Bless You Father for You Have Sinned. Phillip B. Shamas, 2025. Winds of Change Press: Santa Fe, NM. Paperback. 144 pages. $24.95
This memoir by first-time author Phillip B. Shamas relates the long and often painful journey of a litigant in the recent lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.
Phillip’s goal in life was to become a Franciscan priest. Unfortunately, his vocational director became his perpetrator, launching Phillip into years of doubt and confusion at the age of 12. Despite this challenge, he completed studies at the University of New Mexico, earned several degrees, and has spent most of his adult life serving as an exemplary teacher and school administrator. Although his experiences did undermine his faith in the Catholic Church, he has never lost faith in Spirit. He plans now to start a call center devoted to supporting survivors of pedophilia.
With a Foreword by Levi Monagle, the Albuquerque lawyer primarily responsible for supporting the litigants, and a Review by Dr. Robert F. Morgan, a well-known professor of Transpersonal Psychology who has taught post-graduate courses in universities around the world, this book is a must-read.
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