Getting ready for the Christmas Eve service, I had decided to wear the same forest-green dress I’d bought last year; back then, it fit me perfectly. Underneath, I opted for a red lacy bra and a matching thong. As I pulled the dress on, I struggled to get it zipped and had to ask Mom for help. In the year since I'd last worn it, my boobs had grown, resulting in a dangerously tight fit. It took some maneuvering, but Mom fin...

I feel a hand on my shoulder during the mid-service Sharing of the Peace one Sunday morning. “Peace be with you, Joe,” says Jerry as he shakes my hand, a kindly look in his eyes. “I’m really sorry to hear how the job search is going. But if you find yourself with extra time on your hands while you're looking, the Facilities Committee has lost a couple of members recently, and we sure could use some help.” “Oh, that’s an e...

Ben's lips parted, but no words came out. His pulse thundered in his ears. He managed a shaky nod, barely visible. “What do you mean, help?” Claire’s gaze held his, steady and calm. She didn’t rush. “You know what the rules are,” she said. “You know what’s considered off-limits.” He nodded, slowly. “Vaginal sex. Before marriage. It’s a sin.” “Exactly. That’s the line. That’s the thing they build the purity talks around. T...

Becky arrived at the church at 9:45 Monday morning, as usual. That allowed her time to start the coffee before everyone else came in. She especially wanted to make a good impression on the new preacher, Seth Waters. She had met him when he came to preach as part of the interview process, after which the church voted to hire him. Seth timed his arrival at 10:00 so as not to be early but not late. He felt the first day he s...

Father Thomas cleared his throat, shifting in the dimly lit confessional. The worn velvet of his vestments brushed against the cold, wooden panel separating him from his next confessor. The murmur of the congregation outside the church drifted in, a gentle reminder of his duty. He had been a priest for barely a year, and this was his first assignment in the wealthy suburbs of Eastbridge. The parish was large and well-fund...

Father Adrian arrived at St Mary's church and school a few weeks back and was now taking a tour with Sister Ruth. He was an attractive priest, about forty years old, who would live at the rectory and was now seeing the school, along with the convent for the nuns who ran the school. Sister Ruth was the mother nun at the convent where fifteen nuns lived. He said, “At my last parish, I went to the convent each week to hear t...