The Acolyte

"An old mission in South California. . . The scene is laid in the Vestry of the old San Jeronimus. . ."

An ancient and honorable mission, with roots back to the legendary Spanish missionary Junipero Serra himself, is in financial trouble. To pay bills the mission must sell off precious cloths and vestments. A mother with a trousseau in mind, and the bank account to pay for it, inspects the goods with her beautiful, soon-to-be married daughter. Questions involving faith and material possessions are soon injected into the scene through the presence of Jeronimus, a saint-like curate assigned to handle this unhappy business. Will the deal go down?

PROGRAM NOTE: Although first composed in 1917, this playlet was first published in 2009 by Playscripts Inc. Wilder knew the Southern California coast as a boy. In 1927 he employed the name of one of Juniper Serra's missions in this area, San Luis Rey, in the title of his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.