Missionary Priest: A Spiritual Memoir

In Missionary Priest, Fr. Tom Ryan shares the richness of the ministerial life that has taken him throughout the world, engaging with people of all faiths and backgrounds. His work has encompassed campus ministry, founding a center for spirituality, leading retreats, preaching parish missions, engaging in ecumenical and interreligious dialogues, and writing books and articles. His educational journey included Europe and the Middle East. After directing the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism for fourteen years and working in all ten provinces of Canada, he founded and directed an ecumenical retreat center in Montreal before returning to the U.S. to found and direct the Paulist North American Office for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations for more than twenty years. Unity among the followers of Jesus and collaboration with the members of all world religions has been at the core of his ministry. If you haven't had the opportunity to travel much, journey with the author to Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Russia and enjoy the experience of canoeing in the wilderness and hiking in the mountains. An overarching theme through it all is finding a better balance in living. At the heart of this book is the spirituality and the spiritual practices that sustained him on this journey.

Born and raised in southern Minnesota, Rev. Thomas Ryan did his graduate studies in theology at the Washington DC Theological Union and the University of Geneva. He was ordained a Paulist priest in 1975 and served in campus ministry at the Ohio State University (Columbus) and McGill University (Montreal), before directing the Montreal-based Canadian Centre for Ecumenism and working in all ten provinces of Canada. He spearheaded the founding of Unitas in Montreal, an ecumenical center for spirituality and Christian meditation cosponsored by eight different denominations. He served as its director prior to founding and directing the Paulist National Office for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations in New York City.