An Interview with Fr. John Schuster (2018)

Written by Sara Francis in 2018 when Fr. John Schuster retired from the position of Moderator of the Curia after 30 years of service. Fr. John Schuster passed away peacefully the morning of September 16, 2026 at 86 years old.

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Have you ever wondered what it’s like to walk a mile in Calgary’s diocesan moderator and vicar general’s shoes? If you answered no, it would come as no surprise to the man who’s held the job for 29 years.
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“In an office like this, most of your work goes unknown. People don’t know what you do. If you asked them what a moderator was, they couldn’t tell you. Even if you asked a priest what a moderator was, they probably couldn’t tell you.”​
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Fr. Schuster lives a rather private, behind the scenes life; in fact, he describes his job as ‘the shadow of the bishop.’ The vicar general is the highest-ranking official in the diocese after the bishop. He is able to act on behalf of the bishop to exercise executive power over the entire diocese. The moderator of the curia oversees diocesan pastoral offices and organizations.

On the rare occasion that a journalist unexpectedly showed up to make plans for a future profile interview Fr. Schuster was caught with his socks off! God has a funny sense of humour, and so does Fr. Schuster. He was having one of those mornings where his socks just weren’t fitting into his boots, but getting to work on time during a snowstorm trumped the conventions of office style. So he ditched the socks. But don’t let appearances fool you, this humorous, hard-working, humble, holy man is comfortable in his own shoes.

The 78-year-old priest has a gentle, lovable, unassuming presence. He loves reading and has a large collection of antique clocks. He has traveled to the Holy Land and met Saint Pope John Paul II twice. He was born a middle child in the same homestead and bed as his father, near Cliftonville, Saskatchewan, to parents of Germanic descent. One year later, he moved to Medicine Hat with his parents and five siblings. It was there that a quiet, unassuming parish priest named Monsignor Edmond James McCoy first inspired Fr. Schuster to a deeper faith.

​His call to the priesthood came after attending a high school retreat. A priest named Fr. Joseph Toole challenged the students to consider they may have a religious vocation.

​“I went home and I prayed. My prayer was: God, don’t call me. That persisted until I couldn’t get rid of it. Then I said, well if you want me then ‘yes’.”

Fr. Schuster was ordained a priest in 1965. He has served under five Calgary bishops, first as secretary to Bishop Carroll, then as a parish priest in rural communities for several years until he started having trouble with his throat. For unknown reasons, one of his vocal chords stopped functioning properly.

​“Because of my throat situation, I could never be in a big parish. It affects all aspects of the priesthood. I think I’ve come to deal with it and to acknowledge I’m not going to be a pastor anymore.”

The self-described soft-spoken priest, said that as a child, he inherited his mother’s quiet voice, a trait that’s characterized much of his life.

Due to his throat, his ability to serve as parish priest had become increasingly difficult, so a new path opened up for him. Bishop Paul O’Byrne sent him to study canon law at St. Paul’s University in Ottawa. Upon return, he assumed the roles of moderator and vicar general, and has since worked under Bishop Paul O’Byrne, Bishop Frederick Henry and Bishop William McGrattan.

Fr. Schuster said all three have completely different leadership styles, bringing their unique gifts and talents to the job, but he was unwilling to make any detailed comparisons.

A young Fr. John Schuster meets St. Pope John Paul II

“In the past we would deal with a situation that Bishop Henry asked us to, but now (Bishop McGrattan) wants us to be more proactive.”

While Fr. Schuster may largely stay out of the public eye, he has played a critical role in guiding the direction of the diocese. Most notably he submitted an influential report in 2001 at the request of Bishop Henry. For three years he headed the Diocesan Planning Commission, studying shifting and growing demographic patterns compared against a declining number of priests.

“For the first year, we were spinning our wheels. We were scared to make any recommendations. So we said, okay, we have the information, now we have to determine what we say about each parish.” 

Pastoral Centre staff wrote their greetings and well-wishes for Fr. John's 75th birthday.

He profiled each parish and its building facilities, financial health and parish vitality and determined some would need to close or amalgamate.

​“Some parishioners were very upset, saying ‘my grandfather built this church,’ ‘this is where I got married,’ ‘this is where my kids got married.’ It’s understandable,” said Fr. Schuster. But “it was about the needs of the diocese as a whole to better serve the whole people of God and not just a few.”

Today, the Commission is still active with current purchases of land to build churches in the burgeoning areas of Chestermere and Strathmore.