Fr. Joseph Spence, FFm was born and raised in New York State; at 18 years of age, he moved to Italy to join the "Franciscan Family of Mary Immaculate" inspired by Mother Maria Elisabetta Patrizi. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 2015 in Fermo, Italy. After completing his Master's Degree in Milan, Italy on "Mary in the spiritual experience of St. Francis of Assisi", he later completed his doctorate in Spiritual Theology at the Carmelite University in Rome, "Teresianum", regarding the influence of St. John of the Cross on St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus. He has been teaching since 2019 on the Shroud of Turin at the Pontifical Athenaeum "Regina Apostolorum" (Rome) and on St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and St. Elizabeth of the Trinity at the "Teresianum" (Rome). Fr. Joseph also teaches on Eastern and Western Christian Spirituality. He is currently working on various publications in his field of studies, and divides his time between study, his religious family, and priestly ministry.