FATHER JOHN SHUSTER
MARRIED ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
Port Orchard, WA (360) 876-1603
Of the many ways I serve people as a married priest, I enjoy weddings best! I realize that couples put hard work, detailed preparation, and significant resources into their wedding ceremony. They want everything to be perfect on their special day. I understand, and I make that perfection my goal too. In the Gospel of John, Jesus' first public miracle was the wedding at Cana. To make it a perfect wedding day for the couple, he changed water into good wine when the original supply ran out. Jesus put the bride and groom first, and used a miracle to make their wedding day special.
I want the couples I serve to enjoy a perfect wedding that exceeds their expectations. I begin with a positive attitude towards love and marriage. Together, we plan a ceremony that celebrates the special love they share. I provide a workbook with many different options, then we work together to create a memorable ceremony that will hopefully have the married couples in attendance holding hands and commenting on how that was the nicest wedding they had ever attended!
Many couples ask me if I have any special rules. My answer is: "Yes, I have one rule. I'm going to do things according to your wishes!" Using a blend of my liturgical experience and the couple's creativity, we end up with a tailor-made wedding ceremony that is warm, personal, and reflective of the couple's unique personalities.
My best flexibility comes with planning good second marriages that include children and any special needs the couple might have to be addressed. I'm also ecumenical in my wedding ministry (my wife Sally is Presbyterian) and I welcome couples of all denominations in celebrating their special day.
As an ordained Roman Catholic priest, the wedding ceremonies I witness are officially recognized by the State of Washington. Since I am a married priest, the weddings are not currently recognized by the Vatican, but they could be grandfathered into the books by an amiable and inclusive pope sometime in the future. With all the work I invest in your ceremony, I do ask for a stipend. Those funds go towards supporting and promoting the ministries of married priest couples. They also support SNAP to help keep our children free from sexual predators in church settings.
As a married priest, I put people and their needs first. I believe that religion exists to serve people. I keep everything upbeat and positive. I handle issues creatively and with sensitivity to all involved. We put all the preparation into your ceremony beforehand, so that you can relax and enjoy your wedding day. I'll coordinate everyone's part in the ceremony at the rehearsal, and make sure that things progress smoothly. I'll complete your marriage license paperwork, make sure that everything is in order, and deliver it to the county auditor's office. There's nothing for you to memorize, just repeat your chosen wedding vows after me. You hold hands, look into each other's eyes, and exchange your sacred promises. Your wonderful love is the sacrament we will celebrate!
If you'd like to talk about planning your wedding ceremony,
please contact me at (360) 876-1603 in Port Orchard, WA.
You can also send email:
frjshuster@aol.com
A bit more about my history. I was ordained in 1979 by Bishop Joseph Francis to serve as a priest in the Roman Catholic missionary order, the Society of the Divine Word (SVD). I graduated from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in 1980 with a Masters of Divinity with specialization in cross-cultural ministry. During my four years as a celibate priest, I served in Mexico, and at parishes in East Los Angeles and South Central L.A.
1979
Ordination
day
Our Family: Nate, John, Sally, &
Kellen
When I transitioned from the celibate clerical life to the married
priesthood, I was able to find work selling medical supplies. St. Paul found
employment as a tent maker so that he would not be a burden to the people he served.
We married priests do the same. We work at our day jobs and help people as
priests on evenings and weekends. Some married priests support themselves exclusively
through wedding stipends. Bottom line, we married priests have families and we live
life just like the people we serve. Many people think that makes us better
priests! 
Louise Haggett is a key person in my life as a priest. She had a creative solution for solving the shortage of priests in our Roman Catholic Church - have married priests start to fill in the gaps by ministering to people. When we met, she had recently formed Celibacy Is The Issue and started the Rent A Priest program to put people in touch with married priests. What a great idea! I signed on immediately. Thousands of other married priests have done the same. Because of Louise's efforts, many Catholics are receiving the pastoral care they need and deserve. When Rome decides to welcome back married priests, (which many bishops secretly support) we will all owe a great debt of gratitude to this brave Catholic grandmother and her good husband Dick.
The married priesthood is a timely and newsworthy issue. Married priests have been featured in dozens of newspaper articles and in numerous radio and television programs. Louise and I were interviewed by Mike Wallace and appeared on the CBS 60 Minutes program a few years ago. I have also discussed the married priesthood on Seattle's NBC affiliate, KING 5 TV, and with the nationally acclaimed talk show host Dave Ross at KIRO 710 radio in Seattle.
If you'd like to learn more about married Roman Catholic priests,
click here to visit our international web site: Rent A Priest
