American Catholic writer
Taylor Reed Marshall (born March 29, 1978) is an American Catholic writer and YouTube commentator.[1] A former Episcopal Church priest, Marshall converted to Catholicism and became an advocate of traditionalist Catholicism. He is the author of multiple books, including Infiltration: The Plot to Destroy the Church from Within and his bestselling historical fiction series Sword and Serpent. Marshall currently teaches at the New Saint Thomas Institute, an online Catholic education institute that he founded in 2013 with students from over 70 nations.
In 2023, Marshall announced he was running as a candidate in the 2024 United States presidential election.[2]
Education and priesthood
Marshall graduated magna cum laude from Texas A&M University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy.[3] After studying at Westminster Theological Seminary and Nashotah House, Marshall was ordained a priest of the Episcopal Church in 2005 by Jack Iker, the Bishop of Fort Worth.[4][5] Marshall had previously served as a youth minister at Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church while an Episcopal deacon.[6]
Shortly thereafter, in 2006, he and his wife converted to Catholicism.[7] In 2009 Marshall earned his Master of Arts degree in philosophy, and in 2011 earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in philosophy, at the University of Dallas with his 600 page doctoral dissertation "Thomas Aquinas on Natural Law and the Twofold Beatitude of Humanity."[3][8]
Post-conversion career
From January 2012 until June 2013, Marshall served as the chancellor of the former College of Saints John Fisher & Thomas More.[9][10] Prior to his administrative work at the college, he was a professor of philosophy. Marshall also formerly served as the assistant director of the Archdiocese of Washington's Catholic Information Center.[3] He is a founder of the New Saint Thomas Institute, an online Catholic theology educational program, and the Troops of Saint George, a Catholic scouting organization.[11][12]
Marshall has published books in the fields of theology, philosophy, and historical fiction.[13] All but one have been self-published by Saint John Press and Media, a company held and managed by Marshall.[14][15] His 2019 book, Infiltration, claims to demonstrate that, over the last two centuries, the hierarchy of the Catholic Church has been actively subverted to promote Freemasonic power.[16] The foreword of the book was written by Bishop Athanasius Schneider. The book has been controversial in Catholic circles, drawing both positive and negative reviews from various media outlets.[17][18] Marshall, on his YouTube channel, regularly comments on statements from Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, former Nuncio to the United States.[19]
In October 2019, Marshall received media attention for publicizing an incident at the Catholic Church's Amazon Synod in which Alexander Tschugguel and an accomplice filmed themselves removing indigenous fertility statues, reportedly of Pachamama, from the Church of Santa Maria in Traspontina in Rome and throwing them into the Tiber river.[20][21] In March 2020, it was revealed that Marshall himself had personally funded Tschugguel's trip to Rome and uploaded the video of the theft.[22]
Marshall briefly received attention from Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign for popularizing Archbishop Viganò's letter warning of a deep state working to undermine the United States of America.[16] Marshall was noticed by the campaign in return, and retweeted on the president's Twitter account.[23] Traditionalist Catholic writer Matthew Walther criticized both Marshall's advocacy for then-President Trump and his claims against Pope Francis. Walther accused Marshall of "distorting or simply lying" about the pope in order to anger Catholics.[24]
Personal life
Marshall met his wife, Joy McPherson, in 1999. They were married on June 9, 2001, at Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church in Fort Worth, Texas. They have eight children.[25] Marshall and his family converted from the Episcopal Church to Catholicism. They received confirmation from Bishop Kevin Vann in May 2006.[26][27]
Books
With the exception of Infiltration, Marshall's books are self-published under the imprint of Saint John Press and Media, a company held and managed by Marshall.
- The Origins of Catholicism trilogy
- The Crucified Rabbi: Judaism and the Origins of Catholic Christianity (Saint John Press, 2009)
- The Catholic Perspective on Paul: Paul and the Origins of Catholic Christianity (Saint John Press, 2010)
- The Eternal City: Rome & the Origins of Catholic Christianity (Saint John Press, 2012)
- Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages: A Layman's Quick Guide to Thomism (Saint John Press, 2014)
- The Sword and Serpent trilogy
- Sword and Serpent (Saint John Press, 2014)
- The Tenth Region of the Night (Saint John Press, 2016)
- Storm of Fire and Blood (Saint John Press, 2017)
- Saint Augustine in 50 Pages: The Layman's Quick Guide to Augustinianism (Saint John Press, 2015)
- Infiltration: The Plot to Destroy the Church from Within (Sophia Institute Press, 2019)
- The Rosary in 50 Pages: The Layman's Quick Guide to Mary's Psalter (Saint John Press, 2020)
- Antichrist and Apocalypse: The 21 Prophecies of Revelation Unveiled and Described (Saint John Press, 2022)
