Benedict Groeschel
Encyclopedia
Benedict Joseph Groeschel, CFR
(born July 23, 1933) is a Catholic priest
, retreat master, author
, psychologist
, activist and host of the television talk program Sunday Night Prime with Father Benedict Groeschel, which is broadcast on the Eternal Word Television Network
. He has also hosted several serial religious specials in addition to Sunday Night Prime. He is the director of the Office for Spiritual Development for the Catholic Archdiocese of New York as well as associate director of Trinity Retreat and the executive director of The St. Francis House. He is professor of pastoral psychology at St. Joseph's Seminary in New York
and an adjunct professor at the Institute for Psychological Sciences in Arlington, Virginia. He is one of the founders of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
.
, he entered the Detroit province of Capuchin order in 1951. The following year, he was admitted to temporary profession of vows and given the name Benedict Joseph (after Benedict Joseph Labre
). He made his perpetual profession in 1954 and was ordained a priest in 1959. He received a master's degree in counseling from Iona College
in 1964 and a doctorate in psychology (Ed.D.) from Columbia University
in 1971.
based facility for emotionally disturbed children. In 1965, he joined the staff of St. Joseph's Seminary and has taught classes at Fordham University
, Iona College
and Maryknoll Seminary. In 1967, he founded The St. Francis House in Brooklyn, New York, which provides a safe haven for young men looking for a new start in life. The results of his counseling, teaching ability and the manner in which he treated his subjects attracted the attention of many, including Terence Cooke, then Archbishop of New York. In 1974, at the request of Cardinal Cooke, he founded the Trinity Retreat in Larchmont, New York
, which provides spiritual direction and retreats for clergy. In 1984, New York's Cardinal Archbishop John Joseph O'Connor appointed Groeschel to the position of promoter of the cause of canonization of the Servant of God
Terence Cooke.
In 1985, he co-founded with Christopher Bell the Good Counsel Homes for homeless pregnant women and children. In 1987, Groeschel and seven Capuchin colleagues left their order to begin the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
with the mission of preaching reform and serving the poor. Since joining the Institute of Psychological Sciences in 2000, he has taught an annual intensive course focused on how to give practical assistance to people experiencing trauma, extreme stress, and sorrow - while at the same time integrating religious values with counseling and psychotherapy.
Groeschel is Chairman of the St. Francis House and the Good Counsel Homes. He is on the board of Ave Maria University
in Naples, Florida and is a member of the American Psychological Association. Other works of charity that Groeschel is involved with are the Padre Pio Shelter, St. Anthony Residence, St. Francis Youth Center and St. Benedict Joseph Medical Center in Honduras.
Groeschel has also been a highly visible Catholic activist, first in the civil rights movement. He publicly criticizes what he perceives as insulting depictions of the church in popular culture and the media. In September 1998, he led protests outside of an Off-Broadway
theater in New York City
against the production of Terrence McNally
’s play Corpus Christi
. In his 2002 book, From Scandal to Hope, he accused The Boston Globe
, The New York Times
and The San Francisco Chronicle of revealing anti-Catholic prejudice in their respective coverage of the sexual abuse scandal that disrupted the church. “Seldom in the history of journalism have I seen such virulent attacks on any institution that is supposed to receive fair treatment in the press,” he wrote.
In April 2005, he again questioned the anti-Catholic sentiments of the United States media by charging distorted coverage of Joseph Ratzinger, who had become Pope Benedict XVI
. Groeschel noted that the new pope had "been very badly abused by the American media", adding that the pontiff’s World War II
biography was negatively distorted and incorrect reports of his personality were published.
. He received a head injury and broken bones and over a four hour period, had no blood pressure, heartbeat or pulse for about 20 minutes. A few days later the trauma triggered a near-fatal heart attack. While he was recovering from his injuries he collaborated with John Bishop on the book, There Are No Accidents: In All Things Trust in God. He broadcast his first live program on EWTN on October 24, 2004. Although the accident left him with limited use of his right arm and difficulty in walking, he was back preaching and giving retreats by the end of 2004 and has continued to keep a full schedule. As he told the New York Times nearly four years after his accident: “They said I would never live. I lived. They said I would never think. I think. They said I would never walk. I walked. They said I would never dance, but I never danced anyway.”
For a more complete listing go here
Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
The Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal is a mendicant congregation in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church...
(born July 23, 1933) is a Catholic priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
, retreat master, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
, activist and host of the television talk program Sunday Night Prime with Father Benedict Groeschel, which is broadcast on the Eternal Word Television Network
Eternal Word Television Network
The Eternal Word Television Network is an American cable television network which presents Catholic-themed programming. It was founded in 1980 by Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, PCPA...
. He has also hosted several serial religious specials in addition to Sunday Night Prime. He is the director of the Office for Spiritual Development for the Catholic Archdiocese of New York as well as associate director of Trinity Retreat and the executive director of The St. Francis House. He is professor of pastoral psychology at St. Joseph's Seminary in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and an adjunct professor at the Institute for Psychological Sciences in Arlington, Virginia. He is one of the founders of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
The Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal is a mendicant congregation in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church...
.
Early life and education
Born as Robert Peter Groeschel in Jersey City, New JerseyJersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
, he entered the Detroit province of Capuchin order in 1951. The following year, he was admitted to temporary profession of vows and given the name Benedict Joseph (after Benedict Joseph Labre
Benedict Joseph Labre
Saint Benedict Joseph Labré was a French mendicant, Franciscan tertiary and Roman Catholic saint.-Life:He was born in Amettes, near Arras in the north of France, the eldest of fifteen children of a prosperous shopkeeper, and was religious from a very early age. He was noted for performing public...
). He made his perpetual profession in 1954 and was ordained a priest in 1959. He received a master's degree in counseling from Iona College
Iona College
Iona College may refer to:* Iona College , New Rochelle, New York, USA* Iona College , Australia* Iona College , Hawkes Bay, New Zealand* Iona Presentation College, Perth, Western Australia...
in 1964 and a doctorate in psychology (Ed.D.) from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1971.
Career
In 1960, Groeschel became the chaplain for the Children’s Village, a Dobbs Ferry, New YorkDobbs Ferry, New York
Dobbs Ferry is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 10,875 at the 2010 census.The Village of Dobbs Ferry is located in, and is a part of, the town of Greenburgh...
based facility for emotionally disturbed children. In 1965, he joined the staff of St. Joseph's Seminary and has taught classes at Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
, Iona College
Iona College
Iona College may refer to:* Iona College , New Rochelle, New York, USA* Iona College , Australia* Iona College , Hawkes Bay, New Zealand* Iona Presentation College, Perth, Western Australia...
and Maryknoll Seminary. In 1967, he founded The St. Francis House in Brooklyn, New York, which provides a safe haven for young men looking for a new start in life. The results of his counseling, teaching ability and the manner in which he treated his subjects attracted the attention of many, including Terence Cooke, then Archbishop of New York. In 1974, at the request of Cardinal Cooke, he founded the Trinity Retreat in Larchmont, New York
Larchmont, New York
Larchmont is a village in Westchester County, New York. The population was 5,864 at the 2010 census. It is located within the town of Mamaroneck, on the shore of Long Island Sound, northeast of Midtown Manhattan...
, which provides spiritual direction and retreats for clergy. In 1984, New York's Cardinal Archbishop John Joseph O'Connor appointed Groeschel to the position of promoter of the cause of canonization of the Servant of God
Servant of God
Servant of God is a title given to individuals by various religions, but in general the phrase is used to describe a person believed to be pious in his or her faith tradition. In the Catholic Church, it designates someone who is being investigated by the Church for possibly being recognized as a...
Terence Cooke.
In 1985, he co-founded with Christopher Bell the Good Counsel Homes for homeless pregnant women and children. In 1987, Groeschel and seven Capuchin colleagues left their order to begin the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
The Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal is a mendicant congregation in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church...
with the mission of preaching reform and serving the poor. Since joining the Institute of Psychological Sciences in 2000, he has taught an annual intensive course focused on how to give practical assistance to people experiencing trauma, extreme stress, and sorrow - while at the same time integrating religious values with counseling and psychotherapy.
Groeschel is Chairman of the St. Francis House and the Good Counsel Homes. He is on the board of Ave Maria University
Ave Maria University
Ave Maria University or AMU is a private Catholic university in southwest Florida, United States, founded in 2003. The university moved to its permanent campus, situated in the planned town of Ave Maria, east of Naples, Florida, in August 2007...
in Naples, Florida and is a member of the American Psychological Association. Other works of charity that Groeschel is involved with are the Padre Pio Shelter, St. Anthony Residence, St. Francis Youth Center and St. Benedict Joseph Medical Center in Honduras.
Author and activist
Groeschel has received wide public attention through his preaching engagements, writing and television appearances. He is the author of over 30 books and has recorded more than 100 audio and video series. He publishes articles in several Catholic magazines on a monthly basis and posts a weekly meditation on the Oratory of Divine Love website. His most recent books include The Tears of God (2008), Questions and Answers About Your Journey to God (2007), The Virtue Driven Life (2006), Why Do We Believe? (2005) and There Are No Accidents: In All Things Trust in God (2004). His weekly television program, Sunday Night Live with Father Benedict Groeschel, offers a mix of interviews, answering viewer questions and discussing spiritual and social matters relating to the Catholic faith.Groeschel has also been a highly visible Catholic activist, first in the civil rights movement. He publicly criticizes what he perceives as insulting depictions of the church in popular culture and the media. In September 1998, he led protests outside of an Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
theater in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
against the production of Terrence McNally
Terrence McNally
Terrence McNally is an American playwright who has received four Tony Awards, an Emmy, two Guggenheim Fellowships, a Rockefeller Grant, the Lucille Lortel Award, the Hull-Warriner Award, and a citation from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He has been a member of the Council of the...
’s play Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi (play)
Corpus Christi is a passion play by Terrence McNally dramatizing the story of Jesus and the Apostles. Written in 1997 and first staged in New York in 1998, it depicts Jesus and the Apostles as gay men living in modern-day Texas. It utilizes modern devices like television with anachronisms like...
. In his 2002 book, From Scandal to Hope, he accused The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and The San Francisco Chronicle of revealing anti-Catholic prejudice in their respective coverage of the sexual abuse scandal that disrupted the church. “Seldom in the history of journalism have I seen such virulent attacks on any institution that is supposed to receive fair treatment in the press,” he wrote.
In April 2005, he again questioned the anti-Catholic sentiments of the United States media by charging distorted coverage of Joseph Ratzinger, who had become Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
. Groeschel noted that the new pope had "been very badly abused by the American media", adding that the pontiff’s World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
biography was negatively distorted and incorrect reports of his personality were published.
Near-fatal accident
On January 11, 2004, Groeschel was struck by an automobile while crossing a street in Orlando, FloridaOrlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. He received a head injury and broken bones and over a four hour period, had no blood pressure, heartbeat or pulse for about 20 minutes. A few days later the trauma triggered a near-fatal heart attack. While he was recovering from his injuries he collaborated with John Bishop on the book, There Are No Accidents: In All Things Trust in God. He broadcast his first live program on EWTN on October 24, 2004. Although the accident left him with limited use of his right arm and difficulty in walking, he was back preaching and giving retreats by the end of 2004 and has continued to keep a full schedule. As he told the New York Times nearly four years after his accident: “They said I would never live. I lived. They said I would never think. I think. They said I would never walk. I walked. They said I would never dance, but I never danced anyway.”
Books
- The Reform of Renewal, Ignatius Press, 1990. ISBN 978-0898-70286-6
- Still Small Voice: A Practical Guide on Reported Revelations, Ignatius Press, 1993. ISBN 978-0898-70436-5
- Arise From Darkness: What to Do When Life Doesn't Make Sense, Ignatius Press, 1995. ISBN 978-0898-70525-6
- Rosary: The Chain of Hope, Ignatius Press, 2003. ISBN 978-0898-70983-4
- Praying To Our Lord Jesus Christ: Prayers and Meditations Through the Centuries, Ignatius Press, 2004. ISBN 978-1586-17041-7
- A Drama of Reform, Ignatius Press, 2005. ISBN 978-1586-17114-8
- I am with You Always, Ignatius Press, 2010. ISBN 978-1586-17257-2
For a more complete listing go here