Peter Raymond Scholtes

Peter Raymond Scholtes was an American Roman Catholic priest, musician, community organizer, educator, author, and later management consultant. Born in Evanston, Illinois, on November 20, 1938, he grew up in Oak Park, attended Ascension School and Fenwick High School, and studied for the priesthood at Quigley and St. Mary of the Lake-Mundelein seminaries. He later earned a master’s degree in adult education and organization development from Boston University.

In 1966 Scholtes was serving at St. Brendan’s parish on Chicago’s South Side and directing a youth choir. His family obituary and later hymnological accounts state that he needed a song for a series of ecumenical and interracial events; unable to find one that suited the occasion, he wrote We Are One in the Spirit, also known as They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love, in a single day. He wrote both the words and the tune commonly called ST. BRENDAN’S.

Scholtes eventually left the priesthood and worked in public service, social work, teaching, therapy, and organizational consulting. In the 1980s he joined Joiner Associates, later founded Scholtes Seminars and Consulting, co-authored The Team Handbook, and wrote The Leader’s Handbook. The American Society for Quality awarded him the Deming Medal in 2006 for his contributions to management and quality improvement.