Scott L. Smith Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 26 May 1983 Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | Author, Attorney |
| Alma mater | |
| Notable works | Pray the Rosary with Saint John Paul II, Lord of the Rings and the Eucharist |
| Spouse | Sara Ashton LaGrone |
| Children | 5 |
Scott L. Smith Jr. (born 26 May 1983) is a Catholic American author and attorney.[1] Smith is the author of several books of Catholic theology and devotion including Consecration to St. Joseph for Children and Families co-authored with Fr. Donald Calloway, Pray the Rosary with St. John Paul II, The Catholic ManBook, and a new translation of the Preparation for Total Consecration according to Saint Louis de Montfort. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Men of the Immaculata.[2][3][4]
Smith graduated from Edmond Memorial High School in 2001 and Texas A&M University in 2006 with a degree in chemical engineering.[5] He then entered the Jesuit Novitiate in Grand Coteau, Louisiana. Smith received his Masters in Theology at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he studied under Dr. Brant J. Pitre. He received his juris doctor from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center of Louisiana State University in 2013.[6]
Smith served as an Assistant Attorney General with the Office of the Louisiana Attorney General from 2015 to 2019 before entering private practice.[7]
Smith lives in New Roads, Louisiana with his wife Sara Ashton LaGrone and their five children.[8] He is a 13th generation resident of New Roads, Louisiana, seat of Pointe Coupee Parish. Smith's ancestor Jean Baptiste Pourciau immigrated to Pointe Coupee Parish in 1720 from the Diocese of Cambrai, France.[9]
In 2010, Smith began a series of articles exploring the Lembas waybread as a symbol for the Eucharist in The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.[10] The Lembas, for example, originated as a waybread for the Elves' Great Journey to the Undying Lands, as the Manna was the waybread for the Israelites during the Exodus to the Promised Land.[11][12] These articles were eventually published as an anthology entitled Lord of the Rings and the Eucharist.[13] Actor Kevin O'Brien, who has portrayed J. R. R. Tolkien on EWTN and elsewhere, narrated the audiobook version of Lord of the Rings and the Eucharist.[14]
Since 2010, Smith has worked as freelance essayist and lecturer on Biblical topics, including typology, Mariology, and Biblical references in contemporary books and movies.[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] Smith has written extensively on the Virgin Mary and is a frequent lecturer on the subject.[26][27][28][29][30]
Smith has written on Catholic and Christian themes appearing in comics, science fiction, and current movies.[31][32][33][34] A collection of his articles on these topics was recently published as The Theology of Sci-Fi: The Christian's Guide to the Galaxy.
In 2018, Smith collaborated with Louisiana historian Brian J. Costello on a series of biographies of holy men and beatified people, entitled Blessed Is He Who ...: Models of Catholic Manhood.
As of 2019, Smith is serving as the co-host of the Catholic Nerds Podcast.[35][36] On Episode 5, the Catholic Nerds interviewed Zac Mabry, who played "Porky" in the 1994 film The Little Rascals, about his conversion to Catholicism.[37][38]
Smith co-authored with Fr. Donald Calloway the Consecration to St. Joseph for Children and Families.[39]
As a pioneer of the Catholic Horror subgenre, Smith is also the author of several horror novels, including The Seventh Word and The Cajun Zombie Chronicles.[40] His novels are all set in a fictionalized version of his hometown of New Roads, Louisiana.
Smith's blog was awarded the 2018 Fisher's Net award for "Best Blog".[41]