Chapter 1: Carnal Confession

God had a purpose in mind. Father Murphy was sure of that. He was punishing him for his transgressions, his weakness, and his surrender to the sins of the flesh. The young priest sat at his desk in the dimly lighted room and reflected guiltily on the terrible things he had done since coming here to this school. He wanted to fall to his knees and pray for forgiveness. He hadn't even confessed his sins. He couldn't bring himself to admit them to another, not even the kindly Father O'Brien.

He had taken advantage of the trusting innocence of girls entrusted to his spiritual care. For two weeks now, he'd been successful in resisting the temptation but he didn't feel confident that he could continue. The young schoolgirl Ann, whom he'd so wantonly deflowered, had tempted him in the confessional when she confessed to wanting to sin with him again. Silently, the tortured priest sought the strength to resist, to defeat his evil inclinations.

Sister Susan sat nervously in the small anteroom outside Father Murphy's office, dreading that she had to make her confession today to Father Murphy. Confessing to Father O'Brien was bad enough but at least he went away after so she didn't have to see him in the convent. And she'd never done anything as bad as what she had to confess to him today.

How had she got in this situation? At Saint Vincent's she'd heard the other girls whisper and giggle about this Sister or that 'sleeping' with so and so, but she hadn't really understood what they meant.

All of her schooling had been in schools run by the church, first at St. Mary's, then for the last five years, in St. Vincent's. Her Uncle Pat, Father Patrick O'Malley, had been the resident priest at both institutions and, unbeknownst to her, this family relationship had shielded her from other potential non-family relationships in the residential schools. Even during her last four years of high school, when her voluptuous body was tempting the few unprincipled Nuns who preyed on girls such as she, they resisted because of her uncle's position in the school. Now, however, Uncle Pat was not around and Sister Capello had done what others had not.

It would be easier for all if he could hear confessions behind a screen but for reasons he didn't understand, the Mother Superior had decreed that Confession should take place on a face-to-face basis. For him it was both embarrassing and often temptingly erotic to hear nubile girls confess to sinful thoughts and sometimes to salacious, sinful actions. Who was he going to have to face today?

Could she just leave and not confess? Sister Capello was older and a full-fledged Nun. If she could do what she did, then it must not be that bad. The Novice felt warmth suffuse her loins as she remembered what it had been like. She had to fight it. The Bible was firm. It was a sin. A terrible sin. God had destroyed people for committing it.

"You can come in now, Sister."

Susan jumped, feeling guilty of unclean thoughts when Father Murphy opened the door to his office and beckoned to her. She rose from the chair and followed him inside, looking quickly around the room.

The priest's small, crowded office did triple-duty. There was a desk where he did the boring administrative work that came with his position. There was a low prayer bench where supplicant's for absolution knelt when they confessed to their transgressions with a facing chair where the priest sat during that time. And, right beside the prayer bench there was a bed since, along with being an office and a confessional, the room was also Father Murphy's bedroom. The placement of the bed had been particularly advantageous on occasion but, with his desire to reform, Father Murphy knew he should relocate it away from the confessional.

"It's sort of like going to the dentist, isn't it, Sister? You don't want to do it but you know that if you don't, you'll have worse trouble later on."

"Oh, Father Murphy, I suppose it is," and she smiled weakly. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as she'd thought? He was young so perhaps he would understand. Wad he ever tempted to sin the way she had? At least the room was quite dark. The priest gestured and Susan went over to the free form confessional and knelt. The priest sat on a chair in front of her, his hands on his knees, a large, gold cross dangling from one hand as he waited for her to begin.

"Oh, Father. I have sinned. I have sinned, terribly." the demure Novice said hesitantly and shyly.

"Tell me about it, then, my child," he said, wondering what this girl imagined was so serious. "I'm sure that God will forgive you."

"But, Father? It was? Like? It was with Sister Capello." The words rushed from her mouth as she tried to get it over with as fast as possible. "Like, she sinned too, Father. Satan made her sin and? Like? She sinned with me?"

He hadn't noticed before how beautiful this young Novice was. Even her habit couldn't disguise the full shapeliness of her body and her mouth was so full-lipped, soft and kissable that it seemed a shame it would be wasted in a convent. The young priest struggled with his conscience, feeling a sinful stirring in his groin and looked at the voluptuous Novice kneeling before him. He guessed, easily, what the sin was. He knew it happened and usually it was the same story. A young Novice like Sister Susan would be seduced into lesbian actions by one of the older ones like Sister Capello. It was wrong, he knew, but it had been part of his rationalization for his own actions.