Identity Issues

We are back in full swing at the parish. Sunday Mass was as packed as I have seen it since May.

One woman caught my arm at the end of a Mass and asked if I worked here. I smiled and said yes and asked how I could help. She started giving me explicit directions on how to water the flower arrangement she had bought for the front of the church, and I stopped her there -- my ministry doesn't extend to flowers, but I assured her our caretaker or the flower guild would look after it.

Towards the end of the Mass I attended, I headed to the back to open the doors as I usually do, and then returned to the back entrance to catch the final prayer. A lady saw me leaning by the door and smiled at me, then asked, "I have seen you here before. Are you a parishioner?"

I smiled and said, "Yes, I work here."

She frowned and started wading through her purse. This did not turn out to be a brief process. Eventually she found her copy of the bulletin and studied the front cover closely.

I thought I was being helpful when I pointed to my name, but she made a distinct snorting sound when I did. There was a pause before she asked, "So you're a nun?"

"No," I said, leaving it at that. Her frown grew even larger and I knew enough not to explain as my explanation would surely have fallen on deaf ears in this case.

Some people just cannot grasp the concept of a laywoman working at a church.