I live in Vermont, have two incredible teenage kids, reflect a lot on spiritual matters, write books and articles, and work in book publishing. I love religious people. My book publishing experience includes working for a Lutheran-owned house, a Jewish-owned house, starting a multifaith trade spirituality book imprint, and editing books by everyone from Sufis and Vedantists to evangelical Christians. My personal path has been anything but linear: After 20 years as an evangelical, and 21 years as an involved Episcopalian, in 2009 I became a Roman Catholic. I value and have learned a great deal from every step.
I love the church and want to see it survive, but I’m not interested in doing things to simply prop up falling institutions. I’m drawn to the ancient and medieval. Sometimes the best reform is a return to what was terrific in the past.
I also love going to Jewish services with my fiance and partner, Michal. Davening teaches me new things.
I started this blog because I called myself “almost Catholic”–an evolving Protestant who wanted to be more and more Catholic (both uppercase and lowercase c). Now I am actually a Catholic, which doesn’t mean that where I’ve come from is wrong; it’s just no longer where I am. I feel like I’ll always be “almost.”
I’ve written several books on Francis and Clare of Assisi including Light in the Dark Ages: The Friendship of Francis and Clare of Assisi, a History Book Club and BOMC selection last year, and The St. Francis Prayer Book. I’ve also written books on embodied prayer, the Virgin Mary, and other subjects. My most recent are Almost Catholic: An Appreciation of the History, Practice, and Mystery of Ancient Faith, published by Jossey-Bass, and Cloister Talks: Learning from My Friends the Monks, published by Brazos. And then I’ve re-edited and annotated J.B. Bury’s great biography of St. Patrick, published in paperback by Paraclete Press for St. Patrick’s Day ‘10: Ireland’s Saint: The Essential Biography of Patrick of Ireland.
My next book is coming from Zondervan–a multifaceted appreciation of the King James Bible, due out in early 2011.
I often speak at conferences, retreat centers, and churches. The photo, above, was taken in Assisi in May 2009, and shows me next to an icon of St. Clare outside of San Rufino.
Hi Jon,
Please check our my new book, “St. Francis of Assisi and the Conversion of the Muslims.” Web page is http://www.thepoverello.com
I would like your comments about it. Thanks.
Peace,
Frank Rega
Frank,
I spoke with your publisher; they are sending me a copy. Haven’t seen it, yet, however. Soon! Peace, Jon
Greetings, Jon. My name is Carl McColman and I’m a blogger by night and Catholic bookseller by day. My blog is at http://www.anamchara.com and the store I work for is at http://www.abbeystore.org. We carry your books in our store. “Almost Catholic” sounds like a great title, looking forward to it. Anyway, just wanted to introduce myself and say hello.
Carl
I just read the Lure of the Saints. It is an amazing book. I was raised Baptist, but I feel more connected to Catholism. I have been defending the Catholic church for many years, and your book helped me understand why. My personal saint may be the pilgrim who wrote The Way of the Pilgrim. I am looking forward to reading your other books.
Jon,
Just checking in to see if you’d like me to send you a copy of my book,
Jesus Brand Spirituality: He Wants His Religion Back. Happy to send you one if you can send me your address–seem to have lost your card!
Hope all is well with you and yours….
ken wilson
(from Ann Arbor)
Jon,
How do I begin to thank you for your book?
I have been on the road to Emmaus since I was a young child. The burning sensation that the travelers in the story felt has been getting stronger for me throughout the year and the signs coming more and more frequently that something important was happening to me.
My Dad’s parents were Catholic. He was raised Catholic and as a young adult made a thought-filled decision to leave the Church and faith altogether. Faith was not promoted or sought in my family. On the few occassions that my parents tolerated church, we attended Presbyterian and UCC services that fit more with my Mother’s upbringing. I fought this burning I have felt with everything that I had for the better part of 35 years. (You and I are about the same age.)
Recently, I was in a bookstore looking to replace my childhood King James Bible with something that I could stash away to read secretly at lunch or in the privacy of my hotel room on business trips. Just to explore, you know?
I couldn’t find an appropriate Bible and I turned around and glanced at the shelf behind me. Your book, in bright red, called out to me. “Almost Catholic.” ‘Well, that’s about right,” I thought and laughed out loud. I have always felt strangely comfortable at Mass, even though I had never understood much of what was going on. I have always felt a pull to Catholicism and it was becoming clearer throughout the year that it was more authentic than I cared to admit.
In reading your book, I discovered that I have always been Catholic without knowing it. What struck me was how you seemed to be suggesting that Catholicism is a phenomenological approach to faith. I had studied phenomenology in college in the context of the arts and performance and it had completely changed my view of the world. You can imagine how stunned I was when a quick Google search revealed that a young Polish priest had written a book in 1969 called, “The Acting Person: An Anthropological Contribution to Phenomenology.” The priest’s name? Karol Wojtyla.
The idea that a Catholic Mass is an interactive performance, while a Protestant service is an academic lecture helped explain to me so much of what I have felt all this time. With that understanding I went to Mass recently and found myself enjoying the experience with tears streaming down my face. It was and continues to be intensely physiological. It is life changing. Daily prayer, Bible reading, and Mass are a new part of my life to stay.
I have just arranged to begin RCIA at my local church. I would like so much to share more with you. You have my email address above. It would mean the world to me if you would email me so I could thank you properly.
In peace,
Tom (from Guilderland NY)
Hi, Jon. I read an excerpt from your book “Born Again and Again” and I really resonated with it. I, too, grew up fundamentalist, but the emphasis on sin and merit and atonement in western Christianity never made sense to me. It left me with too many unanswerable questions. I wove my way through all the Protestant denominations and Catholicism until I discovered my home in the ancient and mystical tradition of the Orthodox Church. Anyway, thanks for sharing your faith journey. It is amazing, precious and beautiful.
Hi, Jon,
Your review of Barbara Brown Taylor’s “Leaving Church” really impressed me. It was comprehensive, literate and balanced. It made me want to read the book, especially since I am also a former pastor who has left the church. In fact, I was kicked out of the Presbyterian Church on a charge of heresy. I’m wondering if people ever have the effrontery to ask you to review their own books. I would love to have someone of your insight and background review my book, “A Handbook for Heretics.” In any case, thank you for making other people’s work available to the rest of us in such a readable manner. Sincerely, John W. Sloat
Jon,
It sounds to me like you may want to consider being a member of our SFO (Secular Franciscan Order) or perhaps you already are? You would be natural with you back ground and much more importanly you knowledge and desire to live the Franciscan life, it would see!!!
Peace and all good things,
Michael sfo