The Name
He had written to Mara Leclerc on a Wednesday evening, which was three days after Ambrose had given him her name and eleven days after he had found her email address in the Vatican Archive's staff directory.
Deacon Michael Halbrook
Faith, family, work, and life - all intertwined.
Permanent deacon of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. Husband, father of four sons, builder of Catholic technology, and writer of essays, fiction, and homilies.
All
Faith & Life
Homilies & Reflections
Building Something
Ad Alta
Another Voice
Missio Dei
Two Lamps
Lux Perpetua
The Letter from Rome, 2023
What follows is a recovered email correspondence between Teodor Maren and Dr. Mara Leclerc of the Vatican Apostolic Archive, conducted between February and August of 2023.
The Colleague
The email from Paul Whitfield arrived on a Wednesday, which was the day Joshua usually spent in the library.
Prague, 1942
What follows is drawn from a set of handwritten notes found inside a chalice case in the possession of Teodor Maren at his death, and from a partial journal kept by Father Josef Novák between 1938 and 1942.
The Vendée, 1793
What follows is drawn from two sources: a parish register from Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, and a deposition taken in 1796 from one Marie-Anne Forestier, widow, of the commune of Mauléon.
The Safety Deposit Box
He had been putting it off for three weeks, which was long enough that he had stopped pretending it was anything other than avoidance.
The Archivist of Barcelona
Pere Camprubí received the package on a Tuesday in June of 1891 and set it aside until Thursday.
The Cipher
He had been sitting on it for two weeks, which was long enough that bringing it up felt like a confession.
The Archive, Late
The Vatican Apostolic Archive closes at five o'clock in the afternoon.