin or two slide. I compliment the proprietor on his wares and he beams. „Yes, he is very lifelike!“ An actor? I ask. Yes, he says, a local actor. He unrolls a copy of the photo on a table in front of me so I can get a better picture.
Well sure! Because I mean who wouldn’t want a chopper motorcycle paperweight made out of bicycle parts to go with their Virgin Mary earrings?