Religious Leader. He was the author of the 1990 work "The Ragamuffin Gospel," a book about "the burdened, the wobbly weak-kneed, the inconsistent unsteady disciple." Born Richard Francis Xavier Manning he grew up in New York City during the depression. This had a great impact upon his beliefs and writings. Manning was a champion of the poor, the homeless and the hungry. He took on the failures of contemporary Christianity, especially the institutional Church. In 1963 he was ordained a Franciscan Priest. Brennan Manning was a graduate of Saint Frances College in Loretto, Ohio. He went on to become a professor of Theology at The University of Steubenville and Spiritual Director for St. Frances Seminary. He became a member of the French Catholic Order of the Little Brothers of Jesus Christ de Foucald. While he spent much of his time in France he was voluntarily imprisoned in Switzerland. At some point he spent contemplative time in an remote cave in the Zaragora desert. Prompted to return to the United States he began a prolific writing career. Over the next forty years he would be the author of more than 30 books, from personal biographical reflections to contemporary Christian Analysis to Biblical Commentaries. In one productive two year period he wrote nine books. His books appealed to a wide variety of readers from Roman Catholic to Evangelical Protestants. He was a member of The United States Marine Corps where he was a writer during the Korean Conflict. He was the author of "The Ragamuffin Gospel". This was a seminal book for many in the 1970's, 80's and 90's, giving a new perspective on spirituality. The book was the inspiration for the late contemporary Christian singer and song writer Rich Mullins who named his band "The Ragamuffin Band." Brennan Manning was a featured speaker at a number of conferences, seminars and events throughout the remainder of his life.