Henri Nouwen was a Dutch Catholic priest, theologian, writer, and professor who taught at Harvard, Yale, and the University of Notre Dame. His writings have had a vast influence within the emerging church and the contemplative movement. His books include The Way of the Heart and The Return of the Prodigal Son.

Henri J. M. Nouwen (1932-1996) is the author of Reaching Out, The Wounded Healer, Making All Things New, The Return of the Prodigal Son, and many other bestsellers. He taught at the universities of Harvard, Yale, and Notre Dame before becoming the senior pastor of L'Arche Daybreak in Toronto, Canada, a community where men and women with intellectual disabilities and their assistants create a home for one another.