Comment by Tade0

4 hours ago

I'm Polish and my father (boomer generation) attended a boys-only high school, where Latin was part of the mandatory curriculum.

He managed to use it once when we were living in Kuwait and he had to arrange for my sister to get baptized - he knew that there were two missionaries visiting the local Cathedral - one Spanish and the other Polish but as he didn't know who was who, he started the conversation in Latin and of course got an appropriate response.

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Tade0

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asibahi  3 hours ago

I’m confused. Why not start the conversation in Polish?

  • Tade0  3 hours ago

    He didn't know the nationality of the man in front of him as he's never seen the faces of the two before. It was the mid 90s, so it's not like he could easily look that up.

    Also he figured it would be rude.

    IIRC the wider context is that my dad, not knowing where the priests were at that moment and having no one to ask in the vicinity, went to a confessional as he saw someone there.

    • poczekajnapomoc  2 hours ago

      Nie widzę problemu z pytaniem o polskiego księdza jeśli wiadomo, że taki znajduje się gdzieś w pobliżu - jeśli to miałoby ułatwić całą sprawę z załatwianiem chrztu. Nie ma w tym niczego niekulturalnego. No chyba, że tata był nauczony padać plackiem przed koloratką - to wtedy to zupełnie inna dyskusja.

      Oh look at me, I'm being rude here - talking in Polish. Because that eases the convo.