The memoir of a former Catholic priest whose career as a union leader, search for spiritual meaning, and assisted suicide became the subject of a profile in the New York Times

The Priest Who Left His Religion follows the life of John Shields, a Catholic priest whose family prophesied would be the first American pope. Ordained as a Paulist in 1965, Shields quickly became caught up by the reversals of the Second Vatican Council, which attempted to undo many of the liberalizing movements of the Catholic Church. But he was most shocked by the Church’s disavowal of scientific evidence in order to “protect the faithful.” Shattered and brokenhearted by his discovery of the Church’s dishonesty, Shields left the priesthood to embark on a courageous journey from Catholicism to cosmic spirituality. Along the way, he embraced life in the secular world and developed a personal faith accepting the union of science and spirit.

Born in NY City, Shields holds a Masters Degree in theology from St. Paul’s College in Washington, DC, where he worked with Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement. He went on to teach popular theology in Canada and the US. He left the church and moved to British Columbia in 1969. An interest in social justice led him to the labour movement where he was a champion for women’s equality work. He was President of the BC Government and Service Employees Union (BCGEU) for fourteen years. A deep interest in spirituality led him to contemporary cosmology, which is illuminating a deeper understanding of the universe. For the past twenty years he has explored the connection between science and spirituality. He now lives in Victoria, B.C., and has been teaching Labour Relations and Negotiations at Vancouver Island University.

John Shields' profile page

Briony Penn is an award-winning writer of creative non-fiction books as well as a contributor to many anthologies and chapter books. She has been a feature writer and columnist for decades, with over five hundred articles on environmental issues and natural history in newspapers, magazines, government publications, online news sources and peer-reviewed journals. She has also written numerous environmental guides and educational handbooks for teachers in British Columbia. Her first book with RMB, The Real Thing: The Natural History of Ian McTaggart Cowan, was the winner of the 2015 BC Book Prize. Her work with Cecil Paul will continue with the publication of a comprehensive and collaborative biography, Following the Good River: Stories from the Magic Canoe of Cecil Paul, which will be published by RMB in the autumn of 2019. Briony lives on Salt Spring Island, BC.

Briony Penn's profile page