Clayton Barbeau

A delightfully surprised Clayton Barbeau was the recipient of the fourth CANFP Calegari Award, presented to him at the conclusion of his presentation at the CANFP Banquet at the 4th CANFP Statewide Conference, held in San Jose in 1996.  The selection committee chose Clayton for his illumination of the ideals of Fr. Calegari in both his personal and professional life: unity, advocacy, dignity, and fidelity.

Clayton Barbeau is an internationally acclaimed speaker, author, and healer-therapist. Father of eight children, he single parented them when his wife of 26 years was struck down unexpectedly by a cerebral aneurysm. Twice blessed, he remarried ten years later.

His television series “Creating Family” was broadcast on 54 PBS stations, and his DVD series on “Coping,” “Intimacy the Loving Connection” as well as his eight part DVD series on “Surviving” are in use in various clinics, congregations, and courses for aspiring counselors around the world. His books include The Joy of Marriage, Delivering the Male, and The Father of the Family.

A faithful supporter of NFP, he is especially dear to CANFP’s heart, because he was our inaugural speaker at our very first CANFP Conference held in 1993, where he displayed the wit and wisdom that has caused him to be in such demand as a speaker. “Romantic love is the temporary insanity that causes people to commit marriage. Theologians call it actual grace” he quipped during is presentation. And on a more serious note, he also shared his experience doing therapy work with individuals and couples who open their lives to him, creating what he called “the most intimate and sacred moments of my life. That’s where I really know the love of God”.