1936 was the year God allowed their church to breathe a little, Monsignor Collin observed. The furnace in the rectory had failed back in ’34 and they had too little money to replace it. Until now, when they raised $325 from sacramental offerings and the diocese gave them an additional $140 to make up the difference. Thank heavens for the fireplaces in the office and in his living room upstairs. He’d moved Mrs. Callahan into his office for the past two years and he’d moved out of his own bedroom into the living room. Now he could finally have some peace – and a good night’s sleep in his own bed.
Of course, they’d only gotten the money for a furnace in March, so they’d missed yet another winter – their third without heat in the rectory. So Collin and Mrs. Callahan would have to wait until next winter to feel the benefit. Alas, at least spring and summer were on their way and they didn’t need to use the furnace at all – never past March 15, never before November 15. Cold is good, Collin told himself and the parishioners who came to the rectory to see him.
He lay in bed on the Ides of March, contemplating God’s wisdom. He had a plan for them all, Collin knew – even for Agnes, who continued to trouble him. She’d yet repented for her sins. It was bad enough she’d committed carnal sins without benefit of marriage, but much, much worse that she’d forsaken the Church when she married that man. God had a plan for Agnes, he believed – but Collin had no idea how he could reveal that plan to her.
Collin felt a drop of water on his nose. And then another on his forehead. A third wet drop hit him in the eye and he sat up in bed. He looked at the ceiling – water coming in from above him. A new roof. God was asking them to get a new roof now.
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