Former nun.
Humanist Celebrant.
Author. Speaker.
Friend.
Mary Johnson is the author of An Unquenchable Thirst, named one of its year’s best nonfiction books by Kirkus Reviews. After spending 20 years as a nun with the Sisters of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, she left the convent and returned home. The Turning, a podcast inspired by Mary’s memoir and called both compelling and fascinating by The New York Times, tells the stories of Mary and several other former Missionaries of Charity. Today Mary works as
a Humanist Celebrant who helps others create secular ceremonies for weddings, memorials, and more
a certified End of Life Doula, offering both practical and spiritual aid to individuals, families, and communities in times of transition and death
a certified Psychedelic Practitioner, exploring liminal spaces and healing potential
A lover of nuance and an explorer of complexity, Mary is working on a second book and a video series.
An Unquenchable Thirst
Mary’s first book, An Unquenchable Thirst chronicles her journey from young, independent teen to nun and back. Her story begins at just 17, when Mary saw a photo of Mother Teresa on the cover of Time magazine and felt called to serve; 18 months later she began her training as a Missionary of Charity, a nun in Mother Teresa’s community. The book traces Mary’s life from her first fumbling attempts at poverty and devotion, to gaining Mother Teresa’s trust, to leaving the church after 20 years of service.
“Readers...will find themselves transported into another world by this powerful, revealing memoir.... Johnson’s portrayal of her time as a nun is likely to be controversial; her memoir is exceptional.”
- Kirkus Reviews
Order your copy of An Unquenchable Thirst
A new outlook as a Humanist Celebrant
As a Humanist Celebrant, Mary creates unique ceremonies for weddings, funerals, and other rites of passage, and has twice been voted New Hampshire’s top wedding officiant. Whether you have a birth, celebration of life or a wedding, Mary creates thoughtful, secular ceremonies for life’s moments.
Moments from an uncommon life
