November 30, 2012

Archbishop Tobin talks about his fluency in five languages—English, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese—and his love of music

In Conversation with Archbishop Tobin logo“Part of it was growing up in a multicultural neighborhood. I remember being a little envious of the kids that went home and spoke a different language or they ate different foods. My grandmother spoke English well, coming from Ireland, but she prayed in Irish. She wasn’t sure God understood English.

“I like music, too. If you like music, you’re almost a sucker for liking languages because you learn to distinguish different sounds. I was trained in more classical music, but I also played in really shifty rock n’ roll bands. I played the keyboards. We used to play in some real dives.” †

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