Fr. Ron Rolheiser, O.M.I.
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Fr. Ron’s
spiritual journey began with a rural upbringing in Canada.
He attributes his strong spirituality to his Catholic
parents who always went to “great lengths to instill
values” in their children. This reinforcement of
his faith allowed him to begin his spiritual journey towards
the priesthood.
Today, Fr. Ron is not
only an accomplished theologian, teacher, and writer but
he is also serving as the Oblate General Counsillor of Canada.
For years, he has been inspiring
students, priests, seminarians, and anyone else who is
seeking answers to their faith.
Throughout his own
spiritual growth and education, Fr. Ron realized that many
people were seeking answers to their own spirituality. In
one of his many books, The Holy
Longing, Fr. Ron ventures into the
depths of our spirituality. He explains, “All of us have
a holy longing. It is a desire. We’re born
with a divine spark inside us longing for
everything—longing for God. That’s the basis
of spirituality.” Fr. Ron also teaches that
spirituality seems to touch every person in a different way.
“Spirituality is not ‘One size fits all.’
The Gospel speaks differently to every age,”
explains Fr. Ron.
In addition to his
writing, Fr. Ron offers spiritual guidance through special
retreats for those who like to come together to discuss their
faith. He also regularly shares his spirituality with
seminarians during workshops and retreats. He just
recently held one of his many sessions with Oblate novices.
“Novices are at a very crucial stage of their
spirituality. I work a lot to help them understand the
meaning and importance of the vows.”
In one of his many
columns entitled, Reflection on
Vocations, Fr. Ron explains that
before a person can make a commitment to anything in life, one
must first fall in love. He writes, “We need,
again, to have a romantic ideal about the vocations of
priesthood and religious life, otherwise, we can expect still
fewer priests, nuns, and religious brothers in the
future.”
Of course, it is
important for all of us to begin the holy quest of
rediscovering our spirituality. “The center of the
Gospel, the center of spiritual life, is to give yourself away
to find yourself,” he explains. Thanks to the
spiritual support of this special Oblate, Christians all over the
world are selflessly seeking something greater than
themselves—to fall in love with God.
