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...

"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...

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...

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...

“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...

“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...

An evangelist “reaching the unreached”

Paulist Fr. Kenneth "Ken" Boyack is vice president of the Paulist Evangelization Ministries, which has the tagline, "Reaching the Unreached in Faith." In this interview, he describes that work as well as intimate pivotal moments of his faith journey--including an...

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...

“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 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.)

“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...

“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...

“What we have in common.”

Fr. Ron Roberson is associate director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. He staffs dialogues on the national level with the Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Polish National Catholic and Episcopal Churches....

“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...

“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...

“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...

“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...

“I don’t have to give up dancing…I can do this.”

Paulist Father Ed Nowak is an avid athlete. He runs, bicycles and hikes. But he’s also something of a cheerleader--of people moving forward in their faith. When Father Ed was a college student studying engineering at Penn State, it became...

"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...