The Sacrifice Read Free

there. In the end there were just too many people involved. And when that many people know what was intended to be a secret”—he shrugged—“the news media can’t be far behind.
    â€œAnyway, I think—I hope—avoiding the Cathedral maybe sent a message that this ordination is not intended to be a sensational event. There are some—maybe a majority—who think it bizarre. But we can point to this ancient but modest church that puts the ordination in perspective.”
    â€œWe’d like you to know,” Reichert said, “that Harry and I are among the majority who consider this whole fiasco to be bizarre.”
    Then why are you here, you —
    Aloud Koesler said only, “I would never have guessed it.” He silently congratulated himself for concealing every sarcastic nuance.
    â€œBut once the ‘brain trust’”—Morgan avoided concealing his own sarcasm—“decided to skip the Cathedral, why St. Joe’s? Hasn’t this poor parish suffered enough?”
    Koesler did not share the opinion that St. Joseph’s parish had suffered, certainly not any more than any other modern-day parish coping with the problems of its parishioners. He assumed that Morgan was referring to Koesler’s term as pastor here. Still, he avoided being drawn into an altercation. “We chose St. Joe’s,” he explained patiently, “because of George’s family.”
    â€œHis family!” Reichert’s amazement was all too evident.
    â€œWell, of course, there is his family—”
    â€œWhat’s his family got to do with the selection of St. Joe’s for his ordination?!” Reichert was almost foaming.
    â€œIt just seemed appropriate,” Koesler said, “that his ordination take place in the parish where he and his family will be living.”
    â€œWill be living!” Reichert’s voice rose to a near shout. Several people standing nearby turned to see who was so agitated.
    â€œHe’s got three kids,” Koesler said calmly. “Two of them are away just now. But they’ll certainly be here frequently. Then, in the course of time, there’ll undoubtedly be grandkids. He’s got to have room.
    â€œBesides,” Koesler continued, “Father Tully wants to move into one of the nearby town houses. So, rather than create a new rectory—another white elephant—we offered George the rectory here. He was very satisfied.”
    â€œI should think he would be,” Reichert said. “A house so large and spacious.”
    â€œIt creaks,” Koesler commented.
    Reichert ignored the comment. “And I suppose it’s rent-free.”
    â€œAs free as the rectories you or any priests lived in as assistant and pastor.”
    â€œThat’s different!”
    This conversation had developed into an exchange between Reichert and Koesler.
    â€œWhat’s different about it?”
    â€œWe are priests. Full-time!”
    â€œSo is he. Or so he will be. Look”—Koesler was getting a bit agitated himself—“even if you don’t care to recognize the validity of his orders in the Episcopal priesthood, you’ve got to consider today’s ordination ceremony as valid.”
    â€œAs far as the Anglican Church is concerned, their orders are worthless,” Reichert spat out. “Pope Leo XIII settled that for all time.”
    â€œI wouldn’t be too sure of that.”
    Koesler was pushing the envelope. There was no widespread agreement among Catholics as a whole that would contradict Leo’s conclusion. Which had—at least in Leo’s day—pretty effectively put the kibosh on anything remotely resembling the present situation. Koesler had, on occasion, wondered how traditional Catholics could claim that anything and everything a Pope said was “infallible” when history proved irrefutably that what one Pope said in one century was quite