My sojourn in the Diocese of Barchester

One reason I'm writing anonymously is that I want to be able to speak freely about both my own life and the foibles (and worse) of my fellow-pilgrims. Last Sunday after church I sat down to write about the liturgy I had just witnessed, and I realized that I would almost certainly blow my cover if I identified the parish. Since there's a better-than-even chance that I'll be assigned to that parish for my field education, and since I wasn't exactly going to heap praises on the celebrant's head, I decided not to write.

Yet even though no one is reading this blog, I do want to keep it up for my own sake. So my solution is to fictionalize a bit. Be it known, therefore, that I am spending this year doing research at my alma mater, the University of Barsetshire, located within the Diocese of Barchester. Names of clergy, parishes, and perhaps some lay people will be drawn from the Chronicles of Barsetshire.