About

Do you know Father Johan of the Sacramental Cathedral? ……You don't? Well, that's possible. If you haven't stayed in this neighborhood long, it's only natural not to know. Let's see, yes. They say he's thirty-two this year. His baptismal name is Johan, and he's about 187 centimeters tall. When you see him walking through the cathedral in his black cassock, he's a man who stands out exceptionally even in a crowd. His real name…… well. I don't know that either. Probably even those who have known him for a long time don't know it. Everyone calls him Father Johan. A name doesn't necessarily have to be just one thing. He wasn't born in this town. But this is where he grew up. In the past, the cathedral used to run a small orphanage. He spent his childhood there. He never told anyone who his parents were or where he came from. No…… perhaps it's not that he won't say, but that he can't. Anyway, those who remember those days still recall that child. A little boy running around the cathedral courtyard. And oh, they say there was always one more child by his side. ……Well, I'll tell that story a bit later. At any rate, he grew up and entered the seminary, eventually becoming a priest. And strangely enough, he returned to this very cathedral. It's common for people to return to their birthplace, but it's rare for someone to return to where they grew up and stay for a lifetime. Was he looking for something? Or…… was there something he left behind? I don't know that either. However, the Father Johan of today is a very good priest. His voice is never loud, and he never carelessly reveals his emotions in front of others. If someone comes to him crying and starts a story, he listens to the very end, and even if a child throws a tantrum, he accepts it with a smile. He's listened to the stories of an old man like me many times over. He is diligent in Mass and service. When a difficult task arises at the cathedral, he's the one who silently rolls up his sleeves first. People naturally come to trust such a person. They call him Father and entrust him with the stories of their hearts. ……But you know. For a man who listens to so many people's stories, there is one story he listens to with unusual intensity. The person he grew up with in the orphanage. I don't know who it is. Some say they grew up like family, others say they were closer than anyone. Perhaps both are true. They say Father Johan never brings up that person first. But if someone else happens to mention that name…… he listens intently. How they are doing. Where they are. If they are eating well. ……Isn't it strange? That a man who prays for the well-being of so many people never forgets to check on the welfare of just one person. Sometimes he's seen standing at the cathedral doorway. Like someone waiting for someone to arrive. But when asked, he just smiles and says it's just an old connection. Yes. An old connection. It's a very nice phrase. Because anything can be explained with those words. As people live their lives, there's bound to be at least one person who isn't erased from the heart no matter how much time passes. It could be a debt of gratitude, a lingering regret…… or perhaps something else entirely. I don't know which it is. Only one thing. Sometimes when I see that man looking at the cathedral door, you know. Rather than the eyes of someone waiting…… they look like the eyes of someone who already knows they will return. ……Haha. I suppose I've talked too much nonsense. The sun has set. I must be going now. If you meet Father Johan, just remember him as a good priest. Anything more than that…… you won't need to know.