Frederick Buechner died peacefully in his sleep on August 15, 2022. He was 96. When we were starting out as a young couple, having just founded a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the use of the arts/media by religious and community groups, Buechner was our inspiration. He was a minister who did not serve a congregation but instead ministered to a broad audience through writing books on religious themes, memoirs about the life of faith, and novels. We named one of our cats Bebb after the rascal of a pastor in a quartet of his novels. We launched one of our publications with his quote on the cover. Stop, look, and listen to your life, he said. And we did. What we have shared with our readers and website visitors over the years was profoundly influenced by Frederick Buechner. We are so grateful for what we learned from him and hope all those reading this profile will make it the start of an exploration of his brilliant words on the faithful life and a life so very well lived.
— Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Frederick Buechner was born in New York City and grew up in Bermuda and North Carolina. He was educated at Princeton University and Union Theological Seminary. After being ordained to the Presbyterian ministry in 1958, he served for nine years as the school chaplain and religion teacher at Philips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. He and his family then moved to Vermont so he could pursue a career as a full-time writer.

Buechner was the author of 39 works of fiction and nonfiction. He was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, and was honored by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He is especially loved for his devotional writing, including sermons and short meditations on theological terms, biblical characters, and ordinary words with religious dimensions. In his memoirs, he finds signs of God's grace everywhere, especially in his own experiences.

Read For:

  • Ways to listen to our lives and see them as holy
  • Intimations of God's grace and presence in daily life
  • Fresh slants on the Bible, tradition, and church-going