Instead of the clergy being those who are seeking a career or class position, he wanted to aim us in the exact opposite direction. You are a Franciscan friar-Can you explain what that means?įrancis of Assisi lived in the 13th century and his big attempt to reform the church at that point was for us to get more identified with the poor. We sat down with Rohr to learn about the vision of prayer that is creating all this buzz. He’s popular in some circles and controversial in others (on a spectrum from left to right, Rohr happily sits on the far left). And since the 1970s, he’s written and taught about prayer and mystic spirituality. Rohr is a man of deep tradition-he’s a friar within the Franciscan tradition of the Roman Catholic Church. He’s a widely read author and an increasingly popular conference speaker.

Today, he trains people from all kinds of backgrounds and traditions-Rohr explains that of these students “a third of them are evangelical, a third are mainline Protestant, several are unbelievers and the rest are Catholic”-in his unique brand of spirituality and prayer. Some 30 years ago, Rohr founded the Center for Action and Contemplation. Rohr’s influence is wide already, and it’s expanding.

You’re just as likely to see a faith leader or celebrity talking about him. Scroll through Twitter or Instagram feeds, and odds are you’ll see Christians of the millennial variety posting quotes from or about Richard Rohr.

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