Fourteen
“SO, FATHER TOM, WHAT do you think?”
I’m sitting in my office the next day. Across from me are Mae Trent, Nate, and Gladys, all looking at me in eager anticipation of my answer. My door is open, so I can hear Anna instructing Helen on the finer points of being parish secretary. With a minimal amount of rearranging, we moved the Rectory phone and computer into the living room where Helen can work from the recliner.
“So,” Helen says, “when someone calls, you always pass it on to Tom?”
“Yes, if he’s here and not in a meeting,” Anna says.
“But doesn’t that mean he gets interrupted a lot?”
“Yes, but people want to talk to him.”
“But why don’t you ask if it's urgent, or even if you can help them?”
“Because that would be separating the congregation from their priest, and people n
