"In nomine patris, patris. Amen, amen. In nomine patris, patris. Amen, amen."

It's the Feast of Epiphany during the mass at St. McKinley's Boarding School. When the children running the alter take their places, the schools priest and head master, Father William, steps in, and takes his place behind the large desk, just in front of the giant white cross that hangs in the back of the church for everyone to see.

"I want to welcome all of you back," He speaks aloud, smiling kindly at the crowd before him. "I hope Christmas was a time of great joy for you and your families. Today is the Feast of the Epiphany; the celebration of the arrival of the three wise men, To pay homage to the baby Jesus, I want you to imagine what that journey must have been like. A journey resting entirely on fate, that they would know where they were going once they arrived. Imagine what a joy it must have been for them, to finally reach their , you're coming to an end of your time at St. McKinley's."

Several voices cheers from the back, but were silenced quickly by their fellow piers, who were intent on listening to Father William's words.

"You've lived together, studied together, and most importantly, prayed together: strength for the journey. We begin in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy us take a moment now to call to mind those times when we've fallen from God's grace. I confess . . . to almighty God, and to you my brothers and sisters, In my thoughts and in my words in what I've done and what I have failed to do. And I ask the blessing of a virgin, all the angels and saints and you, my brothers and sisters. . ."

Students joined Father William in his prayer, their voice coming together like one, loud humming symphony, until all voices lowed into a whisper and only one could be heard. The voice of one of the alter boys. Kurt, was his name. He stood in the middle, just a few feet in front of Father William. It seemed the light shining from above had moved away, forgetting all about the priest and took it's place to brighten upon Kurt as he continued his prayer.

"To pray for me," He said. "To the Lord our God."

For a moment, the prayers had stopped and there wasn't a sound in the room other than the soft humming from the harp. And then, the light from above broken, and shining down on everyone.

Yes, pray for him, to the Lord your God! The students chanted, all turning to face Kurt.

Kurt looked up, startled.

'One of these boys just ain't like the others!' A male student, Puck, stood, facing the group.

'Loves his female singers.' Tina, a female student announced.

'Loves to cook.' Santana, another student, stood up as well.

'Looks around in gym!'

'It pleases him!'

'Thoughts enslave him; somebody save him! 'cause he knows that he is taking chances.'

'And he knows that his romance is doomed!' 'He sacrificed his soul to feed his vice-' Heaven severed, hell is forever! Dig down deep and save your soul! Grave Mistakes will take their toll! Every sin is entered in- Heaven comes with discipline.

"But it doesn't all make sense, what I feel is real!" Kurt argues to the group around him.

No more dodging; God is watching. His eye is on the lowly sparrow, the road is long, the path is narrow! 'And your mother, God how she will suffer!' 'Will your father break to bear the shame?' 'Yes, you were a force in their divorce.' Trust the shepard; God make an effort! 'Will you drag that poor boy down there with you?' 'He's unsure and you can change his mind.' 'If you love him so, you'll let him go.'

Life is choices; live by our voices! Dig down deep and save your soul! Grave mistakes will take their toll! Every sin is entered in- Heaven comes with discipline.

"But it doesn't all make sense if the love is strong!" Kurt tells them. They ignore his plea. No more dodging; God is watching. His eye is on the lowly sparrow, the road is long, the path is narrow! The light from above his gone and the body of people once circling him is now facing behind him. Standing beside the large cross is Kurt's father, Burt. "Our first reading today is the story of how despite the best efforts of a single father, a child can still go horribly, horribly wrong." He speaks loud, looking out to the crowd of people.

"Dad!" Kurt shouts, but his father does not stop.

"For his eighth birthday, Kurt asked for an EZ-Bake Oven; his mother asked for a divorce. To me the link between those two events was as strong as Peter's attractionto her makeup table. We sent him to Catholic boarding school, thinking it might help, but when he met his roommate Blaine, the two of them locked eyes and I said to myself,'Burt, you wanted grandchildren, instead you're gonna get ambiguous Christmas cards from South Beach.'"

Sugar, one of the richer students in the school, walked up and stood proudly beside Burt. "Please join us in singing our offertory hymm, #279, "A Bender Among Us".'There's a bender among us, he must be exposed. He'll kidnap our children then take off their clothes. A bender among us, there's pink in our flock- a boy without consciencewho's led by his-'"

"Cockamamie! Pure cockamamie that this isn't a choice!" Burt called loud, turning his attention to his son. "Don't do this to me, Kurt."

Father William came up besides Burt, seeking out the rest of the students.

'The peace of the Lord be with you always,'

'And also with you.' "Let us offer each other, a sign of Christ's peace. This is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world; happy are those who are called to this table." Kurt knelt upon Father William's desk, his hands flat together as he stared up to the sky, speaking only to the man above.

'Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be!' Lord, he is not worthy to receive you!

"Father?"

"Not at a funeral, Kurt." Father William spoke grimly.

'I'd like to start with just a . . . if we could take a moment . . . if maybe we were silent . . . or we had spoken.' "Mom, what is it? Kurt? Lauren? Finn?" 'Is it I, Lord? Is it I?' Timothy, Romans, Corinthians, Leviticus. Timothy, Romans, Corinthians, Leviticus. Timothy, Romans, Corinthians, Leviticus. Forgive the sinner; hate the sin! Created in his image- abomination, abomination, abomination, abomination!

Bear . . . the cross . . . the shame . . . the cross. Bear the cross, bear the cross, bear the cross! Kurt jumped, gasping for air as he held onto the pillar beside from for balance. Father William was finishing up his mass for the morning, his kind smiling still on his face, just as it had been since he first entered the room.

"Let us go forth in peace, to love, and serve the Lord." He said.

"Thanks be to God." The students said aloud, bowering their heads. Standing, they left row by row to head off to class.

Kurt stood alone flushed; it was only a dream. . . .