GROESCHEL, Benedict J(oseph) 1933-

PERSONAL: Born July 23, 1933, in Jersey City, NJ; son of Edward Joseph (a civil engineer) and Marjulea (a homemaker; maiden name, Smith) Groeschel. Education: Capuchin Theological Seminary, B.A., 1955; Iona Pastoral Counselors Institute, M.S., 1965; Columbia University, Ed.D., 1972.

ADDRESSES: Home and office—Trinity Retreat, 1 Pryer Manor Rd., Larchmont, NY 10538.

CAREER: Entered Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (Capuchin Franciscan Friars), 1951; ordained Roman Catholic priest, 1959; Children's Village, Dobbs Ferry, NY, chaplain, 1960–73; Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, New York, NY, director of spiritual development, 1974–. Associate professor at Iona Pastoral Counselors Institute, beginning 1971, St. Joseph's Seminary, Dunwoodie, NY, beginning 1973, and Maryknoll School of Theology, beginning 1973; St. Francis House for Homeless Boys, Brooklyn, NY, director. Postulator of Cause of Beatification of Terence Cardinal Cooke; Superior of Franciscan Friars of the Renewal.

MEMBER: American Psychological Association, National Chaplains Association for Youth Rehabilitation (former president), National Association of Catholic Chaplains.

WRITINGS:

God and Us, St. Paul Editions (Boston, MA), 1981.

St. Catherine of Genoa, Paulist Press (New York, NY), 1981.

Spiritual Passages: The Psychology of Spiritual Development, Crossroad/Continuum (New York, NY), 1983.

Listening at Prayer, Paulist Press (New York, NY), 1984.

Courage to Be Chaste, Paulist Press (New York, NY), 1985.

Stumbling Blocks and Stepping Stones: Spiritual Answers to Psychological Questions, Paulist Press (New York, NY), 1987.

Reform of Renewal, Ignatius Press (San Francisco, CA), 1990.

(With Terrence L. Weber) Thy Will Be Done: A Spiritual Portrait of Terence Cardinal Cooke (biography), Alba House (Staten Island, NY), 1990.

A Still Small Voice, Alba House (Staten Island, NY), 1992.

Healing the Original Wound: Reflections on the Full Meaning of Salvation, Servant Publications (Ann Arbor, MI), 1993.

Heaven in Our Hands: Receiving the Blessings We Long For, Charis Books (Ann Arbor, MI), 1994.

Augustine: Major Writings, Crossroad (New York, NY), 1995.

Arise from Darkness: When Life Doesn't Make Sense, Ignatius Press (San Francisco, CA), 1995.

(With James Monti) In the Presence of Our Lord: The History, Theology, and Psychology of Eucharistic Devotion, Our Sunday Visitor (Huntington, IN), 1997.

A Priest Forever: The Life of Father Eugene Hamilton, Our Sunday Visitor (Huntington, IN), 1998.

Praying in the Presence of Our Lord: Prayers for Eucharistic Adoration, Our Sunday Visitor (Huntington, IN), 1999.

Quiet Moments with Benedict Groeschel: 120 Daily Readings, Charis Books (Ann Arbor, MI), 2000.

(With Kevin Perrotta) The Journey toward God: In the Footsteps of the Great Spiritual Writers—Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox, Charis Books (Ann Arbor, MI), 2000.

Praying to Christ in East and West (sound recording), Alba House Cassettes (Canfield, OH), 2001.

The Cross at Ground Zero, Our Sunday Visitor (Huntington, IN), 2001.

Behold, He Comes: Meditations on the Incarnation, Charis Books (Ann Arbor, MI), 2001.

Send Forth Your Spirit (sound recording), Alba House Cassettes (Canfield, OH), 2002.

From Scandal to Hope, Our Sunday Visitor (Huntington, IN), 2002.

The King, Crucified and Risen: Meditations on the Passion and Glory of Christ, Charis Books (Ann Arbor, MI), 2002.

The Rosary: Chain of Hope, Ignatius Press (San Francisco, CA), 2003.

SIDELIGHTS: Benedict J. Groeschel is a Franciscan friar who has written numerous books on spiritual topics for lay audiences. For example, his Augustine: Major Writings introduces general readers to the important religious thinker St. Augustine. Written with "humility and humor," according to Booklist reviewer Steve Schroeder, the book combines selections of St. Augustine's writings with Groeschel's easily accessible explanations in what Schroeder concluded to be a "charming little introduction."

Groeschel has also published collections of his own spiritual meditations, such as Behold, He Comes: Meditations on the Incarnation and The King, Crucified and Risen: Meditations on the Passion and the Glory of Christ, and has used his training in psychology to provide comforting words that combine modern psychology and traditional spirituality in his Stumbling Blocks and Stepping Stones: Spiritual Answers to Psychological Questions.

One of Groeschel's most inspiring books, according to critics, is his 1998 biography A Priest Forever: The Life of Father Eugene Hamilton. Hamilton was a young man whose life exemplified his devotion to Christ, the Church, and the priesthood, and his early death at the age of twenty-four from cancer provided an example to many modern-day priests of just what it means to wear the collar. Raymond J. De Souza, writing in Catholic Insight described A Priest Forever as a "must-read," adding that the book "must be given to every seminarian and every young man who may have a priestly vocation." Although the reviewer was disappointed that, at the book's conclusion, the author spends time attacking "by name those who have put forth a purely functional understanding of the priesthood," De Souza concluded that "Groeschel has done a great service in making [Hamilton's] story known, providing seminarians and others with a great model of serene perseverance in preparation for the priesthood."

Groeschel once told CA: "My principal interest is relating contemporary psychological theory and research to religious experience and spiritual growth. I am also deeply involved in social concerns as the director of a small agency for homeless boys. I usually spend my summer vacation overseas, teaching foreign missionaries, and I have done this on every continent. Another interest is ecumenical relations of various religious denominations, particularly Catholic-Jewish relations." He more recently added, "I presently spend half of my time in the South Bronx where our community works with the homeless and destitute."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

America, August 6, 1983, Charles J. Healey, review of Spiritual Passages: The Psychology of Spiritual Development, p. 77.

Booklist, July, 1995, Steve Schroeder, review of Augustine: Major Writings, p. 1838.

Catholic Insight, December, 1998, Raymond J. De Souza, review of A Priest Forever: The Life of Father Eugene Hamilton, p. 29.

Christianity Today, November 22, 1985, review of Courage to Be Chaste, p. 14.

Commonweal, April 6, 1984, William James O'Brien, review of Spiritual Passages, p. 221.

Library Journal, August, 1985, review of Courage to Be Chaste, p. 104; November 1, 1987, Elise Chase, review of Stumbling Blocks or Stepping Stones: Spiritual Answers to Psychological Questions, p. 116.

New Catholic World, May-June, 1984, Morton Kelsey, review of Spiritual Passages, p. 141.

New York Times, November 25, 1994, David Gonzalez, "In the Weary, the Divine: As He Fights Hunger, a Friar Spreads Hope," p. B1.

Publishers Weekly, March 3, 2003, review of The King, Crucified and Risen: Meditations on the Passion and Glory of Christ, p. 73.

U.S. Catholic, May, 1991, "Are You Ready to Accept the Gifts of the Holy Spirit?," p. 6.