pilgrim. paddler. author.
As well as walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain and the Bruce Trail in Ontario, Arthur Boers has pastored in urban, suburban, rural, and inner city settings in Ontario and the Midwest. He has taught at several seminaries. A priest in the Anglican Church of Canada, he is also a Benedictine oblate.
In the last thirty years, he has authored or edited a dozen books addressing the intersection of faithfulness and daily life. His award-winning books include The Way is Made by Walking: A Pilgrimage Along the Camino de Santiago, Never Call Them Jerks: Healthy Responses to Difficult Behavior, and Living into Focus: Choosing What Matters in an Age of Distractions. His newest book is a personal memoir — Shattered: A Son Picks up the Pieces of His Father’s Rage.
Arthur loves to study and holds a half dozen academic degrees, his favorite, an MFA in Creative Writing from Seattle-Pacific University that he completed in his seventh decade.
The oldest son of Dutch immigrants, English is his second language. He first learned how to pronounce his name in kindergarten.
He has been married to Lorna McDougall for over four decades and they are the proud parents of two adults, both married, and grandparents to the incomparable Norah. He is crazy about his cat Fraser (aka Phraserblade of Fraserburgh).
On his best days, he navigates currents – by canoe, kayak, or paddleboard – on the South Branch of the Muskoka River. To get him dancing, play Chicago blues.
