Fragment of a Plot

I've been thinking about a story where there's a man who suddenly steps into the role of a priest (legitimately or not, I haven't figure that out) for a small, isolated community. He doesn't know very much, perhaps doesn't even believe very much, but there are rubrics, so he can learn to do everything properly, and he sees the need of this small congregation. He could be a complete atheist, but he could see the needs of the people and figure he's probably better off providing this particular service rather than some other, back-breaking work out there.

That is just a beginning, for, in a very real sense, a person is formed by what he does, and that's where things get interesting. The character wants to provide good service, so he seeks to perfect his new craft. At first his concerns are similar to an actor's- learn the lines and actions to deliver the right performance. And yet, it becomes more than that almost immediately. The laity need spiritual direction, and though he may not believe, he must put on the role of a believer in order to provide anything sensible. He chooses to act as if he believes, to think as if he believes, and finds himself in a process that ends in believing.