Dear Maria......

Heading of the Maria Bambina website at Naxxar parish

This is a true and funny story which all Americans will appreciate, as well as all Maltese. Someone from the state of Hawaii, presumably a descendant of Maltese origin, was looking for a Baptism certificate from the parish where I frequently serve in at Naxxar. On Fridays I take care of the parish office, and the story goes how this person wrote to the parish office requesting the certificate. Now you have to remember that the parish is dedicated to Maria Bambina, which in English is translated as ‘The Young Blessed Mother.’ So apparently when this person was looking for the parish website he saw the name Maria Bambina and thought this was a person, with Maria as the first name and Bambina as the last name or surname. A few e-mails came through addressed to ‘Dear Maria.....’ and on a few occasions ‘Dear Ms Bambina....’ One day he called in person late in the evening because of time difference, and asked to speak to Maria. Not having anyone with that name, we tried to convince him that he may have the wrong parish, but he insisted that he’s been corresponding to Maria for quite some time. Until finally, it dawned on all of us that he was writing to the Maria Bambina parish office in Naxxar, and not to a human being named Maria Bambina! And he was probably upset because anytime we responded to him, we did not sign the e-mail with ‘Love, Maria.’