YOU have given me a reason to send in this email: my love of the church, my love of being goan and my need to bring out the good, the bad and the ugly of goans in the church and in toronto.
I have been visiting catholic churches within Mississauga and Toronto for the past 35 years. I have NOT become or been aware of racism within their walls and therefore I was very surprised to hear a comment or statement linking the church to racism. when i first read this heading, i thought for sure, another loser, a disatisfied catholic; however, i redress my comment, in part. suffice to say: my first surprisingly negativity toward me as a goan when the G.O.A ( Toronto) objected to my attempt to sell my wares at one of their functions ( which years latter is now seemingly open to all merchants). eversince, I have been turned off by their masquerading balls and functions. I will say this: not ONE goan or another-Indian priest in Toronto has been capable of keeping me attentive throughout his sermon, sunday after sunday. Either his heavy un-english accent is difficult to easily understand or his ability to have my full continuous attention is lacking. I have wonderd why the priests are not thought some oratorship. I am not faulting the Church for bringing such pastors; God knows the white folks have mostly abandoned the celibate priesthood, thus opening up the need for anyone willing to become a priest so he can pack up and become a citizen of Canada or the USA......that is how I figure some of the priests within our community have chosen this priest vocation!. that is not the fault of the Church!. But, is this how the white folks see the priests of other colour? Another very important and dismayingly sensitive issue is that these goan or similar-skinned priests do not seen to recognize us other goans, especially us goans that are not the life-of-the-party type, not the government-job type, not the lawyer or doctor-type.... ! but I may be wrong here, too!. I hope i am, although i have yet to cultivate a comradeship with any priest. ( sorry, i remember my ONE Jesuit teacher in my secondary school....now, that is what I want my priests to be like!) In ending, there is or was a goan priest from the Scarborough side who, just the one time i heard him, when he presided at my fathers funeral, was very eloquent in his eulogy; almost as if he personally knew my father... and maybe he did. sadly, i never got to know him more. On the other hand, the white priests in whose chuches i have attended, have wished me with a more genuine handshake or comment. anthony fernandes, toronto.
