Father Michael George Shields, S.J.

Father Michael (Mike) Shields of the Society of Jesus died peacefully in the Lord on 28 February 2026, at Cardinal Ambrozic Houses of Providence in Scarborough, Ontario. He was in his 99th year and 78th year of religious life.

The son of George Shields and Marie Larochelle, Mike was born in Ottawa on 8 February 1928. He was greatly attached to his natal city and never missed an opportunity to visit.

After some years at the University of Ottawa, Mike entered the Society at Guelph on 30 July 1948. He pronounced first vows in 1950, followed by the customary two-year Juniorate. In 1952, he began philosophy studies at the Jesuit Seminary on Wellington Street in Toronto. Regency followed in 1955 at St. Paul’s High School in Winnipeg.

Of a classical bent, Mike spent 1957 at the University of Toronto studying Latin and Greek. The following year, he was assigned to teach these languages to the Juniors in Guelph. His theological studies began in 1959 at 403 Wellington Street and concluded at the new Regis College seminary in Willowdale after its move in the spring of 1961. He was ordained on 17 June 1962 and went to tertianship at St. Beuno’s in Wales the following year.

Though he never enjoyed robust health, Mike was entrusted with many responsibilities: professor at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax (1964); then at Guelph for seven years (1965-1971) as Prefect of Studies, professor of languages and classics (at both Ignatius College and the University of Guelph), and later as Rector.

Blessed with a sharp mind and attentive to the demands of administration, he was appointed Socius to the Provincial, Terry Walsh, for three years and served two years as Superior of the Province Curia (1972–1975).

A good listener with a contemplative spirit, he returned to Guelph to join the retreat team at Loyola House (1975–1980).

The name of Michael Shields is most often associated with that of Fr. Bernard Lonergan, S.J. For thirty-five years, Mike devoted himself to the Lonergan Research Institute in Toronto, serving as director, translator, writer, and librarian. In “METHOD, Journal of Lonergan Studies 2014,” he contributed a lengthy article entitled A Note on Lonergan’s Latin. It began with this (adapted) paragraph:

“In 1980, when I was on the staff of Loyola House, Guelph, Fr. Provincial Bill Ryan suggested that I might assist Fr. Fred Crowe at the Lonergan Centre at Regis College. A few years earlier, I had visited this nascent Lonergan Research Institute (LRI) where Fred had begun collecting writings of Fr. Bernard Lonergan, as well as secondary materials pertaining to his work. Thus, it was that I found myself doing the detailed and painstaking task of cataloguing, photocopying, and collating both primary and secondary materials for a rapidly growing library. But I noted that a large amount of Lonergan’s writings, published and unpublished, was in Latin. My postgraduate studies were in classics, and I had taught Latin for several years in various places. Here was a challenge I couldn’t resist. As I recall, the first document I tackled was the De Conscientia Christi. I did the translation of that opusculum on a typewriter; what a relief when a computer arrived, making the work of translation so much easier. There is considerable variation in the style of Latin to be found in the many books and notes that Lonergan produced until 1965, when he retired from teaching at the Gregorian University. They range in style from the classical Latin of a book review to the anglicized Latin of many typewritten documents to be found mainly in the Lonergan archive. The style of most of his corpus ranges somewhere between these two extremes.”

Even during his years at the Institute, Mike also served as editor of the Province catalogue—he was a proofreader par excellence—and as Superior of Hevey Residence in Toronto. When that house closed in 1997, he moved into the Regis Community house on Isabella Street. In 2015, he was assigned to La Storta House in Pickering. Shortly after New Year’s Day in 2019, he packed a bag and moved to René Goupil House. When that residence closed last year, he moved to the Houses of Providence, where he died.

The most visible result of Mike’s long tenure at the LRI is his contribution to the twenty-four volumes of The Collected Works of Bernard Lonergan, published by the University of Toronto Press between 2000 and 2013 under the editorship of Fr. Robert Doran, SJ, a long-time colleague. This staggering collection, nurtured also by Fred Crowe and many other Lonerganians, stands as a singular tribute to the dogged perseverance of Fr. Michael George Shields.

A gentleman in taste and demeanor, Mike was always well dressed and enjoyed classical theatre at Stratford and opera in Toronto. He entered easily into community life and was an engaging conversationalist, drawing on his superb knowledge of the classics. He read studiously and appreciated fine wines. Once, when ill in bed on a Jesuit feast day, dinner was brought to him, and he gently inquired about the missing glass of wine. With his death the Society has lost a great classicist and a dedicated Jesuit imbued with a love of knowledge that he generously shared with others. We trust that Michael has now heard these Latin words of welcome from the Lord: Euge, serve bone et fidelis.

Visitation, Thursday March 5th from 6:30-8:00 p.m.; Vigil prayers at 7:30 p.m., in the chapel of Manresa Spiritual Renewal Centre, 2325 Liverpool Road, Pickering ON. Funeral Mass will be celebrated Friday March 6th at 10 a.m., in the Manresa Chapel, Pickering ON. Available via Livestream at https://ipickart.com/stream/FrMichaelGeorgeShields/

Burial to follow Friday March 6th at 2:30 p.m. in the Jesuit Cemetery, Guelph ON. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Jesuit Advancement Office, 43 Queen’s Park Cres. E., Toronto, ON M5S 2C3, (416-962-4500) or online https://jesuits.ca/make-a-gift/, would be appreciated.