Fr. Justin Belitz O.F.M.. The above are images from his retreat at the Infant Jesus Parish in Morley Western Australia, April 2010. In March, 2011 Fr. Justin returned to the parish for a follow up retreat.
Fr. Justin’s retreat centers around the teaching of his latest book, Success:Full Relating. This is Fr. Justin’s third book in the success series. It is a guide to successful life goals and relationships. Success:Full Relating is also the most theological of his books, outlining the matriarchal/creation model of spirituality and the patriarchal/ fall/redemption model. Fr. Justin’s approach is lucid, optimistic, and inspiring.
Fr. Justin will be celebrating his 50th jubilee as a Franciscan priest this summer. He promotes interfaith expression, practical theology and renewal in the model of Augustine of the Retractions, John XXIII, The Little Flower, Mother Teresa, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Fr. Justin is a licensed teacher of the Silva Method but here he gives us the Justin Method. Justin’s method incorporates Franciscan spirituality, the Silva Method and a lifetime of experience into a celebration of life, love, art, and spirit.
Alfred Eaker 
Hi Venkatesan, understand and wholeheartedly agree, but was clarifying. I find healthier dialogue in skepticism and restless questioning, which is why I have clung to his friendship, and why seminary at CTS is so vital right now. The faculty consistently challenges and I love that “wrestling”, a bit like Gauguin’s vision of the Jacobian angel wrestling. I have had a few recent battles myself in endeavors, but that’s not for the public forum. Peace
I was referring to the categories of haves and have-nots, Alfred. And my view does not pertain expressly to the teacher in question. It’s made in a general sort way. I meant that most of the spiritual teachers play it safe by restricting their ‘reach’ to the haves and the upwardly mobile.
Justin, who has been my spiritual leader/teacher for two decades, is strictly interfaith. Even though he is a Franciscan priest, Justin has ecumenical services, services with LGBT, and services with atheists, agnostics, etc. Yes, he appeals to a select group and that group is not an orthodox one and this is where he has had his battles. For me, Justin lives the spirit of Vatican II.
I’m usually skeptical of the spiritual leaders/teachers. They cater to niche audience/believers, and to me such retreats are a ‘spiritual/religious’ equivalent of socialite evening or even a red carpet occasion, where admissions are indirectly restricted to a select category of people.
Old atheist pal, I often find it easier to discuss spirituality with an atheist than I can with Christians, but, for me, atheism is too much an absolutism. I prefer agnostic in the true sense of the word.
I converted to Catholicism over twenty years ago, the seed of which was planted as a child, and later as a young adult, and Fr. Justin has been mentor, teacher, and friend all these years. Like many Catholics, Justin tends to talk more of St. Francis, the Little Flower, Thomas Merton, Maximilian Kolbe, and more contemporary models as opposed to discussing figures, mythological or not, from two thousand years ago, who can seem phantoms.
Much of BlueMahler’s talk in “W: The Movie” was inspired by the words of Fr. Justin. He has had his battles, to be sure, but he seems to have settled into a place of peace.
I don’t know? There is something about taking mythological moral lessons from men in dresses that doesn’t quite balance with your old Atheist pal!