Love is What Matters gathers the writings of a dedicated Franciscan peacemaker, Friar Louie Vitale. In this series of short essays written by Vitale over the course of nearly thirty years he recounts his nonviolent striving towards peace and justice to end war, torture, racism, poverty, climate destruction and greed in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi.

"Father Louie Vitale is the best follower of St. Francis of Assisi that I know... So it’s wonderful to celebrate Fr. Louie’s life with this collection of his writings. I hope they will inspire readers to join his lifelong campaign for peace and nonviolence."
—From the Foreword by Martin Sheen

"For a world of justice and peace, Louie has been willing to cross again and again into the courts and the prison system as a kind of sacramental response to both the brokenness and the nonviolent potential that suffuses our world... Penned on the road, at the margins, and even in jail, the reflections in this book offer a glimpse into the journey of this Franciscan pilgrim for peace and justice."
—From the Introduction by Ken Butigan

"Louie is the epitome of the Franciscan ideal, the embodiment of action which Pope Francis calls for, and a model Christian, a true peacemaker... Here in this little collection, we read Louie’s reflections on St. Francis; hear Louie’s call to serve the poor, end war, abolish nuclear weapons, and protect creation; catch a glimpse of his experience in jail for peacemaking; and are summoned to follow Jesus along the way of Gospel nonviolence. Louie’s writings, like his life, invite us to join the struggle and dedicate ourselves to the great cause of justice, disarmament, peace and environmental sustainability."
—From the Afterword by John Dear

Friar Louie Vitale, OFM seeks to put the vision of peacemaking articulated and practiced by Francis and Clare of Assisi into practice. A former provincial of the St. Barbara Province in the western United States, Vitale was a co-founder of the Nevada Desert Experience and Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service. As a long-time social activist, he has engaged in civil disobedience for nearly four decades in pursuit of peace and justice, and has been arrested more than 400 times.

Click here to read the table of contents, Martin Sheen's foreword, Ken Butigan's introduction and Part 1 of Love is What Matters!

In honor of Louie (who had a phenomenal generosity of spirit), we’re giving away free copies of Living With the Wolf—essays, poems, and interviews from Pace e Bene’s newsletter archives from 1989 onwards—with every order of Louie’s book Love Is What Matters. Dive in!