An interim rector/pastor comes into a congregation that is in transition. He or she is most likely not going to be there permanently. That is one of the pre-conditions. Because of this, she or he can speak boldly, maintain what is working well, straighten out what isn't, and then move on.
I have been there myself. Sometimes it is after a long pastorate that ended well, and sometimes after something else.
Fr, Bertoni is there after the something else: the debacle of Fr. Johnson/Dmitry Stallworth. St. Clement's needs a strong hand, and Bertoni has it. However, it is a gentle hand also. He is a retired US Army chaplain with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. A few years before he came to Marion, he was in Baghdad. He is an outsider in several ways. Coming from Philadelphia, he is also an Italian-American; in other words, he has two strikes against him.
The youth of St. Clement's love him. He visits the shut-ins, is visible in the whole community, and finds community in places that the elite do not. Even though he knows from the start that he will not be there forever, he nevertheless gives his all to the parish and community.
Most of the action in the novel takes place from November 2008 to the following summer. At the Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost services his sermons play a subtle role in the plot.
Like him, I was an Army chaplain (ending at the same rank), spent a lot of time in and around Philadelphia, and am mistaken for an Italian-American at times.
Order the book here at:
https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county
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