Here a diocesan priest is sharing, emotionally as well as pastorally, some of the challenges that church teaching and discipline put before God's people. How far may a priest move out of the protection of clericalism into honest dialogue and fraternity with troubled Catholics and unchurched young people? This book is the personal story of one man's journey into Catholic Communion and his continuing ministry of 47 years as a priest. He has felt the need to call into question those things that obviously do not reflect gospel attitudes, and openly confronts a range of contemporary church issues. ""This is the sort of honesty which the Catholic priesthood desperately needs if it is to survive as something worthwhile and appealing in the twenty-first century - an honestly which bureaucrats too often seek to suppress.""-- Adrian Hastings, University of Leeds. ""A deeply honest book.""--The Tablet. ""An inspiration... With genuine humility and honesty Owen displays a deep love of the priesthood and a courageous concern for the rights of the laity... I found myself cheering his courage and conviction as he sought to live out a more authentic priestly ministry.""-- Priests & People.