Father Richard Rohr brings insights to Aquinas Lecture

Fr. Rohr

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Franciscan Father Richard Rohr, writer, teacher, spiritual director, and lecturer will bring his unique approach to spirituality to St. Catherine of Siena Newman Center's Aquinas Lecture Feb. 12 at 2 p.m. in the Judge Memorial Catholic High School Auditorium. He will also speak Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. at St. Catherine's Newman Center. The Aquinas Lecture will be followed by a book sale and signing. photo courtesy of Fr. Rohr

SALT LAKE CITY — "Catholics have something valuable to share with others in the world around us," Franciscan Father Richard Rohr said. "We have the incarnation; everything in God. It is redemption, it is concrete, and we meet it every day."

In a Jan 25 telephone interview with the Intermountain Catholic from his Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, N.M., Fr. Rohr said the Catholic experience of the incarnation, God made flesh, not just in the seven sacraments, but in "our daily sacraments" is one of the reasons why Catholics have such a deep appreciation for fine music and art in the liturgy.

Fr. Rohr will present St. Catherine of Siena Newman Center’s annual Aquinas lecture, titled "Journey to Discover What Really Matters," Feb. 12 at 2 p.m. in the Judge Memorial Catholic High School Auditorium, 650 South 1100 East, Salt Lake City. He will also present a talk titled "Spirituality for Men and Women – Today’s Challenges," the evening before at 7 p.m. at the Newman Center, 170 University Street. Both events are free, but tickets are required.

Fr. Rohr was the founder of the New Jerusalem Community in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1971, and the Center for Action and Contemplation in 1986, where he presently serves as founding director.

Fr. Rohr was born in 1943 in Kansas. He entered the Franciscans in 1961 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1970. He received his Master’s Degree in theology from Dayton that same year. He now lives in a hermitage behind his Franciscan community in Albuquerque, and divides his time between local work and preaching and teaching on all continents. He considers the proclamation of the Gospel to be his primary call, and uses many different platforms to communicate that message. Scripture as liberation, the integration of action and contemplation, community building, peace and justice issues, male spirituality, the Enneagram, and eco-spirituality are themes he addresses in service of the Gospel.

He is probably best known for his numerous audio and video tapes, and through the Center’s newsletter, Radical Grace. He is a regular contributing editor/writer for Sojourners magazine and recently published a seven-part Lenten Series for the National Catholic Reporter. His best known books are "Simplicity," "The Wild Man’s Journey," "Quest for the Grail," "Everything Belongs," "Hope Against Darkness," "The Enneagram, A Christian Perspective," and "Job and the Mystery of Suffering." His best selling tapes are the tape overview called "The NEW Great Themes of Scripture."

His latest books are "Adam’s Return: The Five Promises of Male Initiation" from Crossroad Publishing, and a second edition of "Wild Man’s Journey," revised and updated.

His recent emphasis on male spirituality came out of his belief that men’s and women’s spirituality are different because "men and women pay attention to different things," he said. "The symbols and rituals that attract men are not the same as those that attract women. And while the hierarchy of the Catholic Church is made of men, it is women who hold the church together."

Effective and powerful spirituality "has the wisdom to hold its own ground and center," he said.

Fr. Rohr said one of the challenges Catholics face in the secular world is also one of our strengths – our "in-house language. The language we use in the Catholic sub-text appeals very well to natural law. It isn’t difficult for us to make ourselves understood."

The religious right, on the other hand, uses a very rigid language that some find threatening. "They’ve kind of painted themselves into a corner."

The Catholic style and tradition, he said, has always been about building community and social action. Preaching is not the primary Catholic style – action is.

"So, our spiritual journey involves the mystery of the incarnation; God present in the world. We don’t preach it so much as we teach it through our actions. If you’re raised Catholic it has a direct impact on whatever direction that takes you. It’s unity with Christ.

Aware of the fact that the Diocese of Salt Lake City is losing a well-loved bishop, Archbishop-designate George Niederauer, Fr. Rohr said, "the fact that you’ve all been able to bond, and that you’ve had the power to bond and to care for him and him for you is incarnational. His love and your love for him has created a deeper church. You now all move into the future from a more grounded position; a strong base."

Fr. Rohr is no stranger to Utah, although it’s been two decades since he’s visited here.

"I gave a retreat at the Trappist Monastery in Huntsville years ago.

"It’s been my experience that when you have a situation of a minority church, and I’ve seen this in Catholic communities in the south, you often have parishes, schools, and communities that are more alive because minority churches have to keep choosing to be Catholic, sometimes every day. Others who have not had to make that constant choice sometimes become very comfortable, even complacent about their faith."

Fr. Rohr said his is both hopeful and honored to be invited to present the annual Aquinas Lecture.

"I am always happy to work with the Dominicans," he said. "The Dominicans in Salt Lake City have invited me a number of times, but I have not been able to come, so I’m very pleased this is working out. I’m looking forward to it."

For further information about Fr. Rohr’s presentations, call 801-359-6066.