Casey Cole

{{short description|American Franciscan priest, writer and YouTuber}}

{{Infobox Christian leader

| type = Priest

| honorific_prefix = The Reverend

| name = Casey Cole

| honorific_suffix = OFM

| image =

| caption =

| birth_date =

| birth_place = Lansdale, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| residence =

| nationality = American

| education = Green Hope High School
The Catholic University of America
Furman University
Catholic Theological Union

| occupation = Priest, author, blogger, YouTuber

| religion = Roman Catholic

| church =

| ordination = June 22, 2019

| ordained_by = Luis R. Zarama

| module = {{Infobox YouTube personality

|embed = yes

| website = {{URL|https://breakinginthehabit.org/}}

| channels = {{unbulleted list|[https://www.youtube.com/c/BreakingInTheHabit/channels Breaking In The Habit]|[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0M7TQGIRUx8St2GKBS-EkA Upon Friar Review]|[https://www.youtube.com/c/DigitalEvangelism Digital Evangelism]

}}

| years_active = 2015–present

| genre = {{flatlist|

Evangelism
Educational

}}

| subscribers = 430,000

| views = 54 million

| associated_acts = {{flatlist|

Fr. Patrick Tuttle, OFM

}}

| silver_button = yes

}}

Casey Cole, OFM is an American Franciscan friar, Catholic priest, writer, and blogger. Cole runs his own online blog and YouTube channel called Breaking in the Habit and is the author of the books Let Go: Seven Stumbling Blocks to Christian Discipleship and Called: What Happens After Saying Yes to God.

Biography

= Early life =

Cole grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, before moving to Cary, North Carolina.{{Cite web|url=https://www.beafranciscan.org/meet-our-student-friars/|title=Franciscan Vocation Ministry » Meet our Student Friars |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627065843/https://www.beafranciscan.org/meet-our-student-friars/ |archivedate=June 27, 2019}} He was a parishioner at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Cary. Cole attended Green Hope High School and, in 2011, graduated from Furman University with a degree in religious studies and a minor in poverty studies.

In August 2011, Cole was received as a postulant in the Order of Friars Minor.

= Media career and onward =

Later in 2011, he began his blog called Breaking in the Habit, writing about considering joining the priesthood, later adding a podcast and a YouTube channel.{{Cite web|url=https://breakinginthehabit.org/|title=Breaking In The Habit|website=Breaking in the Habit}}{{Cite web|url=https://friarworks.org/casey-cole/|title=Br. Casey Cole, OFM|date=May 1, 2018}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecatholictelegraph.com/|title=Father Casey Cole OFM}}

He was received as a Franciscan novice in August 2012, where, in 2013, he made his first profession with novices from seven North American provinces in Burlington, Wisconsin at the Franciscan Interprovincial Novitiate. He studied at The Catholic University of America from 2013 to 2016, working towards a master of divinity degree. In 2016, Cole began serving at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Durham, a Franciscan parish, and professed his final vows as a Franciscan friar in 2017.{{Cite web|url=https://www.stanthony.org/lent-with-br-casey-cole-ofm/|title=Lent with Br. Casey Cole, OFM | St Anthony Shrine|date=March 14, 2017|website=St. Anthony Shrine}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.franciscanmedia.org/lent-with-br-casey-cole-ofm/|title=Lent with Br. Casey Cole, OFM|first=Fr Casey|last=Cole|date=March 3, 2017|access-date=November 4, 2019|archive-date=November 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191104184905/https://www.franciscanmedia.org/lent-with-br-casey-cole-ofm/|url-status=dead}} In March 2018, he was ordained a deacon.

In 2019, he received a master of divinity from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.

On June 22, 2019, Cole was ordained a priest of the Franciscan Order by Luis R. Zarama, the Bishop of Raleigh, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church.{{Cite web|url=https://hnp.org/priestly-ordination-of-casey-cole-set-for-june-22/|title=Priestly Ordination of Casey Cole Set for June 22|date=February 20, 2019|website=Holy Name Province|access-date=November 4, 2019|archive-date=December 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202101040/https://hnp.org/priestly-ordination-of-casey-cole-set-for-june-22/|url-status=dead}} At Cole's insistence (wanting "the people of God in their realness to be there"), all lay liturgical ministers who assisted in the celebration of the Mass were women.{{Cite web|url=https://dioceseofraleigh.org/news/sharing-habit-newly-ordained-priest-celebrates-mass-sacraments-and-social-media|title=Sharing the habit: Newly ordained priest celebrates Mass, sacraments and … social media|website=Diocese of Raleigh|date=June 26, 2019 }}

Since 2020, Cole has served as the chaplain of Mount de Sales Academy in Macon, Georgia.{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=M. D. S. |date=2020-10-16 |title=God is Good: Friars in Macon |url=https://www.mountdesales.net/news/god-is-good-friars-in-macon/ |access-date=2023-05-04 |website=Mount de Sales Academy |language=en-US}}

Writings

Cole has written three books, Called: What Happens After Saying Yes to God, Let Go: Seven Stumbling Blocks to Christian Discipleship, and The Way of Beatitude: Living Radical Hope in a World of Division and Despair.{{Cite web|url=https://lisahendey.com/podcast/2018/05/03/lisa-hendey-friends-11-brother-casey-cole-ofm-called/|title=Lisa Hendey & Friends #11: Brother Casey Cole, OFM "Called"|date=May 3, 2018|website=LisaHendey.com|access-date=November 4, 2019|archive-date=November 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191104184903/https://lisahendey.com/podcast/2018/05/03/lisa-hendey-friends-11-brother-casey-cole-ofm-called/|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|url=https://hnp.org/casey-cole-writes-first-book/|title=Casey Cole Writes First Book|date=April 3, 2018|website=Holy Name Province|access-date=November 4, 2019|archive-date=December 8, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208121720/https://hnp.org/casey-cole-writes-first-book/|url-status=dead}}