WISCONSIN
Fond du Lac Reporter
Written by
Sharon Roznik
The Reporter Media
The day John Schmitz burned his Roman Catholic collar was a turning point in his life.
Raised in St. Peter and a graduate of St. Lawrence Seminary in Mount Calvary, Schmitz was firmly rooted in the Catholicism that ran through what is known as the Holyland in northeastern Fond du Lac County.
But after almost a decade serving as a priest, including five years at St. Mary’s Church in Fond du Lac, he said he had enough and could no longer stand in front of a congregation and preach something he did not believe.
“I knew then there were pedophiles, priests who were being shuffled from one place to another,” said Schmitz, who has authored a book “A Funny Thing Happened on My Way Out of Church.”
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