Mitford's foremost resident, Jan Karon, discovered a bit of her mythical town during a daylong visit to the Diocese of Quincy April 28 for the annual Diocesan Women's Nexus.

Nearly 1,000 people -- the largest crowd in memory -- filled the Cathedral of St. Paul in Peoria to hear Ms. Karon discuss her writing and learn more about the many characters in her best-selling fiction series in which the Episcopal Church features prominently.

Ms. Karon delighted the audience with readings from her latest work, A Common Life [p. 5], which debuted at No. 1 that same weekend in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal bestseller lists.

In his introduction, the Rt. Rev. Keith Ackerman, Bishop of Quincy, said, "Jan Karon was the first person to whom I wrote a fan letter in my entire life." Bishop Ackerman noted that Ms. Karon had the rare distinction of besting both Stephen King and Danielle Steele for first place. "That says something important about the priority of love and pastoral care."

In her address, Ms. Karon said, "Bishop Ackerman wrote the first fan letter I ever received from a bishop, and that's why I am here." She said that her calling is to write about "the casserole church" rather than the catholic church. "I write about a simple kind of church life. And we're making up our own Mitford right here today."

Later, in an interview, Ms. Karon said that her visit was not meant in any way to be controversial, though she said that church people sometimes criticize her for sentimentalizing church life and taking a simplistic approach to human problems. "But there also are many people who are brokenhearted about the liberalism in the church," she added. "They tell me I encourage them that there can be good church people anywhere."

(The Rev.) John Throop