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 Heffron, and its executive editor, Susan Hines-Brigger. Barkley joins Off the Page to discuss her January 2025 cover story, "Dead Man Walking at 30," and March 2025 feature, "The Nuns Are OK." If you are curious what the Catholic Church teaches on capital punishment, see the new revision of 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.Please consider donating to help us create more content like this. With an 800-year legacy steeped in the values of Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi, your Franciscan Media community embraces its mission of spreading the message of love, compassion, and understanding through books, St. Anthony Messenger magazine, Franciscan Media’s website, online events, videos, and daily emails like Saint of the Day. Click here to subscribe to the St. Anthony Messenger.(00:00:01) Introduction(00:04:05) Buffy's Background(00:10:11) Buffy's Love for Teaching and Feature Writing(00:15:00) Who is Sr. Helen Prejean?(00:19:08) Dead Man Walking at 30(00:23:48) The Nuances of Capital Punishment(00:38:22) The Nuns are OK(00:44:53) Exploring the Decline of Religious Life(00:47:45) Road to Renewal: Contemplative Dialogue(00:52:47) Interviewing and Covering the Sisters of Charity(00:55:57) Conclusion

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 of those books were published by Franciscan Media and are available in our store: God is Not Fair and Other Reasons for Gratitude, Dating God, and The Last Words of Jesus.Please consider donating (https://www.franciscanmedia.org/donate/) to help us create more content like this. With an 800-year legacy steeped in the values of Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi, your Franciscan Media community embraces its mission of spreading the message of love, compassion, and understanding through books, St. Anthony Messenger magazine, Franciscan Media’s website, online events, videos, and daily emails like Saint of the Day.(00:00:01) Introduction(00:03:52) Leaving Religious Life(00:10:29) Understanding the Transitus(00:14:59) Listening to God in Transition, Liminality, and Change(00:23:06) Discernment: Getting Beneath the Layers(00:31:32) Learning to See Ourselves How God Sees Us(00:35:09) God Is Not Fair(00:41:07) The Challenge in Accepting God's Love(00:50:55) Reflections on the Last Decade and the True Self(00:55:41) Conclusion

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 university professor for a number of years. He is also a psychotherapist influenced mainly by Carl Jung and James Hillman. In his work he brings together spirituality, mythology, depth psychology and the arts, emphasizing the importance of images and imagination. Please consider donating to help us create more content like this. With an 800-year legacy steeped in the values of Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi, your Franciscan Media community embraces its mission of spreading the message of love, compassion, and understanding through books, St. Anthony Messenger magazine, Franciscan Media’s website, online events, videos, and daily emails like Saint of the Day. (00:00:01) Introduction (00:04:26) Writing 'The Soul of Christmas' (00:07:17) The Christmas Tree (00:15:35) What Do We Mean by 'Mystic' or 'Magic'? (00:19:22) Gift Giving: The Heart of Christmas (00:24:01) Light in the Darkness (00:30:02) Lessons from Psychotherapy for Christmas (00:34:30) Universality of Christmas (00:39:01) Incarnation: The Transcendent and the Ordinary(00:44:14) Christmases of our Youth (00:48:53) A Lived Theology at Christmas (00:50:29) Christmas: Lessons on Peace (00:52:42) Santa Claus: The Holy One (00:58:30) Body, Soul, Spirit (00:59:28) Angels and Messengers (01:04:51) Embracing the Transcendent in Everyday Life (01:07:47) A Mystical Christmas (01:10:13) Conclusion

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 Pamela Wood. The expanded edition of "Care for Creation," released on December 10, 2024, includes extensive front and back matter which delve into Pope Francis’s 2015 encyclical "Laudato Si’: On Care for our Common Home." You can order the expanded edition of "Care for Creation" by visiting shop.franciscanmedia.org.Please consider donating (https://www.franciscanmedia.org/donate/) to help us create more content like this. With an 800-year legacy steeped in the values of Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi, your Franciscan Media community embraces its mission of spreading the message of love, compassion, and understanding through books, St. Anthony Messenger magazine, Franciscan Media’s website, online events, videos, and daily emails like Saint of the Day.(00:00:01) Introduction(00:03:24) Personal Journey Into Eco-Spirituality(00:11:31) Hippie Jesus Freaks(00:13:53) Personal Journey Into Franciscan Spirituality(00:15:35) On Being Immersed in the Woods(00:19:27) Writing Care for Creation(00:24:02) Personal Impact of Laudato Si’(00:30:28) The Heaviness of the Call(00:34:38) Beneath the Apathy: A Spiritual Crisis(00:38:17) Canticle of the Creatures and Franciscan Relationality(00:45:05) Contemplative Living, Activism, and Sadness(00:49:28) The Expanded Edition of Care for Creation(00:53:34) Next Steps for Ecological Conversion(00:55:33) Conclusion

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, and she resides in Stuart, Florida. Visit the Franciscan Media Store to experience Susan's work. Please consider donating to help us create more content like this. With an 800-year legacy steeped in the values of Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi, your Franciscan Media community embraces its mission of spreading the message of love, compassion, and understanding through books, St. Anthony Messenger magazine, Franciscan Media’s website, online events, videos, and daily emails like Saint of the Day.(00:00:01) Introduction(00:03:20) Childhood and Upbringing(00:09:39) Listening to the Muse(00:18:21) Insomnia(00:23:19) Rock Bottom(00:34:13) Seeking Answers(00:38:00) Going to Assisi with $100(00:51:58) Finding Francis(00:55:49) Openness in Aloneness(00:59:48) When We Feel Alone(01:02:40) All Oneness and Aloneness(01:06:34) Fr. Murray Bodo(01:10:37) Conclusion

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 this episode, available on the Franciscan School of Theology’s YouTube channel.Interested in learning more about Franciscan spirituality? Explore our St. Francis collection in our online store. There you’ll find several wonderful Franciscan classics by authors like Ilia Delio, Murray Bodo, and Richard Rohr and a number of other resources exploring St. Francis’s life, legacy, and spirituality. Please consider donating (https://www.franciscanmedia.org/donate/) to help us create more content like this. With an 800-year legacy steeped in the values of Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi, your Franciscan Media community embraces its mission of spreading the message of love, compassion, and understanding through books, St. Anthony Messenger magazine, Franciscan Media’s website, online events, videos, and daily emails like Saint of the Day.(00:00:01) Introduction(00:02:29) Personal Journey to the Friars(00:10:31) Feast Day of St. Francis(00:13:08) Hidden Gems in Franciscanism(00:17:13) Goodness, Blessedness, Orderliness(00:21:30) Positive Anthropology in the Bible(00:26:58) Renewal in a Franciscan Key(00:36:06) Abundance: A Pathway to Renewal(00:39:55) Finding Abundance on the Margins(00:43:57) Academia’s Role in Renewal(00:50:31) The Franciscan Emphasis on Lived Experience(00:53:22) Gospel Living as Francis Followed Christ(00:59:39) Conclusion

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 Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope for, and Believe," and "The Wisdom Pattern: Order, Disorder, Reorder." The Center publishes Richard’s Daily Meditations, free reflections emailed to hundreds of thousands around the world.Consider donating (https://www.franciscanmedia.org/donate/) to help us create more content like this. With an 800-year legacy steeped in the values of Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi, your Franciscan Media community embraces its mission of spreading the message of love, compassion, and understanding through books, St. Anthony Messenger magazine, Franciscan Media’s website, online events, videos, and daily emails like Saint of the Day.(00:00:01) Introduction(00:02:37) 10-year Anniversary of Eager to Love(00:04:41) Why the Title?(00:07:01) Sweetness and Alternative Orthodoxy(00:10:40) Holy Foolery(00:13:20) Creation: the First Book(00:18:15) Animals: Ensouled Beings(00:20:50) 800-year Anniversary of Francis’s "Canticle of the Creatures"(00:24:28) Francis: A Natural Spiritual Genius(00:32:53) Franciscanism’s Inclusion of the Negative(00:36:13) Edge of the Inside(00:38:05) Order, Disorder, Reorder (Third Way Thinking)(00:44:18) Francis’s Humble Way(00:47:28) Divine Perfection is the Inclusion of Imperfection(00:49:13) Cancer, Frailty, and the Humble God(00:52:41) Legacy, Francis, and Thérèse of Lisieux(00:56:59) Benediction(00:59:07) Conclusion

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, Janet, their sons, and grandkids. His book The Church's Best-Kept Secret: A Primer on Catholic Social Teaching was published in September 2020 by New City Press. Learn more at MarkPShea.com. Subscribe to the St. Anthony Messenger by visiting https://www.franciscanmedia.org/st-anthony-messenger-subscribe/.Consider donating (https://www.franciscanmedia.org/donate/) to help us create more podcasts like this. With an 800-year legacy steeped in the values of Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi, your Franciscan Media community embraces its mission of spreading the message of love, compassion, and understanding through books, St. Anthony Messenger magazine, Franciscan Media’s website, online events, videos, and daily emails like Saint of the Day.(00:00:01) Introduction(00:01:56) What is Christian nationalism? (00:12:28) Christian nationalism's psychological appeal(00:20:17) Patriotism vs. nationalism (00:27:11) Who is my neighbor? (00:37:52) God's radical humility (00:44:28) Manichaeism and Scapegoating(00:51:56) 'It's right there in the label: Catholic'(01:01:32) Each person's invitation(01:02:36) Conclusion

Ilia Delio, a Franciscan sister and renowned theologian, explores the intersection of science and faith. She discusses the timeless relevance of her book, "Humility of God," addressing contemporary issues of spiritual misplacement. Delio highlights the Franciscan notion of a self-diffusive God, emphasizing divine goodness and love as fundamental. She connects historical figures like Bonaventure and Teilhard with modern challenges, advocating for a Franciscan approach to prayer that focuses on reordering desire and embracing the beauty of creation.

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 August 2024 as we near the book’s 50th anniversary. It will feature a new introduction and several new poems, one of which he reads during this two-part interview. All these books can be purchased in the Franciscan Media store: shop.franciscanmedia.org. Fr. Murray is also founding staff member of Franciscan Pilgrimage Programs, where he led yearly pilgrimages to Assisi, Italy, for over 40 years before retiring in 2020. He has had poems, stories, and articles published in magazines and literary journals in the United States, England, and Ireland. Fr. Murray resides in the inner city Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, where he continues to write and minister.Consider donating (https://www.franciscanmedia.org/donate/) to help us create more content like this. With an 800-year legacy steeped in the values of Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi, your Franciscan Media community embraces its mission of spreading the message of love, compassion, and understanding through books, St. Anthony Messenger magazine, Franciscan Media’s website, online events, videos, and daily emails like Saint of the Day.(00:01:16) The Poet’s Heart(00:08:10) Green Sparrow in the Bougainvillea(00:13:18) Paying Attention as Stories Arise(00:24:38) Prayerful Creativity(00:40:15) Praying with the Dalai Lama(00:49:41) Petting Sally(01:00:03) Conclusion