He has written extensively on religious life and has particular interest in exploring the theological dimensions of spirituality. This soon to be published book by Fr. Ciardi is a theological and practical extension of other works he has written in Italian. It will be of special interest to anyone interested in the proper role of community not only in Oblate life but in religious life and the life of the Church in general. The question of community is one of the burning issues of the age.
Religious communities have many insights to offer.
At the same time they have an urgent need of their own to reflect upon the richness of their experience and to engage in a real debate about the spirituality and the theology of community. Koinonia is a lively contribution to this process. The popes have often reminded religious communities, both contemplative and active, that their special role is to reflect the intimacy of holiness with each other in Jesus, a sign of the Church herself as the Bride of Christ, a community of love, i.e., Koinonia. In the years since the Second Vatican Council, each religious institute has struggled to renew its particular charism in the service of the Church by looking to its founder's spirit when the community was first formed in a different age. In the book's four parts, Ciardi first looks at New Testament roots of community, then studies the theological and spiritual development of community life, further considers its theological basis, and finally outlines a methodology for living out and renewing the life of communion.