Jon M. Sweeney

Jon M. Sweeney (born July 18, 1967) is an author of popular history, spirituality, biography, poetry, fiction for young readers, and memoir. His most frequent subjects are Catholic, particularly St. Francis of Assisi, about whom Sweeney has written ''The St. Francis Prayer Book'', ''Francis of Assisi in His Own Words'', ''When Saint Francis Saved the Church'', ''The Complete Francis of Assisi'', and ''The Enthusiast'', a biography that Richard Rohr calls "An immense and important contribution to our understanding of the great saint."

HBO optioned the film rights to ''The Pope Who Quit'', Sweeney's historical retelling of the 13th century Pope Celestine V, who was the first pope to ever willingly resign the position. More recently, a series of young reader fiction, ''The Pope's Cat'', was begun, the first of which published on March 1, 2018, before the fifth anniversary of the papacy of Pope Francis. He has also written a biography of the popular Jesuit priest James Martin, SJ.

Sweeney has been interviewed on CBS News, WGN-TV, Fox News, and WTTW's Chicago Tonight. He appeared on ''CBS Sunday Morning'' to talk about Saint Patrick on March 17, 2013. He is an independent scholar who lectures frequently and leads retreats. Sweeney is currently Editor at Large for Orbis Books in Maryknoll, New York, as well as Interim Director of The Lux Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies at Sacred Heart School of Theology in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. Provided by Wikipedia