Andrew Greeley

The Rev. Andrew M. Greeley is a priest, sociologist, and best-selling author. He is a professor of social sciences at the University of Chicago and the University of Arizona, and a research associate at the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. His current sociological research focuses on contemporary issues facing the Catholic Church, including the celibacy of priests, the ordination of women, the religious imagination, and the sexual behavior of Catholics.

Father Greeley has written scores of books and hundreds of popular and scholarly articles. His column on political, church, and social issues is carried by The New York Times Religious News Service. He is the author of 30 best-selling novels and an autobiography, "Confessions of a Parish Priest." His latest novel, "A Midwinter's Tale," is due out next fall.

In 1986, he established a $1 million Catholic Inner-City School Fund, providing scholarships and financial support to schools in the Chicago Archdiocese. In 1984, he contributed a $1 million endowment, establishing a chair in Roman Catholic Studies at the University of Chicago. He has funded an annual lecture series on the church in society at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary.