Fr. Mike Shaw

November 24, 1943 – July 11, 2024

Beloved priest, brother, friend, confessor, spiritual director, pastoral animator, and teacher, whose overflowing joy and kindness changed so many lives for the better, Fr. Mike passed quietly from this life into eternity, at home in his bed with his best friend Ann Marie holding his hand.  Fr. Mike will be missed by Ann Marie Di Michele, his sister Tanya (Mark), brother Nigel (Anne), his dear cousin/sister Tina (Peter), his nieces, nephews and their children, the Million family, his Bible study and Zoom mass communities, the congregation of St. Edward the Confessor Mission, and countless others whose lives he touched.

Fr. Mike was larger than life: tall, loud and unfailingly exuberant, he loved to tell (and retell) jokes, whistle, laugh loudly, dance, sing at top volume, and get even the most reluctant to join him. He had a gift for making you feel special, seen, and heard. He was genuinely interested in everyone he met. He gave of himself every day and everywhere he went. His zest for life and penchant for fun were complemented by a deep contemplative spirituality, profound curiosity, and a love of learning.

Fr. Mike was born in Alresford, Hampshire, England.  His father Thomas Shaw was in the RAF, and when little Michael was 10 months old his dad was killed in a practice run for a bombing raid. His mother Phyllis took in foreign students to pay the bills. She eventually married Peter Croad and the family moved to Prinsted, Southbourne, where Michael’s siblings were born. Fr. Mike never lost his love for England and supported his beloved Portsmouth Football Club until the day he died, but he fell in love with his adopted home; once he arrived in Montreal in 1969, he never really looked back.

As a youth Fr. Mike felt inspired by the cold war “space race” to study the sciences, but his teachers made it clear that his talents lay more in music and the arts. As he reached adulthood he began to feel an undeniable call to religious life. He moved to Montreal and found community and inspiration at St. John Brebeuf church, and after much soul searching, went to Boston to join the seminary in 1971.  He was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood in 1975. While still a deacon, Fr. Mike joined St. Thomas a Becket Church in Pierrefonds, a placement that would change his life. It was there that Fr. Mike met his lifelong friend Margaret Million, and so came to live at 252 Biscaye, where he would remain until Margaret’s death in 2019, always a beloved member of a loyal West Island Christian community.

Fr. Mike lived his vocation in every moment: ministering to the unhoused, the sick, the lonely, the dying.  Everywhere he went he learned the names and life stories of strangers, seeing the beauty and intrinsic value in everyone he met.  Appropriately, his priestly ministry never let him stay in one place. After decades as a pastoral animator travelling to schools throughout Montreal for the English Montreal School Board and doing replacement ministry in churches all over the island, at the age of 76 Mike finally settled down as pastor of St. Edward the Confessor Mission in Pointe Claire, where he worked with his congregation to bring new life to the parish. As a priest, he was well known for making everyone feel welcome and loved by God, part of the church and the Body of Christ. His liturgies were as creative, unorthodox and impactful as everything else about him.  He made the mass feel real and accessible and meaningful for everyone.

He was an unforgettable man. He will be greatly missed and forever beloved.

A celebration of Fr. Mike Shaw’s life will take place on Wednesday, July 24^th at St Thomas a Becket church.

Visitation from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Funeral mass at 7:00 p.m. (Livestream)

Burial will take place on Thursday, July 25^th at 10:00 a.m. at Cimetière Sainte-Genevieve

As an expression of sympathy, memorial contributions may be sent to one of Fr. Mike’s favorite charities, Operation Smile. or the Salvation Army, or a charity of your choice.

Funeral arrangements entrusted to Voluntas.