<Begin Segment 25>

TI: Yeah, so earlier we were talking -- and Barbara, you were asking -- so yeah, the Catholic church was, had this large hub in Seattle. It was kind of the headquarters for the archdiocese.

MI: Well, Seattle was an archdiocese.

TI: Archdiocese, so it was a large... and you mentioned Bishop Shaughnessy, so he was the head of the church in Seattle.

MI: And he was one of the few that objected to the evacuation, there was all kinds of letters.

TI: Yeah, he was opposed to that. And so he essentially has you, Chuck, and your parents move in with him in Seattle. And so this is the bishop's house?

MI: Yeah. See, Chuck stayed in the basement of the bishop's house, and he had to serve mass every morning for the bishop. And he was going to school and playing sports, so seven-thirty in the morning, and a lot of times the bishop had to wake him up. [Laughs]

TI: So he lived in the basement. Where did you and your --

MI: Tapo was in the second floor.

TI: Yeah, but where did you and --

MI: And then they had a double garage, and there was an apartment house there. And so my mom and dad had a bedroom with a bathroom, and I had a living room, and then I had a small cubbyhole bedroom with a bath and a sink. And that's where we lived.

TI: Yeah, it's very cool because it's still there, it's right off of Boren, and I drive by there and I look at that, and it's like a carriage house, or the double garage, but it was probably a carriage house and apartment.

MI: That's where we lived, uh-huh. But we didn't stay there too much because we were always in the bishop's house.

TI: So explain. So you mentioned Chuck, how he had to, as an altar boy, serve mass, and also later on became his driver.

MI: And then after school, as soon as he turned sixteen, they taught him how to drive. And then he was the chauffeur for the bishop for his things after school. And so it really put it in with his sports.

TI: Okay, so that was Chuck's job, what was your job?

MI: And then every morning I had to get up and turn the beds, I mean, make the bed, clean up the bathroom, pick up things. And then I helped my mom with the breakfast. And then I went to school. And after I got home from school, I had to either help my mom or something. And then after dinner, I had to go upstairs and turn down his bed and everything, and pick up things. And then I had to the sacristy for next day's mass.

TI: And what's a sacristy?

MI: I had to get his vestments out.

TI: Okay, he has all the robes and everything.

MI: And that's where I had trouble with the bishop. I always got the wrong vestment out.

TI: Oh, because there were certain vestments for certain...

MI: Yeah, certain holidays, he wore a certain vestment, and I didn't know which one. He used to get mad, he said, "Put it on the floor." And then I knew, "Uh-oh, I goofed." But I told the father, "Let me know what kind vestment I'm supposed to give him." I don't know.

TI: And how about, what did your mother do?

MI: Oh, she did the cooking. And then on weekends I think I had to help her with the laundry, and I did the mangling, ironed the sheets and whatnot. And then I had to clean the upstairs, second floor and do the vacuuming and working.

TI: And you told me stories, you said the bishop really liked your mom's cooking?

MI: Oh, yeah. He never had it so good. [Laughs]

TI: What were some of his favorite dishes that your mom made?

MI: Well, Mom was a good cook. So whenever the other guests come, like the bishop of Spokane and whatnot, they would invite him over to dinner, lunch.

TI: And your mom would make a special lunch?

MI: Yeah, tempura or something, and they just went crazy over it.

<End Segment 25> - Copyright © 2022 Densho. All Rights Reserved.