The fun and games in Chapter 4, specifically Mary’s excommunication, dates to the Second Vatican Council, commonly known as Vatican Two. Vatican Two ran from 1962 to 1965 and essentially involved modernizing the Catholic Church. More than a few conservative priests fought against said modernization; certainly, Father Sebastiani would have. Elements included increased religious freedom, improved relations with other religions, and that Mass could be done in languages other than Latin. Some priests to this day preach against it. (I almost walked out when a priest in 2000 called the Jews Christ-killers, a curse from the Second Century; I’m 1/8 Jewish and my entire family is of German descent, which would have been a problem if they lived in Germany during the 1930s and 1940s.) Excommunication extends to all sacraments, including baptism, so Herschel would have been denied baptism.
Italian speakers: a few more Italian/Latin words/phrases. Double-check me, please. I can fix any errors.
On a more amusing note, my mother got married in 1952 in a beautiful white satin dress. She handed down the dress to my sister in 1990, who then handed it down to my youngest daughter in 2011. Both my sister and my daughter made some modifications (different trains, etc.) but looked spectacular, and have still managed to stay married. Mom made it to 52 years before Dad died; my sister and daughter are still going strong. That’s a fantastic return on investment for a dress from 1952.
Also, for those who bought the book, the priest’s original last name was Roswell. I changed it in the SOL edition to Rossman. When I finish publishing, I will update the books. You’ll be able to download the corrected version.
Enjoy!