Nicholas ellsberg
- Daniel ellsberg
- Robert Ellsberg is an American religious publisher and author who is the editor-in-chief and publisher of Orbis Books, the publishing arm of Maryknoll.
- Robert is the son of Carol Cummings, the daughter of a Marine Corps Brigadier General, and the American military analyst and whistleblower, Daniel Ellsberg.
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Monthly Newspaper • DIOCESE OF BRIDGEPORT
By Joe Pisani
WESTPORT—For more than 25 years, Robert Ellsberg has been writing about saints — formally canonized saints like St. Francis of Assisi and others who lived a life of sacrifice in the pursuit of social justice like Martin Luther King Jr. and Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Ellsberg, whose self-described occupation is “saint watcher,” recently gave a talk at St. Luke Parish in Westport titled, “Walking the Path of Holiness: What I have learned from a lifetime of studying the saints.” The author of seven books about saints, he is the Editor-in-chief and Publisher of Orbis Books.
“My own spiritual journey goes back to my work with Dorothy Day, which culminated in my becoming a Catholic,” he said during a recent phone interview. “She felt that saints were really our friends and companions, that they were real human beings we shouldn’t put on a pedestal or think of as super-human. They were also reminders that we are all called to holiness … but that doesn’t mean being canonized or having a church named after us. The Christian li
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Ellsberg, Robert 1955-
PERSONAL:
Born December 13, 1955; married; children: three. Education: Harvard College, B.A.; Harvard Divinity School, Th.M. Religion: Catholic.
ADDRESSES:
Home—Ossining, NY.
CAREER:
Catholic Worker,New York, NY, staff member, 1975-1980, including as managing editor, 1976-78; Orbis Books, Maryknoll, NY, editor in chief, 1987—, publisher, 2006—.
AWARDS, HONORS:
Three Catholic Book Awards, for Blessed among All Women: Women Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time.
WRITINGS:
(With Penny Lernoux and Arthur Jones) Hearts on Fire: The Story of the Maryknoll Sisters, Orbis Books (Maryknoll, NY), 1993.
All Saints: Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time, Crossroad Publishing (New York, NY), 1997.
(Selector and author of introduction) Charles de Foucauld, Charles De Foucauld: Writings, Orbis Books (Maryknoll, NY), 1999.
The Saints' Guide to Happiness: Everyday Wisdom from the Lives and Lore of the Saints, North Point Press (New York, NY), 2003.
Blessed among All Women: Women Saints, Prophets, and Witnes Robert is the son of Carol Cummings, the daughter of a Marine Corps Brigadier General, and the American military analyst and whistleblower, Daniel Ellsberg. In 1975, at age 19, he dropped out of college, intending to spend a few months with the Catholic Worker Movement.•
About Orbis Publisher, Robert Ellsberg
He stayed to become the managing editor of The Catholic Worker for two years (1976–78), a job that would introduce him to Dorothy Day and consequently would allow him to work with Day for the last five years of her life. This life-changing experience prompted him to convert to Catholicism.
Robert returned to Harvard, and earned a degree in religion and literature, and later a Master's in Theology from Harvard Divinity School.
In 1987 he began work as editor-in-chief of Orbis Books. He is the author of several books, many of which have received awards; his Blessed Among All Women tied a Catholic Press Association record by winning awards for Gender, Spirituality, and Popular Presentation of the Catholic Faith. He is the editor of the published diaries and letters of Do
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