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.

Dr. Michael Higgins is a renowned Thomas Merton scholar and a regular media commentator on the Roman Catholic Church. He is the author or co-author of numerous books including Heretic Blood: The Spiritual Geography of Thomas Merton, The Jesuit Mystique, and My Father's Business: A Biography of His Eminence G. Emmett Cardinal Carter. Dr. Higgins is a professor of English and Religious Studies and has been President and Vice-Chancellor of St. Jerome's University in Waterloo, Ontario, since 1999.

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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