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A Modern Priest Looks at His Outdated Church
#1 on the NY Times Bestseller list. Europeans titled it, "A Protest of Love," since JK wrote from the heart to save the Churches by separating mythological traditions from the historic truths they veiled. The ideal book for persons attempting to recover from religious guilt. To understand what precipitated the religious revolution of the 70’s, this book is the enduring classic.
190 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1968
55 people want to read
About the author
James Kavanaugh
63 books123 followersJames Kavanaugh was ordained and actively ministered for ten years as a Catholic Priest before attending Catholic University in Washington D.C. Working on his second doctoral degree, he wrote an article for the Saturday Evening Post, entitled, "I am a Priest, and I want to marry." The article questioned the practice of celibacy among priests. The year was 1967, the height of the sexual revolution. Although it was written under a pseudonym and even his closest friends and family were not aware of the author, it was received with such commotion and outrage, the secret would not be kept for long. Jim then exploded onto the American scene with A Modern Priest Looks At His Outdated Church. The New York Times called it "a personal cry of anguish that goes to the heart of the troubles plaguing the Catholic Church." Soon Simon and Schuster came calling with a book deal.
Though a gifted scholar, with degrees in psychology and religious philosophy, James took a leave of absence from the priesthood, packed his VW bug and headed for California to write books. Jim surrendered his priestly collar and doctoral robes to become a gentle revolutionary.
Forty years ago in a decrepit New York residence hotel, Kavanaugh rejected lucrative offers to write what publishers wanted. "Feasting", he laughs, "on bagels, peanut butter, and cheese whiz", he wrote his first poetry book, There Are Men Too Gentle To Live Among Wolves. The book was turned down by a dozen publishers, only to sell over a million copies.
Wayne Dyer captures his power:
"James Kavanaugh is America's poet laureate. His words and ideas touch my soul. I can think of no living person who can put into words what we have all felt so deeply in our inner selves."
A dozen poetry books followed, as well as powerful novels, prose allegory and his best-selling Search, a guide for personal joy and freedom. The rebel priest became the people's poet, singing songs of human struggle, of hope and laughter, of healing that comes from within. James Kavanaugh possesses a charisma that excites audiences with passion and humor. He loves wandering, tennis and trout fishing, the cities and wilderness, people and solitude.
Though a gifted scholar, with degrees in psychology and religious philosophy, James took a leave of absence from the priesthood, packed his VW bug and headed for California to write books. Jim surrendered his priestly collar and doctoral robes to become a gentle revolutionary.
Forty years ago in a decrepit New York residence hotel, Kavanaugh rejected lucrative offers to write what publishers wanted. "Feasting", he laughs, "on bagels, peanut butter, and cheese whiz", he wrote his first poetry book, There Are Men Too Gentle To Live Among Wolves. The book was turned down by a dozen publishers, only to sell over a million copies.
Wayne Dyer captures his power:
"James Kavanaugh is America's poet laureate. His words and ideas touch my soul. I can think of no living person who can put into words what we have all felt so deeply in our inner selves."
A dozen poetry books followed, as well as powerful novels, prose allegory and his best-selling Search, a guide for personal joy and freedom. The rebel priest became the people's poet, singing songs of human struggle, of hope and laughter, of healing that comes from within. James Kavanaugh possesses a charisma that excites audiences with passion and humor. He loves wandering, tennis and trout fishing, the cities and wilderness, people and solitude.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 1, 2015
A nearly forgotten classic.
Father James Kavanaugh, fed up with the legalism and lack of humanity from the church he had known since boyhood - first wrote an article under a pseudonym for Look Magazine entitled "I Am a Priest - I Want To Marry" in 1966.
The article drew thousands of letters and the best-seller followed. The book is essential a report from the front. Kavanaugh tells it like it was - the multitude of parishioners who came looking for his advice and solace on issues of the day - only to be greeted by the cold doctrines of the Catholic Church.
Like the guilt of the late-night masturbators who feared the fires of hell should they die before making confession, the empty and often destructive platitudes Kavanaugh was bound to offer gnawed at his conscience. What follows is the chronicle of hope, solace, and common-sense advice the Father wanted desperately to give yet had to keep locked up in his mind.
Over and over, the reader is presented with Kavanaugh's personal conversations with brothers and sisters in the church. The wife of the abusive drunk, the couple who cannot provide for any more children, the homosexual. Kavanaugh could offer only empty rhetoric or hope the Bishops may eventually change their views.
As a layman, this book immersed me in a world of guilt, fear, and medieval tradition I knew only from fleeting references in movies and snippets of conversation with friends who grew up Catholic. As important as Kavanaugh's rebuttal to Catholic theology is his personal struggle to become his own man. Reading this book made me think not only about Kavanaugh and Catholics but my own doubts and repressions. You will not finish this book without examining your own life and the shroud of others' expectations and judgement.
Father James Kavanaugh, fed up with the legalism and lack of humanity from the church he had known since boyhood - first wrote an article under a pseudonym for Look Magazine entitled "I Am a Priest - I Want To Marry" in 1966.
The article drew thousands of letters and the best-seller followed. The book is essential a report from the front. Kavanaugh tells it like it was - the multitude of parishioners who came looking for his advice and solace on issues of the day - only to be greeted by the cold doctrines of the Catholic Church.
Like the guilt of the late-night masturbators who feared the fires of hell should they die before making confession, the empty and often destructive platitudes Kavanaugh was bound to offer gnawed at his conscience. What follows is the chronicle of hope, solace, and common-sense advice the Father wanted desperately to give yet had to keep locked up in his mind.
Over and over, the reader is presented with Kavanaugh's personal conversations with brothers and sisters in the church. The wife of the abusive drunk, the couple who cannot provide for any more children, the homosexual. Kavanaugh could offer only empty rhetoric or hope the Bishops may eventually change their views.
As a layman, this book immersed me in a world of guilt, fear, and medieval tradition I knew only from fleeting references in movies and snippets of conversation with friends who grew up Catholic. As important as Kavanaugh's rebuttal to Catholic theology is his personal struggle to become his own man. Reading this book made me think not only about Kavanaugh and Catholics but my own doubts and repressions. You will not finish this book without examining your own life and the shroud of others' expectations and judgement.
September 3, 2025
Heartfelt and sometimes interesting but it doesn't hold up to the passage of time well, and the premise of an "outdated" church is deeply flawed. Can that which is supposed to endure until the Second Coming of Christ really be called old-fashioned? Fr. Kavanaugh never acknowledges the pride in his own premise.
September 29, 2019
Kavanaugh was the then-anonymous author of the Saturday Evening Post article, “I am a Priest and I Want to Marry,” that launched a firestorm in American Catholicism. This book is a somewhat-personal, somewhat-general study of the state of the Church in the late 1960s. While parts were a bit long-winded, generally this was a good read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews