Eric Clayton

Deputy Director of Communications

Eric Clayton is the deputy director of communications at the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. He is the author of three books on Ignatian spirituality:  “Finding Peace Here and Now: How Ignatian Spirituality Leads Us to Healing and Wholeness”, “My Life with the Jedi: The Spirituality of Star Wars” and  “Cannonball Moments: Telling Your Story, Deepening Your Faith”, and the co-author of the children’s book, “Our Mother Too: Mary Embraces the World.” Learn more at ericclaytonwrites.com.

Eric Clayton is the deputy director of communications at the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. In his role, he manages the award-winning weekly column “Now Discern This,” a series on Ignatian spirituality and everyday living, as well produces video, audio and other digital content to share the riches of Ignatian spirituality with a general audience. Eric is also the author of three books on Ignatian spirituality:  “Finding Peace Here and Now: How Ignatian Spirituality Leads Us to Healing and Wholeness” (2025, Brazos Press), “My Life with the Jedi: The Spirituality of Star Wars” (2024, Loyola Press) and  “Cannonball Moments: Telling Your Story, Deepening Your Faith” (2022, Loyola Press). Along with Shannon Evans, Eric is the co-author of the children’s book, “Our Mother Too: Mary Embraces the World” (2025, Paulist Press).

In addition to his books and weekly column, Eric writes frequently for a variety of outlets, including National Catholic Reporter, Busted Halo, U.S. Catholic, America Magazine and more, on topics ranging from pop culture and parenting to Star Wars and Disney LEGO. He is a regular contributor at IgnatianSpirituality.com and for the daily prayer book Give Us This Day. In addition to his spiritual writing, his fiction has been published by Black Hare Press, Air and Nothingness Press, Small Wonders Magazine and more. He is a sought after speaker, retreat leader and workshop facilitator.

Eric has previously worked with and for a variety of faith-based organizations, including Catholic Relief Services, Maryknoll Lay Missioners and the Sisters of Bon Secours. He was an adjunct professor in the Mass Communication department at Towson University.

Eric has a BA in creative writing and international studies from Fairfield University, an MA in international media from American University and a graduate certificate in the Ignatian tradition from Creighton University. He lives in Towson, MD with his wife, two daughters and their cat.

Learn more about Eric at his personal website (ericclaytonwrites.com) and subscribe to his Substack (ericclayton.substack.com) .

Resources

Story
Spirituality

The monarch butterfly was little more than a splash of orange across the yawning chasm of blacktop parking lot. It’s…

Story
Spirituality
In this week’s Now Discern This, Eric Clayton reflects on a visit to the shrine of Our Lady of Champion,…
Story
Spirituality

In Door County, Wisconsin, nestled within Sister Bay and overlooking a smaller section of Lake Michigan sits a popular Swedish…

Story
Spirituality

My family and I watched the 1988 film “My Neighbor Totoro” — one of the most beloved stories from renowned…

Story
Spirituality

I find myself of two minds concerning the mounds of LEGO pieces strewn about my office floor. On the one…

Spirituality

I spent the better part of last week in New Orleans. The city’s Jesuit university — Loyola University New Orleans…

Story
Spirituality

The bells tolled from Baltimore’s mother church, the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, late on a Wednesday in mid-June, inviting…

Story
Spirituality

My sister-in-law is a professional photographer — and a very good one at that. When she visits our home, I…

Story
Spirituality
Lives change when labels are lifted at this innovative Baltimore-based startup….
Story
Spirituality

This past weekend was a big one at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. After more than seven innings of jumping…

Story
Spirituality

When I heard he took the name Leo, I couldn’t help but grin. The last Pope Leo gave us the…

Story
Spirituality

Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago was elected the 267th pope on May 8, 2025, taking the name Pope Leo XIV….

Join Us!

* indicates required
What updates would you like to receive?