About the Stories

High Hopes For the Dead, Alex Lobdell: Luke “High Hopes” Kittery is a canary of interplanetary travel.  He and his fellow explorers travel to unexplored parts of space, and--if they survive--bring back information that allow colony ships to make a safe journey. A lone Catholic in a group of rapscallions whose cynical outlook seems to preclude faith or prayer, can he influence them with his example? His life may depend on their high hopes for him.

The Smile, Greg Beatty: Physicist Andrew Glasberger discovers the face of God sculpted in the stars of the universe, forever changing his life. A young reporter interviews him hoping to learn the secret of why this most brilliant man left the scientific world, only to be confronted with impossible images of a face smiling benevolently at His creation.

Comprehending It Not, Cherith Baldry: As androids become sentient, they, too, have faith needs. This story reflects the struggle of the Anglican Church to deal with the question of whether androids have souls. Father Francis Traverner supports the androids in their quest for faith, while the Bishop of Marminster rejects the idea that man-made objects can have souls. Behind this theological battle lie other questions: does “decommissioning” an android constitute murder? Do androids have rights and protections?

Moses Disposes, Frank C. Gunderloy, Jr.: A funny story of time travel, university rivalry, and Biblical translation. When a rebel movement intending to thwart the efforts of time travel scholars inadvertently interferes with the creation of the Ten Commandments, it takes the wisdom of Solomon to sort things out.

The Faith Equation, Peter Bell: In a world where God is a proven fact, and religion and science are harmoniously partnered, Father (Professor) Aaron Isaac Jones suffers a crisis of faith. His dilemma: Where in the Faith Equation can you find True Belief?

Tampering With God’s Time, Karina L. Fabian: Four non-Christian experts are sent back in time to witness some aspect of Jesus’ life and ministry: an artist to sketch Jesus’ likeness, a doctor to examine lepers before and after their healing, a psychiatrist to witness the exorcism of Legion, and an anthropologist to examine the Empty Tomb. While their aim is to seek decisive answers to questions plaguing the Christian faith of their century, they instead find themselves without answers—yet irrevocably converted after their attempts to tamper with God’s time.

Quantum Express, Vincent Malzahn: When interplanetary travel means death and rebirth in a new body with all your memories intact, what could go wrong? In this chilling tale, Lance Larue discovers—again and again—that there’s more to life than a body and memories.

God’s Gift, Greg Beatty: The mechanics of wormhole travel have been solved. There’s only one problem—anyone who experiences it goes insane. Inventor Thomas Wells puts his life on the line in search of the answer, and finds that it’s faith, God’s gift to man, that lets travelers endure the stress of experiencing pseudo-death.

The Relics of Venice, Leslie Brown: The Catholic Church has a unique fundraising idea: clone the genetic material of long-dead saints for authentic novelty saint curios. Genetic technician Dr. Lynne Carver travels to Venice to secure genetic samples of various relics for her company--and to illegally steal some for her former lover who wants to find the “saint gene.” When she falls in love with an ailing restoration artist working on the walls of the church and creates for him a gift by combining samples of the genes she’s collected, she discovers that even the clones of relics can bring about miracles.

The Convert, Susanne Marie Knight: Best selling SF romance novelist Susanne Marie Knight explores the question of interspecies marriage in the Catholic Church.  Fr. Wren believes that Jesus did indeed die for all of us, not just on this world, but elsewhere, yet struggles with the full implications of that belief when one of his flock wishes to marry a tree-like native of the mining planet where he ministers. In the end, the conversion is as much his as Ping’s.

Leap of Faith, Robert and Karina Fabian: When faced with a rescue situation in which only she can help, a young sister of the Order of Our Lady of the Rescue must overcome her fear of Extravehicular Activity and make a leap of faith.

Sometimes We Lie, Barton Levenson: What would happen if 007 became an evangelist? Barton Levenson’s alien Ninja-super-spy-hero fights for his life against a world order that refuses to allow the propagation of an ancient but living human faith.

Confirmation, Michael S. Poteet: Lapsed-Catholic Tom Ortega, a “harvester” of exotic matter particles (“imps”) that fuel mankind’s spaceships, finds himself wrestling with the faith of his past when his passenger Father Kelly discovers a hidden truth about how humanity has reached the stars.

Lost Rythar, Colleen Drippe’: Three priests attempt to bring the faith back to the lost human colony of Rythar. Although taken prisoner and eventually killed, they leave enough of a seed to start one tribe back on the path of faith.