“It was a better use of my life.”

Father Frank DeSiano calls himself a "lifer." He entered the Paulist junior seminary as a teenager. That was more than 45 years ago. He's a noted leader in evangelization or sharing of the Catholic faith. Father Frank has been the...

“It was as if I never heard that before…”

Father Steve Petroff is a kind of survivor on the spiritual journey--a model for anyone who believes that if you work hard and stay close to God, doors that appeared closed will open. Just before his ordination as a Paulist...

A priest who listens and talks paint off barns

After more than 20 years in the ordained priesthood, Paulist Father Charlie Donahue has a lot of insights about prayer, faith, love and community. And he wanted to be a priest even as a child, so he's been articulating religion...

Inspired by the healing ministry of Jesus Christ

"My dad was a carpenter, my mother's name is Mary and I have no illusions that I'm Jesus Christ," says Paulist Father Frank Desiderio in this interview with Jennifer Szweda Jordan conducted for The Paulist Fathers in Lake George, New...

Alaska, Appalachia and beyond: Paulist Father Michael Martin’s True Tall Stories

You can’t miss Paulist Father Michael Martin in gatherings of his community. He’s known as the “tallest Paulist.” His height exceeds a standard door frame. Walking with a cane, his is a commanding yet tender figure in the line of...

A creative–and a priest

Growing up as an only child afforded Paulist Fr. Tom Holahan a huge imaginary world, where his creativity was nurtured. He loved the creative life and exploring the world so much that he couldn't see himself taking on the responsibility...

"The Prophetic Push"

Evan Cummings, C.S.P., made his final promises to life with the Paulist Fathers in late 2018. Just before that, he spoke about how wikipedia led him to the community, how some of his most profound spiritual moments come while kneading...

“There’s a force that’s with me…”

On the occasion of Fr. James "Jim" Haley's 50th anniversary of becoming a priest with The Paulist Fathers, we learned about his life in the community. “Looking back, I wouldn't change it for anything. I mean, how can a shy...

God’s Talent Scout

Though Paulist Father Dat Tran embraces Jesus’ instruction to be a “fisher of men,” he’s learned that the harvest may not come overnight and to trust in the work of the Holy Spirit. In this interview, he speaks about transitioning...

“The ultimate meaning:” A Classics Publisher

It's a go-to book series, an encyclopedia of Jewish, Catholic, Protestant and Islamic thinkers: Paulist Press' "Classics of Western Spirituality." And it was started under the leadership of Paulist Fr. Kevin Lynch. In this interview, Fr. Kevin, age 93, talks...

“I really loved the preaching…I just kept coming back.”

Once, when Father Matt Berrios was a teen, he missed joining his family for Mass. He looked up an alternative and ended up at the Catholic Information Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It's run by the Paulist Fathers. It was...

"There's just no greater privilege."

Paulist Father Steve Bell speaks about his conversion story, his love of music, and the pains and pleasures of being a priest. His recorded conversation with Jennifer Szweda Jordan was produced for The Paulist Fathers. (Photo by Ryan Haggerty.)

“People remember the simple human touch.”

(Photo by Ryan Haggerty) Fr. Vinny McKiernan's worked at the Newman Center on the Ohio State University campus for 26 years. Over the course of his life and work, he’s been a novice director with the Paulist Fathers. He’s also...

“Gratitude never gets us in trouble.”

I'm not proud of anything I've done," Paulist Father Tom Hall told the crowd gathered at his retirement party after 30 years as a Navy chaplain. He says that the room was silent. "I'm just overwhelmed with gratitude. Pride--no. There's...

"Priesthood? No way, no how, not a chance, never…"

When Paulist Father Don Andrie consider changing from tech worker to priest, he asked his best friends to tell him how crazy he was. They thought it was a great idea. Though he was long involved in ministry, the idea...

A Spirited Faith: Paulist Father Thomas "Tomaso" Kane

He once wore roller skates and a Pilgrim costume to serve a turkey with sparklers. And he taught the movements of the Catholic Mass to dancers for a major production of a Bernstein musical. Paulist Father Thomas "Tomaso" Kane has...

“I love that I have a vocation”

Deacon Ryan Casey becomes Paulist Father Ryan Casey on May 19, 2018. As his ordination approached, he talked about everything from binge-watching Christian movies like Holy Man Undercover to his occasional street preaching. (Photo by Ryan Haggerty.)

"A Journey of Surprises" -Heather Kinney, with The Paulist Fathers

The Paulist Fathers serve in campus and hospital ministries, administrative roles, evangelization, and other pursuits. Heather Kinney helps Paulist seminarians hone in on the direction God may be guiding them toward. She’s the community’s Associate Director of Formation for Academics...

“I was looking for…adventure…”

Service is always at the core of Father Stuart Wilson-Smith's adventures and musical pursuits. He says that from the time he was young, he wanted his life to be focused on helping others. It was later that he decided that...

Acting Justly with our God

Paulist Fr. Tim Sullivan has been a social justice-minded community type from the start. His upbringing is deeply influential on his ministry. His youth included extensive involvement in the Christian Family Movement that works to make parishes a "family of...

"Open to the surprising encounter" -Paolo Puccini, CSP

Paolo Puccini describes himself as a pilgrim and a missionary. His Catholic journey and evangelization led him to the Paulist Fathers. After several years of study and formation with the community, in September 2019, Paolo made his final promises to...

Proud Papa to New Priests

Paulist Fr. Rich Colgan’s ministries have addressed some of the modern era’s most pressing needs. He's journeyed with and buried AIDS patients in the 1980s in New York. He's listened to Catholics reeling from clergy sex abuse in Boston. He...

“I wanted not to live on a pedestal”

Fr. Ken McGuire describes himself as a theological liberal who peers say still gets along well with conservatives. Father Ken says a Ph.D. in anthropology shaped him to understand how people approach situations from different mindsets and it made him...

Praying at the Piano

Paulist Father Ricky Manalo's main ministry is music. But he's also a teacher at Santa Clara University, and around the world, about liturgy and culture. He writes reflections in the devotional book "Give Us This Day." Fr. Ricky is of...

“It’s a service of humility”

"Life in the priesthood is one of humility," says Michael Hennessy in this interview recorded shortly before his May 2018 ordination as a priest. Hennessy is a New Englander who started thinking about being a priest when he was teaching...