Impressively Free

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 Higgins, Kevin Burns