Chapter 1: The Homecoming

Father Thomas returned after enduring eighty-one trials and was granted the title of Saint of Good Works.

The moment his feet touched the stone steps of St. Luke’s, the old sanctuary seemed to glow with a fresh, welcoming warmth in the late October sun. Kids in puffy jackets jostled for a better view, and the crisp air carried the smell of cider from a food truck parked at the curb. Parishioners lined the walkway, some waving hand-painted signs, others snapping photos with their phones, their breath fogging in the brisk autumn air. Thomas felt the familiar weight of his rosary in his pocket as he tried to steady his nerves. He’d never pictured this kind of homecoming—not after years of slogging through eighty-one trials, each one leaving its mark in the wrinkles around his eyes and the gray streaks in his hair.

But he soon discovered that the newly promoted Saint of Good Works had only gone through four trials.

He’d expected the usual congratulations and a slow adjustment back to daily parish life, but it wasn’t long before whispers reached his ears. Over coffee in the rectory kitchen, a deacon let slip, “Word is, the new Saint of Good Works only had to jump through four hoops.” Four hoops? That sounded more like a dog show than the grueling path he’d walked. Was this a joke, or had the world really changed that much while he was gone? The phrase felt odd on Thomas’s tongue, like a joke he didn’t quite get, and he laughed it off, uncertain.

He asked Father Benedict in confusion, but Benedict simply replied: the new Saint of Good Works followed the 4+4 program.

Thomas found Benedict after evening prayers, tucked away in his candlelit office, sorting through stacks of grant applications and community petitions. Thomas hesitated, thumb circling the beads in his pocket, before finally blurting out—“Ben, what’s this about the new Saint of Good Works only facing four trials?”

Father Benedict, a man with eyebrows like startled birds, just gave a tired, wry smile. “That’s the 4+4 program, Thomas. It’s all official. You can read about it in the mayor’s circular. These days, we do things differently.”