Franciscan Spirit

Dr. Elizabeth Bookser-Barkley, known by her loved ones and students as "Buffy," is an English professor and chair of the Department of Liberal Arts at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has her PhD in English and is also the author of four books and numerous articles for St. Anthony Messenger magazine. Barkley has taught the St. Anthony Messenger's editorial director, Chris Heffr...

Dr. Daniel P. Horan is a Professor of Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Theology and Director of the Center for the Study of Spirituality at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana. He is also Affiliated Professor of Spirituality at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. A columnist for the National Catholic Reporter, he is the author or editor of more than fourteen books. Three...

Thomas Moore is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Care of the Soul . He has written thirty other books about bringing soul to personal life and culture, including The Soul of Christmas , which was published in 2016 by Franciscan Media . In his youth Thomas was a Catholic monk and studied music composition. He has a Ph. D. in Religious Studies from Syracuse University and was a univers...

Keith Douglass Warner, OFM, is associate professor of ethics and spirituality at the Franciscan School of Theology in San Diego. He is a practical social ethicist in the Franciscan tradition, and teaches eco-spirituality, social entrepreneurship, and moral theology. In 2007, he helped author the award-winning "Care for Creation: A Franciscan Spirituality of the Earth" with Ilia Delio, OSF, and Pam...

Susan Saint Sing, PhD, is the author of God’s Love Song with Fr. Murray Bodo, which was released this past year, and Francis and the San Damiano Cross: Meditations on Spiritual Transformation . She received her doctorate in sport history and kinesiology from Penn State University, and she is a Secular Franciscan. She has been a main speaker at national conferences on St. Clare and on spirituality,...

Garrett Galvin, OFM, graduated from the University of California, Irvine, and joined the Franciscan Friars in 1992. He began teaching full-time at the Franciscan School of Theology in 2009. He published his first book, Egypt as a Place of Refuge in 2011. David’s Successors: Kingship in the Old Testament was published in 2016. Fr. Garrett has several wonderful lectures, one of which is the title of...

Richard Rohr is a globally recognized ecumenical teacher whose work is grounded in Christian mysticism, practices of contemplation and self-emptying, and compassion for the marginalized. He is a Franciscan priest and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque. Fr. Richard is the author of many books, including the bestsellers "Just This," "What Do We Do with Evil?," "The Uni...

Mark Shea is an author, blogger, and longtime contributor to the St. Anthony Messenger. He often takes on challenging topics that face Catholics today. His September 2024 cover story, "The Dangers of Christian Nationalism," in the St. Anthony Messenger explores the rise of nationalistic ideology in America and what the Christian response should be. Shea lives in Washington State with his wife, Jan...

Ilia Delio, OSF, PhD, is a Franciscan Sister of Washington, D.C.,and an American theologian specializing in the area of science and religion. Her work often bridges evolution, physics and neuroscience with Franciscan theology. She currently holds the Josephine C. Connelly Endowed Chair in Theology at Villanova University and also holds two honorary doctorates, one from St. Francis University in 20...

Fr. Murray Bodo, OFM, is a Franciscan priest and an award-winning author of numerous books including his bestselling Francis: The Journey and the Dream , Nourishing Love: A Franciscan Celebration of Mary , and, most recently, God’s Love Song: The Vision of Francis and Clare , which he co-authored with Susan Saint Sing. His book Song of the Sparrow: Four Seasons of Prayer will be re-published in Au...

Fr. Murray Bodo, OFM, is a Franciscan priest and an award-winning author of numerous books including his bestselling Francis: The Journey and the Dream , Nourishing Love: A Franciscan Celebration of Mary , and, most recently, God’s Love Song: The Vision of Francis and Clare , which he co-authored with Susan Saint Sing. His book Song of the Sparrow: Four Seasons of Prayer will be re-published in Au...

Rev. Dr. Bruce G. Epperly served as a congregational pastor, university chaplain, professor, and seminary administrator for over forty years. He is the author of more than seventy books including Walking with Francis of Assisi , Simplicity, Spirituality, Service , and his new book Head, Heart, and Hands: An Introduction to Saint Bonaventure . He lives in Potomac, Maryland, with his wife Rev. Dr. K...