Short stories by J. F. Powers
James Farl Powers (July 8, 1917 – June 12, 1999) was an American novelist and short story writer who often drew his inspiration from developments in the Catholic Church, and was known for his studies of Catholic priests in the Midwest. Although not a priest himself, he is known for having captured a "clerical idiom" in postwar North America. His first novel, Morte d'Urban, won the 1963 National Book Award for Fiction.[1]
Listing 3 stories.
A bitter rivalry between two priests and a cat takes a violent turn as the two men orchestrate the death of the animal - but the unexpected and miraculous consequence of their plot leave them horrified.
A priest must choose to visit his dying brother or take care of a sick friar. The choice he chooses haunts him forever.
A middle-aged Catholic priest, ignorant of his own flaws, struggles with ambition and the judgement of others as he comes to terms with the future that the Church has decided for him.