Landscapes, Ballad of a Franciscan Troubadour

A Franciscan friar, priest and poet looks back on the landscapes of his life, and on the grace he found in each of them.

From the daffodil fields of Washington’s Puyallup Valley to Machu Picchu, from Calcutta and Mother Teresa to the Mescalero Apache homeland, from homeless camps under city bridges to the tomb of St. Francis in Assisi, Fr. Larry Gosselin, O.F.M., has followed in the footsteps of the troubadour of Assisi. Along the way come missed trains, near misses, tribal blessings high in the mountains, and meetings with people famous and obscure, each place revealing what he calls the “ambushes of grace.”

Part memoir, part travelogue, part meditation, Landscapes is a joyful introduction to the Franciscan way of seeing the world: all of it grace and gift.

“Not only the rollicking story of a particular friar; it is also a wonderful introduction to the unique form of spirituality that flowed from St. Francis.” — Bishop Robert Barron, Word on Fire

“What does it mean to be a Franciscan? It means to love Christ, to love the poor, and to love life. Larry Gosselin’s moving new memoir traces the life of one Franciscan friar who loves all three deeply.” — James Martin, S.J.