One of the brothers was doing double duty at the front desk. He wisked them to one of the larger meeting rooms which housed a large conference table. The conclave that awaited them consisted of Father Joe, the Vicar, the Bishop, and the Archbishop, along with a Deacon to act as the recorder of note. Father Joe began by  introducing everyone to Peter and Jennie.

After the introductions were concluded and everyone was comfortable,  Archbishop Michael Richelaue being the highest ranking priest  spoke first.  He smiled at Peter as he started. “Peter, I understand that you have had a very hard life, filled with a lot of tragedy, more than any one person should have to suffer through. I want you to know that we as a group are not here to criticize or admonish you in any way. I feel comfortable in saying that I speak for all of us that you don’t know what someone’s life is until you have walked in their shoes. I was informed that you are not affiliated with any religion. Is that true?”

Peter replied with a characteristically timid voice and said, “Yes, your eminence, that is correct.”

Archbishop Richelaue sadly smiled back at him. “That is too bad because unless you are baptized in our religion, we can not technically absolve you of your sins, and as a result, we can not advise Jennie to engage in a relationship with you. If you, on the other hand, get baptized and take the appropriate classes, you could receive communion and confess to one of  our clergy. You would then be forgiven for your sins. Then, and only then, could we condone a relationship between you and Jennie.”

Peter stood up and started talking, “Your eminence there has never been much room for religion or faith of any type in my life. I have always known that there had to be more to life than what I have experienced. If you think that I am worthy enough to be baptized in the Catholic faith, I will do my utmost to cause you to haven’t regrets in your decision  to accept me. I have one thing to add, I have lived a hard life, and I only know one way to live. If any of my loved ones or people that I care for are harmed, my wrath will be something to behold.”

The clergymen all looked at each other and nodded in agreement. Archbishop Richelaue spoke again, “I wouldn’t have it any other way. After you have been baptized and received communion and received absolution, we will need to talk because I believe we have a place for you in our ranks. Father Joe will keep us aprised of your progress.” He stood up and said, looking to Peter.”Welcome to our church.” The clergy members all stood and exited the room, with the exception of Father Joe and the deacon.

Father Joe walked up to Peter and Jennie. He asked Peter, “When would you like to get baptized?”

Peter said, “When is the soonest you can do it?”

Father Joe said there is usually a short waiting period, but the Archbishop has slotted you for fast tracking, which means there is no time like the present. Peter, are you up for a little dunking?”

Peter smiled sheepishly and said, “Why not.”

Father Joe further added, “Peter, this is just the physical part of your baptism. The class work is the most important part. Once you complete that, you will be a Catholic.”

Peter asked one question, I have “legally” changed my name to Devon Howard, the paperwork will be arriving at the beginning of the week. Will that be a problem?”

Father Joe  smiled and said “no Devon, this is just window dressing. It is expected of us. That is why we still do it.”

Peter had to admit the whole process was kind of silly. It was over before he knew it. The hard part was all the classes. To facilitate the process, Father Joe gave him several workbooks to start working on.

As I stated, the process by which Peter/Devon would be introduced into the Catholic religion would be somewhat different than the norm.

For those of my readers who are not Catholic, I would like to discuss the process in some detail. I want to do this because the whole process is historically significant.

Adults who have never been baptized take part in the OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) and will be typically baptized at the Easter Vigil. The Catholic Church recognizes baptisms from other Christian denominations that baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The adult must first go through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).

Prior to beginning the process of becoming a Christian, an individual comes to some knowledge of Jesus Christ, considers his or her relationship with Jesus Christ and is usually attracted in some way to the Catholic Church. This period is known as the Period of Evangelization and Precatechumenate. For some, this process involves a long period of searching; for others, a shorter time. Often, contact with people of faith and a personal faith experience lead people to inquire about the Catholic Church. After a conversation with a priest or a parish director of Christian Initiation, the person, known as an “inquirer,” may seek acceptance into the Order of Catechumens, through the Rite of Acceptance. During this Rite, the inquirer stands amidst the parish community and states that he or she wants to become a baptized member of the Catholic Church. The parish assembly affirms this desire and the inquirer becomes a Catechumen.

The Period of the Catechumenate can last for as long as several years or for a shorter time. It depends on how the person is growing in faith, what questions they encounter along the way, and how God leads them on this journey. During this time, the Catechumens consider what God is saying to them in the Scriptures, what changes in their life they need to make to respond to God’s inspiration, and what Baptism in the Catholic Church means. When a Catechumen and the priest and the parish team working with him or her believes the person is ready to make a faith commitment to Jesus in the Catholic Church, the next step is the request for baptism and the celebration of the Rite of Election. Even before the Catechumens are baptized, they have a special relationship to the Church.

The Rite of Election includes the enrollment of names of all the Catechumens seeking baptism at the coming Easter Vigil. Typically, on the first Sunday of Lent, the Catechumens, their sponsors, and families gather at the cathedral church. The Catechumens publicly express their desire for baptism to the diocesan bishop. Their names are recorded in a book, and they are called the Elect

The days of Lent are the final Period of Purification and Enlightenment leading up to the Easter Vigil. Lent is a period of preparation marked by prayer, study, and spiritual direction for the elect, and prayers for them by the parish communities. The Celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation takes place during the Easter Vigil Liturgy on Holy Saturday when the Elect receives the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist. Now, the person is fully initiated into the Catholic Church.

As a newly initiated Catholic, they continue their formation and education continue in the Period of the Post-Baptismal Catechesis, which is also called Mystagogy. This period continues at least until Pentecost. During the period, the newly baptized members reflect on their experiences at the Easter Vigil and continue to learn more about the Scriptures, the Sacraments, and the teachings of the Catholic Church. In addition, they reflect on how they will serve Christ and help in the Church’s mission and outreach activities.

Coming into full communion with the Catholic Church describes the process for entrance into the Catholic Church for already baptized Christians. In most cases, these individuals make a profession of faith but are not baptized again. To prepare for this reception, the people, who are called Candidates, usually participate in a formation program to help them understand and experience the teachings and practices of the Catholic Church. Although some preparation may be with Catechumens preparing for baptism, the preparation for Candidates is different since they have already been baptized and committed to Jesus Christ, and many have also been active members of other Christian communities. The Candidates may be received into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil or on another Sunday during the year, depending on pastoral circumstances and readiness of the Candidate.

The Easter Vigil takes place on Holy Saturday, the evening before Easter Sunday. This is the night that “shall be as bright as day” as proclaimed by the Exsultet, an ancient church hymn as we joyfully anticipate Christ’s Resurrection The Holy Saturday Liturgy begins with the Service of Light, which includes the blessing of the new fire and the Paschal candle which symbolizes Jesus, the Light of the World. The second part consists of the Liturgy of the Word with a series of Scripture readings. After the Liturgy of the Word, the Catechumens are presented to the parish community, who pray for them with the Litany of the Saints. Next, the priest blesses the water, placing the Easter or Paschal candle into the baptismal water. Those seeking Baptism then renounce sin and profess their faith after which they are baptized with the priest pronouncing the words, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

After the baptism, the newly baptized are dressed in white garments and presented with a candle lighted from the Paschal Candle. They are then confirmed by the priest or bishop who lays hands on their heads and invokes the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. He then anoints them with the oil called Sacred Chrism. The Mass continues with the newly baptized participating in the general intercessions and in bringing gifts to the altar. At Communion, the newly baptized receive the Eucharist, Christ’s Body and Blood, for the first time.

Father Joe explained to Peter/Devon that he would not have to go through the entire process.

Once you are baptized, you do not need to go through the full RCIA. What you need is to learn the Church’s teachings and make your first confession and first communion and to be confirmed. Under cannon law, as an adult, you do not need to undergo formal instruction in order to make your first confession  or first communion. Informal instruction is sufficient.  In fact, “Sacred ministers may not deny the Sacraments to those who opportunity ask for them. Or are properly disposed and are not prohibited by law from receiving them.”

Once you understand and accept these teachings,  you can go to confession anonymously if you wish, and to explain to the priest that you were raised outside the church, and that this is your first confession.

Even though the acculturation process would be somewhat shorter than the norm, it would take longer than the month he had planned on needing to finalize his business transactions. So when he got back to his hotel, he made arrangements to retain his room for two more months.

He was disappointed to find out that his relationship with Jennie would have to remain strictly platonic  until he made his first confession. That missive came from the Archbishop, so Peter knew he had to follow his instructions.

As Peter sat on the edge of his bed back at his apartment, he considered his relationship with Jennie. What had he got himself into? He was so confused, was he supposed to wait for a phone call from her, or had they already moved past it? He knew one thing, he didn’t want to jeopardize Jennie’s standing with her church. After all, she did seem to set a considerable store by it. He likewise wanted to believe in all of it, but he just wasn’t quite there yet. Maybe his feelings and beliefs  would develop with time. As he contemplated his life, he happened to glance  at the stack of books and workbooks that he was expected to get through, and he let out a groan. Besides all the work that layy ahead of him, his mind wandered back to something that the Archbishop said. He wondered what he could possibly want to talk to him about after he made his first confession?

As Peter ruminate on the matter, his cell phone started ringing. When he looked at the screen, Jennie’s name appeared, so he immediately accepted the call. He said, “Hi Jennie, I was hoping to hear from you, as I didn’t really know where we stand right now.”

“Peter,” Jennie replied, “I talked to Father Joe, he said that it was the honor system.Only God and the two of us would know for sure, but that we could go on dates, just no hankypanky.” She laughed as she said this.  She further added, “He  is such a dear.”

Peter chimed in, “I can handle anything as long as it means that I still have a chance of having a relationship with you, Jennie.”

Jennie finished by agreeing with Peter. “I feel the same way, I know you did some bad things, but they were for the right reasons. I would like to go out with you sometime next week, if that is OK with you. In the meantime, please keep me posted with your progress.”

The conversation with Jennie gave Peter an added impetuous to start cracking the books. Over the next few days, he was amazed at how  much progress he had made. Unfortunately, thanks to his focus on his new homework, one thing suffered, and that was the phone calls he had been putting off.

Peter decided to call Captain Terrence Smelter of the Washington DC Metro, his old boss first. There was no rhyme or reason why he chose Captsin Smelter as his first call. It was more like a mental coin toss. Of course, his captain knew about the deaths of these individuals. They took place in his precinct, after all. He even had an idea who was responsible for them. While Captain Smelter couldn’t ignore the murders, he certainly gave them less priority than the other cases on his docket.

Peter was quite surprised about his attitude on the matter.  He guessed the Captain must have known what the ultimate outcome was going to be of his investigations. The Captain was also aware that these individuals were the lowest of God’s creatures, just above pond scum. While his captain did not directly tell Peter what his actions were, he gave him a subtle hint that it would be better if he moved to greener pastures. Peter sensed that their conversation was drawing to a close paid his respects and wished his old boss well.

After he hung up, Peter felt pretty good on how the call turned out. While the Captain’s behavior wasn’t exactly effusive, it wasn’t antagonistic in nature either.

Peter decided to man up and make his last two calls today. This way, he would be done with it.

Peter decided to call my old partner Charles Gault first, followed by a courtesy call to FBI Special Agent James Pierany.

Charley answered the phone on the fourth ring. He appeared to be a little out of breath as he answered the phone. “Hey Charlie this is Peter, how have you been?”

Charlie answered in reply, “Well, to tell you the truth, I have been better, I have five homicides 2 women and three men with no evidence. I know it is one perp, because they were all killed with the same gun. Apparently, someone was cleaning house. Well, enough of problems, I am sure you did not call me after all this time to hear a short timer go on about his problems. What have you been up to?”

“Well, there is that,” Peter added.

Charlie quickly interjected, “Tell me it’s not you.”

Peter replied dejectedly, “I sorry to say it was me. Not to sound too flippant, at least the kidnapping of my sister has been solved, and all of the people responsible for the kidnapping and ultimately her death have been served with justice.”

“One further thing, if you feel inclined to look for, don’t bother you won’t find me. You should know me by now that if I want to vanish, I can do so because I know how to  disappear without leaving a trace. So farewell, old friend.  I called you because I felt that you deserved to know the truth. After I hang up with, I will call our friend James. He deserves to know as well because I know my sister’s kidnapping always bothered him. Now, he will know that the case is closed.”

I won’t bore the reader with the details of Peter’s conversation with Special Agent James Pierany because it went essentially the same as his call with Charlie. It was more of a courtesy call, so James could close the file on Peter’s sister. As you can expect, the call was not a warm and fuzzy experience for Peter. But at least he was finally finished with his calls. Another outcome that came from these three calls was that there was a shared concensus among the three law enforcement agents. The concensus being that none of them relished the thought of catching,  6 condemning Peter to what would amount to a life sentence in prison. They all,  while not condoning his actions, understand his reasons. They also cared for and respected him way too much to make this a palatable option for them. While none of them actually voiced their advice, it was implied that Peter’s only option was to  leave the country.

Over the next two months, I continued to hit the books, and he attended all of the required classes. He and Jennie also continued going out on dates, albeit strictly platonic ones. Even with following  these strict guidelines, their love  continued to blossom and grow.

Finally, the day came when Peter was able to receive communion and receive absolution for his sins through confession. This was the best day of his life. It was made even better because Jennie was there to share the day with him.

Now that the day had finally arrived, it was met with some trepidation. Peter and Jennie had been both looking forward to this day for some time. They had already made plans on what restaurant they wanted to go and where they were going out afterward, but they were still a little nervous about what would happen when the celebration was done. They had both been in serious relationships, so neither one was saving themselves for marriage. It had just been a while since either one had been involved in carnal relations. Thanks to the protracted time that was involved before their relationship progressed to the next level, a great deal of anticipation had built up, as well as there being a fear that the results would not be all that was hoped for.

By unanimous decision, it was decided to go back to The Palms. This time, they wanted to both try the restaurant’s famous steaks. As it turns out, the steakes were fabulous.

After dinner, they decided to go to The U Street Music Hall to dance and listen to music.

Peter and Jennie had a great time, and thanks to a few drinks, their inhibitions and anxiety levels had faded away some. After dancing the night away, they were both ready to wrap the night up with a little more intimacy. Since some level of inebriation was anticipated, they decided to use Uber for their transportation need. After they finished their last dance set, they put a call out with Peter’s hotel room being the point of destination.

When they finally reached his hotel room, they were kissing and clawing at each other’s clothes as Peter desperately tried to swipe his key card. Finally, he was successful as Jennie started undoing the snaps on his pants. By the time they made it to the king-sized bed, they were both naked. After that, there was no holding them back as they spent the rest of the night and well into the morning engaged in passionate lovemaking.

Sleep eventually overtakes Peter and Jennie as they fall into a blissful sleep with their athletic, youthful and glistening bodies intertwined. And so it begins, a love affair that will not only transcend time, but continents and will not only survive tragedy that few will be able to imagine, it will thrive and growth in strength. It has already had a rockiy start, however Jennie and Peter are made of sterner stuff then most individuals, they know only one way of doing something and that is to fight and never give up.