Fr. Edward M. Hays (1931-2016) is the author of more than thirty books on contemporary spirituality. He was the cofounder and moving spirit of Forest of Peace Publishing and founding director of Shantivanam, a Midwest center for contemplative prayer. He has served as a chaplain of the state penitentiary in Lansing, Kansas, parish priest, and spiritual director. Hays spent extended periods of pilgrimage in the Near East, the Holy Land, and India, and was a prolific writer and painter.
