Francis MacNutt

Who is Francis MacNutt?

Francis Scott MacNutt is a former American Roman Catholic priest. Associated with the Catholic Charismatic Renewal he is an author of books on healing prayer, including Healing, The Healing Reawakening and Deliverance from Evil Spirits.

MacNutt grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. He earned a B.A. degree from Harvard University in 1948, and a M.A. degree in speech and drama from The Catholic University of America, Washington. In 1950, MacNutt joined the Dominican Order and was ordained to the priesthood in 1956. He has a Ph.D. degree in theology. He taught at a seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, for several years before moving back to St Louis in 1966 to become executive director of the National Catholic Preaching Conference.

MacNutt learned of the charismatic movement through Pentecostal Protestant friends. As a young Roman Catholic priest, he was prominent and influential in the charismatic renewal in the 1960s, and during the 1970s he became associated with the practices of speaking in tongues and faith healing and appeared on television with Ruth Carter Stapleton, the sister of President Carter. In the late 1970s he was director of the Thomas Merton Foundation in St. Louis.