The Altar Steps

The narrative follows a young boy, Mark, whose childhood is shaped by domestic strain and a sudden removal from a city mission to the countryside with his mother. Interwoven episodes depict parish life, religious instruction, and the personalities of clergy and religious orders as they confront scandals, moral lapses, and administrative change. Episodic chapters move through missions, school and college settings, an abbey and diocesan politics, exploring how institutional faith, individual conscience, and family loyalties interact in a provincial community. The tone alternates between intimate domestic observation and satirical attention to ecclesiastical detail.