Project Gutenberg 2019-09-03 Public domain in the USA. 297 Bloxam, John Francis 1873 1928 Mason, Stuart 1872 1927 Millard, Christopher Sclater The Priest and the Acolyte With an Introductory Protest by Stuart Mason Produced by M.K., David Wilson and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from images made available by the HathiTrust Digital Library.) "The Priest and the Acolyte" by John Francis Bloxam is a controversial novella written in the late 19th century. This work explores complex themes of forbidden love and moral conflict within the confines of a religious backdrop, focusing on the tumultuous relationship between a priest and his young acolyte. The narrative is set during a time when societal norms were much stricter regarding such relationships, which adds layers of tension and tragedy to the story. The plot revolves around Ronald Heatherington, a young priest grappling with his feelings for Wilfred, a beautiful 14-year-old acolyte. As their bond intensifies, they share moments of deep affection that challenge the priest's commitment to his vocation and the conventions of society. Together, they navigate their passionate relationship in secret, both elated and tortured by their love. However, the story takes a dark turn when their closeness attracts scrutiny, leading to a confrontation with the outside world that threatens to expose them. Ultimately, the novella culminates in a tragic ending, questioning the nature of love, sin, and societal judgment against the backdrop of religious fervor. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 77.6 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Catholic Church -- Clergy -- Sexual behavior -- Fiction Homosexuality -- Fiction PR Text Category: Novels Category: British Literature Category: Religion/Spirituality Category: Sexuality & Erotica 84073 2025-06-24T05:44:24.472543 text/html 59823 2024-10-17T13:45:09 text/html 160155 2025-06-24T05:44:28.271545 application/epub+zip 158857 2025-06-24T05:44:26.183557 application/epub+zip 82838 2025-06-24T05:44:24.843565 application/epub+zip 202737 2025-06-24T05:44:30.105569 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 157010 2025-06-24T05:44:27.898583 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 110327 2022-09-27T07:55:47.554645 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 62238 2025-06-24T05:44:24.221549 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 42263 2024-10-17T13:45:08 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17504 2025-06-24T05:44:30.262531 application/rdf+xml 14906 2025-06-24T05:44:25.874551 image/jpeg 1992 2025-06-24T05:44:25.827592 image/jpeg 181770 2025-06-24T05:44:24.490562 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia en.wikipedia