In their poverty, the mentally handicapped reveal God to us and hold us close to the gospel. God
Ministry is the least important thing. You cannot not minister if you are in communion with God and live in community. God
Henri Nouwen Writer
- Gender: Male
- Citizenship: Netherlands
- Born: Jan 24, 1932
- Died: Sep 21, 1996
Henri Jozef Machiel Nouwen, was a Dutch-born Catholic priest, professor and writer. His interests were rooted primarily in psychology, pastoral ministry, spirituality, social justice and community. Over the course of his life, Nouwen was heavily influenced by the work of Anton Boisen, Thomas Merton, Vincent van Gogh and Jean Vanier.
After nearly two decades of teaching at academic institutions including the University of Notre Dame, Yale Divinity School and Harvard Divinity School, Nouwen went on to work with mentally and physically handicapped people at the L'Arche Daybreak community in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
Before his death Nouwen published 39 books and authored hundreds of articles. His books have sold over 7 million copies worldwide and have been published in more than 30 languages.