Pray For Me, Then Kiss me

CHAPTER 17: Excommunicated

The Vatican’s response came 3 days later.

Father Elias Moore: Excommunicated. Heretic. Anathema.

Ash: Abomination. To be purged.

They posted it on every church door. On the news. Online.

Elias read it on his phone and laughed. "Guess I’m unemployed."

"Guess I’m unholy," I said.

"Guess we’re free," he said. And pulled me into a dance in our kitchen. Bad music. Off beat.

We didn’t have much. A mattress. A hot plate. Mara’s books.

That night, people started coming to us.

Gay kids kicked out. Priests who doubted. People who were told God didn’t love them.

They didn’t want sermons. They wanted us.

First was a 16 year old boy. Shaking. "My dad said I’m going to hell."

Elias sat with him. "Then let’s talk about heaven instead."

Then a nun. Then a couple. Then more.

So we started our own thing. No church. Just a room. Just truth.

We called it nothing at first. Just "Tuesday."

But people kept coming.

We talked. We cried. We ate burned soup.

One woman said, "I haven’t felt safe in church in 20 years. Here I do."

That was when I knew. This was what we were supposed to do.

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to be continued