Benedict Groeschel
American Franciscan friar, priest, founder (1933–2014)
Benedict Joseph Groeschel, C.F.R. (July 23, 1933 – October 3, 2014) was an American Franciscan friar, Catholic priest, retreat master, author, psychologist, activist, and television host. He hosted the television talk program Sunday Night Prime (originally Sunday Night Live) on the Eternal Word Television Network, as well as several serial religious specials.
Originally a Capuchin friar, Groeschel cofounded the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (or CFRs), intended as a reform branch for the Capuchin charism stressing a renewed emphasis on poverty, service to the poor, Eucharistic and Marian devotion, and fidelity to Catholic doctrine. Groeschel served as lifelong Chairman of the Good Counsel homes for homeless pregnant women and their babies, which he described as a "work of God," cofounding these with Christopher Bell. This maternity home system offered an "open intake" model, i.e. one which turns no woman away for any reason whatever. Groeschel founded the Office for Spiritual Development of the Archdiocese of New York, as well as acting as Archdiocesan liaison for St. Teresa of Calcutta's Missionaries of Charity during Mother Teresa's lifetime. At the invitation of New York's Cardinal Terence Cooke, Groeschel acted as Associate Director of the Trinity Retreat House for clergy and executive director of St. Francis House.
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This entry incorporates text from “Benedict Groeschel” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.