Some twenty years now since his death, it is instructive to see Henri Nouwen as a post-conciliar prophet of a reformed presbyteral model: Nouwen, in other words, as an exemplar of a priesthood that is contemporary, non-clerical, enabling, and effective—a ministerial priesthood in keeping with the ecclesial vision of Pope Francis. The authors explore the genesis and evolution of Nouwen’s multi-layered understanding of priestly ministry, and in the process have discovered how this most self-revealing of twentieth century spiritual writers created a redeeming notion of priesthood that could serve as a creative and hopeful trajectory for reform and revitalization in a time of identity turmoil.

MICHAEL W. HIGGINS is Basilian Senior Fellow in Contemporary Catholic Thought, St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto, and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Catholic Thought, Sacred Heart University, Connecticut. He writes on Vatican affairs for the Globe and Mail, served as chief consultant of Sir Peter Ustinov’s Inside the Vatican television series, and was co-author of the best-selling Power and Peril: The Catholic Church at the Crossroads. He lives in Guelph, Ontario.

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Kevin Burns is the freelance producer of the forthcoming CBC Ideas radio series Genius Born of Anguish: The Life and Legacy of Henri Nouwen.

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A must read for all Catholics searching for a new model of leadership for the 21st century