In 1980 Pope John Paul II and the American Bishops agreed to accept married Episcopal priests into the Roman Catholic Priesthood in a program known as the Pastoral Provision. While many Catholic priests had left their active ministries for marriage, here the Catholic Church made an historically unprecedented invitation to the priesthood for already married men. This is the true story of the journey of one such priest and his wife. Father Peter Dally, an Episcopal priest for twenty-eight years, was one of the first men to apply to the program. In a tale that exposes the complexities and uncertainties, the personal challenges and emotional trauma, the religious politics, and precarious financial difficulties surrounding such a change of churches, the Dallys discover a renewed strength in their relationship and are ultimately rewarded with success, though they must first leave Washington State and move to Tulsa, Oklahoma, before Peter is ordained after five years of struggle. This book is religious history in the making, but it is also a warm, human story of a loving married couple, their mutual support, and profound faith. This book is the revised and updated second edition. The first edition, published in 1988 by Loyola University Press, received and Oklahoma Writers Federation Award for the Best Nonfiction Book by an Oklahoma Writer in 1989. From the Foreword by Bishop Eusebius Beltran, Bishop of Tulsa: "....I never fully recognized the depth and intensity of her own experiences until I read this, her own account. Until then, The Pastoral Provisions pointed merely to the men who were to be ordained. Now I see them encompassing the wives and families, indeed, the whole Church."
About the Author: Mary Vincent Dally was born on a farm near Sheridan, Oregon. The family later moved to the Oregon Coast where she graduated from Port Orford High School and later attended Oregon State College. She married Father Peter Dally, Vicar of St. Christopher Episcopal Church in Port Orford and St. John Episcopal Church in Bandon in 1957. The couple have four children and two grandchildren. "Married to a Catholic Priest - A Journey in Faith" 1st edition; Loyola U. Press, 1988 received the Oklahoma Writers Federation Award for the Best Nonfiction Book by an Oklahoma Writer in 1989. She appeared on television in Seattle and Boston as well as radio shows, including National Public Radio. She has published articles in several Catholic publications, including Columbia and The New Oxford Review. Mary is available for interview, speaking engagements, and discussion groups.