Joan Chittister

Award-winning author and columnist

"On Faith" panelist Joan Chittister is a Benedictine Sister, former prioress, international lecturer, and award-winning author of 35 books. Her weekly web column, "From Where I Stand," which she writes for the National Catholic Reporter newspaper, has a regular readership of more than 10,000. Chittister, who was prioress of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie for 12 years, also served as president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, an organization of the leaders of the 65,000 Catholic religious women in this country. She is co-chair of the Global Peace Initiative of Women, a UN partnership organization that seeks to facilitate a worldwide network of peace-builders, particularly in the Middle East. Chittister holds a master's degree from the University of Notre Dame and a doctorate in communications from Penn State University. She is the founder and executive director of Benetvision, a resource and research center for contemporary spirituality located in Erie. Her most recent books include The Ten Commandments: Laws of the Heart (2006); The Tent of Abraham: Stories of Hope and Peace for Christians, Muslims and Jews, coauthored with Rabbi Arthur Waskow and Neil Douglas-Klotz (2006); Called to Question: A Spiritual Memoir (2004) and In Search of Belief (2006). Close.