The Mardukes are used to chaos. They live in one vast, busy household, run schools and a diocese, and somehow still manage to find time for meals, prayer, and way too much family drama.
But when married priests, online Masses, seminary expansion, and Vatican politics collide, Matt Marduke's world gets a whole lot bigger than Wisconsin. Rumors spread. Old wounds reopen. New applicants pour in. And his sister Kate, brilliant, bossy, and impossible to ignore, keeps pushing the family toward choices nobody expected.
Soon, what happens in the manor won't stay in the manor. Because the Church is changing, Matt is being watched, and the conclave is about to ask a question that could change everything: who should lead next-and what kind of Church should exist when the smoke clears?
The Things We Stand For is book 6 in the Marduke Manor series! The Marduke Manor series blends Catholic life, found-family chaos, and the complexities of adult relationships. Moments of intimacy appear, but the focus stays on conscience, consent, and character.