His true calling

When your boss says you are "disordered" and inclined towards "an intrinsic moral evil," it's probably time to find a new job.

But that wasn't an easy choice for St. Albert's James Ravenscroft. He'd trained his whole life to be a Roman Catholic priest, and felt compelled to do God's work.

But he was also gay and church doctrine, such as the 1986 Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons quoted above, was essentially saying he was evil.

"It's hard when your bishops and the pope are saying gay people and gay men and lesbians shouldn't adopt," he says, speaking from his new home at the St. Albert United Church. "You're starting to say I'm a bad person, and I know I'm not a bad person."

In 2003, Ravenscroft joined the United Church – a branch of Christianity more open to gays and lesbians.

Ravenscroft has been the reverend of the St. Albert United Church since 2009. An advocate for social justice and the environment, he helped revive the St. Albert Christian Ministerial group several years ago.

He's a dedicated, passionate, learned minister who shines when he's giving a sermon, says Troy Sartison, a member of Ravenscroft's congregation, yet who is also easygoing and happy to have a pint with you. "He was born to be a minister."

Ravenscroft, 48, is a laid-back man more at home in jeans and flannel than a minister's robes. With a ready smile and a toothy grin, he welcomes you into his office – a place adorned with many works of aboriginal art.

Born in the United Kingdom, Ravenscroft moved to Ontario with his family when he was one.

He was a kid who liked school, he recalls – so much so that he once snuck out of the house early in the morning because he wanted to be at kindergarten all day. (His sister, Susan, hauled him home.)

Ravenscroft says the death of his mother, Jennifer, when he was nine had a great influence on him. "I wanted to be someone who helped people find peace in their lives." He was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest at The Pas, Man., in 1992.

That set up an immediate personal conflict, as he had come out as gay when he was 19 – a year after he and his family converted to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism.

As time went on, Ravenscroft says the church seemed to become more and more harsh towards gays, lesbians and the transgendered. "Each year, it felt more and more (like) I wasn't truly welcome."

Still, he says he felt compelled to be a Catholic minister in aboriginal communities, and spent 11 years working in northern Manitoba – a region that's mostly First Nations and Métis. There, he took part in sweat lodges and learned to appreciate the environmental views of elders. "I definitely learned how to appreciate the natural world and (get) a sense of God's presence everywhere."

Ravenscroft says meeting Glen Warren, his husband, gave him the courage to leave the Roman Catholic Church. He came to St. Albert United in 2009 to replace Rev. Scott Agur.

There, says former co-worker Nancy Chegus, he showed himself to be an impressive orator. "He has the ability to bring together people of diverse ideas and opinions to find some common ground."

Rev. Dean Kurpjuweit of the Next Christian Community Church says he met Ravenscroft for breakfast soon after he came to St. Albert. "I like people that are willing to learn," he says, and he was impressed by Ravenscroft's intellectual curiosity.

The two became friends and teamed up to revive the St. Albert Christian Ministerial group, which had been defunct for about a decade. The group now runs the annual Mayor's Prayer Breakfast and the Bridge Fund (which provides those in need with "bridge" funding during times of need).

The St. Albert United Church has since been busy in the environmental field, having installed the largest solar power array in St. Albert on its roof. Its members are also active supporters of Habitat for Humanity and reconciliation with the First Nations.

Ravenscroft himself has also marched in gay pride parades and lobbied for anti-discrimination policies at the St. Albert Public School board.

"This is a really good congregation," Ravenscroft says. "They're seriously trying to live the teachings of Jesus."

St. Albert is a great community, he says, but there are a lot of people in it who need help. "For me, the future of organized religion is to get into the community, to see where people are hurting, to see where people are asking big questions of the world and themselves, and to connect with that."