“Leap of Faith – August 19, 1963” is episode three of season three of Quantum Leap.
At the end of the previous episode, “The Leap Home Part Two – Vietnam – April 7, 1970”, Sam leaped into a priest performing a wedding. Afterwards, he gets critiqued by two members of the congregation before being rescued by the senior priest. Apparently, the two are notorious and at least Sam – Father Frank – is Italian. Father Mac being Irish is considered a birth defect. Father Mac now has to go do a funeral for a 12-year-old boy he baptised who apparently fell in front of a train. Though Mac says they both know it was no accident.
At the funeral, an older boy, Tony, after stealing something from one of the cars goes to the funeral with his younger brother, Joey. No-one sees happy to see Tony and the dead boy’s mother spits on him and calls him a murderer.
Back at the church, Sam stays outside to talk to Sam. Al gives details on Father Frank and that this is his first assignment. Sam asks if he’s there to prevent a murder. Well, yes. Because Sam thinks he’s too late. However, it’s apparently Father Mac’s murder he’s there to stop. At some point in the next 36 hours.
A month ago, Father Mac was one of two witnesses to a robbery. A store clerk was killed. The trial is in two days and Tony Pronti was the killer. He probably killed Mac to stop him from testifying. The other witness was the boy they just buried. Ziggy isn’t sure when the murder will happen.
Inside the church, Sam is talking to Father Mac when a cross topples; Sam tackles Mac to get him out of the way. They hear someone running off but Sam can’t catch them. The policeman believes that it was Tony and would love to take him off the streets, but without an eyewitness, he can’t.
Sam heads to where Tony hangs out and unplugs the jukebox to get Tony to listen. Sam is confronting Tony when Father Mac appears. Tony goes for the father and get knocked down, and pulls a knife. And gets kicked in the head by Sam, which stuns everyone.
Sam is concerned about the amount that Father Mac is drinking, and Tony is willing to kill, again, to stop the case from going to trial. Because the death penalty is likely for him.