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This is the first book in English on priesthood in religious life to be published in twenty years. Its fourteen contributors search for new ways forward in the understanding of the distinct identity and ministry of religious men—committed to community, the prophetic lifestyle of vows or promises, and the particular charisms of their congregations—who have also answered the call to priesthood. Essays in this collection include reflections from a bishop, from the perspective of a lay theologian, from an expert in the social sciences, and on Pope Francis’s teachings on priesthood. Included as well are essays that are rooted in particular cultural traditions, in spirituality, and in canon law.
Stephen Bevans is a member of the missionary congregation of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) and professor of mission and culture, emeritus, at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago. He publishes, teaches, and lectures regularly, both nationally and internationally, about priesthood, religious life, and priesthood in religious life. Author, co-author, editor, and co-editor of seventeen books, he is a member of the World Council of Churches’ Commission on World Mission and Evangelism.
Robin Ryan is a Passionist priest who serves as associate professor of systematic theology at Catholic Theological Union. He teaches and writes in the areas of ecclesiology, Christology, and the theology of suffering. He is the author of God and the Mystery of Human Suffering: A Theological Conversation Across the Ages and Jesus and Salvation: Soundings in the Christian Tradition and Contemporary Theology. He also edited and contributed to the book Catholics on Call: Discerning a Life of Service in the Church.
