Podcasts about frank donio

For the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on the size of our faith. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

For the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on the size of our faith. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

Pope Leo XIV has made unity a central aspect of his pontificate from his papal motto to gathering with leaders from the Orthodox Church. Listen to Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C share more in this segment of the Son Rise Morning Show on Sacred Heart Radio, about how unity in Augustinian spirituality has pervaded Pope Leo's actions and sayings to build a more unified Church.St. Augustine and the Augustinians emphasize unity in their spirituality and charism. Pope Leo XIV's experience in Augustinian spirituality has led to his emphasis on unity in his pontificate. Pope Leo stresses unity in his meetings with Augustinians, Orthodox Church leaders, and to all Christians in his actions and his speeches.Notes:Access the Pope Leo XIV PortalOn Mission: Papal HistorySpirituality and Prayer Through Religious CharismMore episodes about The Pope From the Ad Infinitum blog:In the One, We Are OneMore blogs about Pope Leo XIV Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

Pope Leo XIV has made unity a central aspect of his pontificate from his papal motto to gathering with leaders from the Orthodox Church. Listen to Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C share more in this segment of the Son Rise Morning Show on Sacred Heart Radio, about how unity in Augustinian spirituality has pervaded Pope Leo's actions and sayings to build a more unified Church.St. Augustine and the Augustinians emphasize unity in their spirituality and charism. Pope Leo XIV's experience in Augustinian spirituality has led to his emphasis on unity in his pontificate. Pope Leo stresses unity in his meetings with Augustinians, Orthodox Church leaders, and to all Christians in his actions and his speeches.Notes:Access the Pope Leo XIV PortalOn Mission: Papal HistorySpirituality and Prayer Through Religious CharismMore episodes about The Pope From the Ad Infinitum blog:In the One, We Are OneMore blogs about Pope Leo XIV Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

Laughter and joy are typical characteristics of those who are close to Christ and experience the love of the Holy Spirit. We are called to witness Christ's joy and love in our lives. By being joyful and sowing laughter, we can help bring people closer to Christ and serve the Lord through that. This blogcast explores “Serve the Lord with Laughter" from the Ad Infinitum blog, written by Kate Fowler and read by Sarah Scalfaro.“Serve the Lord with laughter.”It's a quote from a favorite and incredibly popular saint that might surprise us, for the man who spoke these words was so deep, profound, and intentional that we might overlook the fact that he laughed. When we think of St. Padre Pio, we often instead focus on the deep wounds in his hands—the stigmata which he bore for 50 years—or his ability to levitate, speak with his guardian angel, read souls, or bilocate.Laughter seems too ordinary, perhaps, for sanctity.And yet, as a practical jokester and manager of mischief, I am drawn to this quote deeply—for I feel a personal apostolate of joy and am experiencing that call more starkly in a season in my life marked by exhaustion, stress, and transition.Some of my favorite saints and quotes from Scripture focus on the theme of joy. When asked to speak to a group at Theology on Tap several years ago, I chose “The Serious Call to Joy” as my topic. I love Psalm 34, which reads, “Look to him that you may be radiant with joy.” And I often meditate on Christ's words to his disciples: “I have said these things to you, so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete” (Jn 15:11). Finally, a patron of our family is St. Philip Neri, who was lovingly nicknamed “Apostle of Joy.” My son John Philip was even born on his feast day and shares his name.When I think of what I want to be called after my death, I can't think of anything better than that title given to St. Philip Neri (apart from, perhaps, being known as the Patron Saint of Bacon). To me, joy just seems like the natural fruit of holiness—a sure sign of a deep and profound relationship with Christ.Pope Francis himself has noted this—dedicating an entire encyclical to the joy of the Gospel. He made waves when publishing the encyclical because he said there was no room in evangelization for “sourpusses”—the first time any such term has appeared in a papal document.He explains, “Proclaiming Christ means showing that to believe in and to follow him is not only something right and true, but also something beautiful, capable of filling life with new splendor and profound joy, even in the midst of difficulties.”I think now of joy perhaps because I'm seeing so little of it in general. The world seems bogged down by burdens greater than we think we can bear. And being 8 months pregnant, I find myself a bit bogged down physically and emotionally, too. But, Pope Francis reminds us that the joy of Christ is possible even in the midst of our suffering and hardship. This does not diminish our suffering, nor does it erase or ignore it, but points out that Christian joy can transcend and transfigure suffering.So, when I came across Padre Pio's quote on his feast day earlier this month, it was a powerful reminder of my call to laughter—or at least of my commitment to being an apostle of joy.Pope Francis continues, “Joy adapts and changes, but it always endures, even as a flicker of light born of our personal certainty that, when everything is said and done, we are infinitely loved.” (EG, 6)The knowledge that I am infinitely loved despite my frailty and littleness, especially in this season of pregnancy, is what beckons me ever onward.If I think of my life right now, I don't know how else to keep going other than by laughing. I look down to find crumbs and stains dotting my bulging belly. My goal most days is not to waddle while walking. I find myself stopping mid-sentence because I forgot my train of thought or walking into a room to get something just to leave puzzled, muttering to myself. Turning over in bed practically requires the use of a crane. And I face my staircase each day with the determination of one climbing Mt. Everest.Humor aside, if we turn to Scripture, we find a love story saturated with calls and invitations to joy. From the Old Testament to the New, God speaks to us throughout salvation history because he wants to restore his creation to be “man fully alive.” For me, someone who is “fully alive” is a person of joy that radiates love wherever they go.​As our world and society continue to navigate times of hardship, transition, and injustice, and as you personally continue to navigate your own crosses (whether they be staircases or not), I invite you to ask St. Padre Pio and other holy men and women to help teach you the secret of joy that comes from “the certainty that Jesus is with us and with the Father.”May we all become apostles and ambassadors of joy to a world thirsting for Christ's love and may we find creative and nourishing ways to serve the Lord with laughter.As Pope Francis quotes Paul VI saying,“Let us recover and deepen our enthusiasm, that ‘delightful and comforting joy of evangelizing, even when it is in tears that we must sow… And may the world of our time, which is searching, sometimes with anguish, sometimes with hope, be enabled to receive the good news not from evangelizers who are dejected, discouraged, impatient or anxious, but from ministers of the Gospel whose lives glow with fervor, who have first received the joy of Christ.[6]'”  Author:Kate Fowler is a collaborator with the Catholic Apostolate Center. She received her Master's in Leadership for the New Evangelization from the Augustine Institute.  Resources:Listen to On Mission podcastRead the Ad Infinitum blog Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center and you can also listen to his weekly Sunday Gospel reflections. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources.

Italian-American immigrants have shaped cultural Catholicism in the United States for generations. These families embraced their traditions and practices inherited from Italy to create a distinct home life that blends faith with family life and excellent cuisine as common touch stones. In this episode of On Mission, Chris Pierno, Sarah Scalfaro, and Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. to share how their families practice Catholicism and the particular traditions that Italian-American Catholics have in common.Italian-American Catholics are notable for their close-knit families where the Faith pervades all aspects of the family culture and the larger community's culture. Common practices include Sunday dinners, devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, devotions to the Saints, and sacred art within and around the home. Chris, Sarah, and Fr. Frank share personal reflections on their upbringings in Italian-American Catholic households. Browse Saints from Italy on the Saints and Feast Day site Related On Mission episodes:Papal HistoryCatholic HospitalitySaint Vincent Pallotti From the Ad Infinitum blog:Summertime is a Time for Processions Check out the main Saints and Feast Days websiteDownload the App on the App Store or Google Play  Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify On Mission is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources and podcasts. Listen to Fr. Frank's weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

For the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on living our lives for Christ. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

For the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on living our lives for Christ. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

Practical strategies for encountering, accompanying, and engaging young adults (or “young people”) are only effective if they are built on a strong theological foundation. Recently, the Catholic bishops of the United States sought to do just that with the release of a new national pastoral framework for the Church's ministries with youth and young adults entitled Listen, Teach, Send. This webinar will explore this new foundational document, how it complements past efforts, and how concrete measures can flow from this vision statement. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center and you can also listen to his weekly Sunday Gospel reflections. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources.

For the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on what we owe God. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

For the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on what we owe God. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

St. Vincent Pallotti said, “Seek God and you will find God. Seek God in all things and youwill find God in all things. Seek God always and you will always find God.” When I was in highschool, this was used as a call and response to get the lunchroom or assembly to be quiet. Inhindsight, it is pretty sad that we took such beautiful words and reduced them to a bit of a Pavlovianresponse to get high schoolers to zip it, but I digress. At the heart of Pallotti's sentiment is this: Godis everywhere (this is the Jesuit side of Pallotti coming out) and all we have to do to find him is openour eyes and our hearts and look for him.I have been sitting with this strange scene that is a mix of a drama movie and spiritualwriting. I imagine two people talking after some form of suffering, maybe it is raining for cinematiceffect, with one looking at the other and saying, “how can you endure _____ and still see love?” Theother person, after a pause, responds, “how can I not? It is like opening your eyes on a clear day andtrying not to see the sunlight. All there is around me is love. Every color, shape, and composite thingradiates the love of God. It is inexplicable, but I can't really explain seeing the light either- it simplyis. And so too, in an even deeper way, is the infinite love of God.” I have not played out the rest ofthe script, but I do not think I will write the whole movie anyways.We live in, to say it in highly a-theological language, a pretty messed up world. War, violence,natural disasters, poverty, and so much more make it hard to watch the news and, somewhatunderstandably, hard for people to look at that seemingly endless void of evil and see a God, letalone the Christian God who is infinite love. And yet, as friends and followers of Jesus, we areinvited to open our eyes and to see love all around us. Yes, it is difficult, but it is necessary when ourcontext is the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.In the last few weeks, I have faced the loss of a friend, accompanied some of my studentsthrough their own loss, and more of the normal ups and downs of life. It has not been easy, and yetwhen I open my eyes, once the dust settles and I have a chance to remember who I am and where Iam, all I see is love. I am aware, though, that this is a conscious choice. The easiest thing is to see thesuffering and to sit in it. As I said in my last post, suffering is a guarantee in life. If that is all we see,life looks bleak and even meaningless. If we see love, we realize that suffering can have meaning inour lives and that death and sin do not have the final say. Today and every day, regardless of whereyou find yourself, what you endure, and how you are feeling, let us follow Pallotti's model and seekGod, because when we do, we will realize that he is all around us and the only thing we can see if wechoose to look for Him. Author:Brian Rhude is the Project Coordinator for the Catholic Apostolate Center where he works in developing Center programming, assists in updating and creating new resources on the Center's website, collaborates on the development of social media content, and provides other services and collaborates including participation at and facilitation of various events and conferences.   Resources:Listen to On Mission: Talking to Children About SufferingOn Mission: St. Vincent PallottiBrowse Self Care ResourcesRead the Ad Infinitum blog Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center and you can also listen to his weekly Sunday Gospel reflections. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources.

St. Carlo Acutis and St. Pier Giorgio Frassati are now canonized Saints and their simple, yet profound witness provides the Church, and in particular its younger members, inspiration to grow in holiness and draw others to Christ through their personal example. Brian Rhude, Project Coordinator at the Catholic Apostolate Center, joins this episode of On Mission with Chris Pierno, Sarah Scalfaro, and Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. to share what what the canonizations of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati mean for the Church.Pope Leo XIV canonized St. Carlo Acutis and St. Pier Giorgio Frassati in a ceremony on September 7, 2025. Carlo Acutis was 15 years old when he died of leukemia in a hospital in Monza, Italy in 2006. Carlo is remembered as a normal, joyful teenager who strived to be the best version of himself, living the ordinary in an extraordinary way. Carlo was generous to the poor of his community, many of whom came to pay their respects at his funeral. Carlo's passion for the Eucharist ultimately led to his mother's conversion. Living a life of similar joy and witness to the Gospel, Pier Giorgio Frassati was born in Italy in 1901. From an early age, Frassati was interested in helping others however he could. When he was 21, he became a professed member of the Third Order of St. Dominic and began to lead groups of people in works of mercy in the model of Rerum novarum. Frassati was also an avid outdoorsman, especially mountaineering. Frassati contracted polio in 1925 and died when he was just 24. Many of the poor of Turin who he had helped showed up to his funeral, shocking his parents who did not know of his charitable works. Visit the St. Carlo Acutis and St. Pier Giorgio Frassati feast day pages. Related On Mission episodes:Young SaintsCarlo AcutisFinding Faith in AdolescenceSaint Vincent Pallotti From the Ad Infinitum blog:Climbing to the Heights with Pier Giorgio FrassatiPier Giorgio Frassati: A Joyful Witness to the GospelEucharistic Encounters Through Social MediaLet Jesus Talk to You Check out the main Saints and Feast Days websiteDownload the App on the App Store or Google Play Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify On Mission is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources and podcasts. Listen to Fr. Frank's weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

For the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross for us. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

For the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross for us. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

For the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on giving ourselves fully as a disciple of Christ. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

For the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on giving ourselves fully as a disciple of Christ. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

Young adult professionals oftentimes relocate to new communities as they start a career. As they seek to practice their faith in a new community, they can encounter stumbling blocks as they integrate into parish life after experiencing college campus ministry. Listen to Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C share more in this segment of the Son Rise Morning Show on Sacred Heart Radio, about how parishes can welcome and help young adult professionals integrate into the larger community of faith.College campus ministries offer young adults numerous faith-based events and catechesis that cater to the students' needs. After graduation, some young professionals may have a hard time finding a sense of community in a new parish, which may lead to them leaving the faith all together. To address the needs of young adults in parish communities, parishes need to prioritize welcoming and getting to know young adult community members. Parishes could offer mentorship opportunities to young adults and specifically inviting the young adults into service.Notes:Listen to On Mission: The Knights of ColumbusFriends Help You Stay Catholic in CollegeYoung SaintsSpiritual Growth During Collegiate YearsOther episodes about Young Adults From the Ad Infinitum blog:10 Ways to Remain Active in Your Faith Life During CollegeYoung Adults Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center and you can also listen to his weekly Sunday Gospel reflections. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources.

Eucharist is the source a summit of our Catholic Faith. Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. We who know this are called to spread devotion to the Eucharist in our daily lives. This blogcast explores “Being a Eucharistic Missionary" from the Ad Infinitum blog, written by Patrick Laorden and read by Meghan Abando.I did not have a chance to attend the Eucharistic Congress last month. However, I did have the pleasure of reading the book For the Life of the World: Invited to Eucharistic Mission by Bishop Andrew Cozzens and Tim Glemkowski. The book outlines four essential pillars to being a Eucharistic missionary: Eucharistic encounter, Eucharistic identity, Eucharistic life, and Eucharistic mission. On the feast of St. Teresa of Calcutta, a great example of a Eucharistic missionary, let us seek her intercession to bear a Eucharistic presence in the world!Eucharistic EncounterThe life of a Eucharistic missionary starts with an encounter. We are reminded of what Pope Benedict XVI said in his encyclical Deus Caritas Est (God is Love), “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction,” (no. 1). Bishop Cozzens notes four essential elements to an encounter with Jesus: realizing that Jesus is God, experiencing one's own unworthiness, discovery that one is intimately loved, and being invited to follow him in a new life. We see these elements unfold in St. Teresa's own life when she encountered Jesus in the poor.Eucharistic IdentityOur identity is essential to our mission. Bishop Cozzens noted that Jesus never had an identity crisis. Before Jesus began his public ministry, he submitted himself to God to be baptized. Bishop Cozzens highlights three essential principles to Eucharisic identity: relationship, identity, and mission. He writes, “This is the basic point: We were created by God to be in relationship, and from our relationship we know who we are — our identity. When we know who we are, then we know how we should act and what we should do — our mission,” (pg. 50). When St. Teresa encountered Jesus in the poor, she experienced a call within a call: to assume a new identity by leaving the Sisters of Loretto and founding the Missionaries of Charity.Eucharistic LifeWe are called to a Eucharistic life, to be in communion with Christ. Bishop Cozzens notes that this communion with Christ is how we mark ourselves as the Church. Fr. Roger Landry in a 2022 article in the National Catholic Register entitled, “The Eucharistic Life of St. Teresa of Calcutta,” noted how St. Teresa compared the Missionaries of Charity's work to the Blessed Mother: ​“Every Holy Communion fills us with Jesus and we must, with our Lady, go in haste to give him to others. For her, it was on her first Holy Communion day that Jesus came into her life and so for all of us, also. He made himself the Bread of Life so that we too, like Mary, become full of Jesus. We too, like her, should be in haste to give him to others. We too, like her, serve others.”We receive Jesus in the Eucharist at Mass, and we are called to give him to others through a life of service. Bishop Cozzens explains that receiving Holy Communion is a covenantal act. “This is why we say ‘Amen,' which is a covenantal act. To receive Holy Communion is to say: ‘I want to live in this covenant with you. I want to live in communion with you, Lord.' This means I must also live in communion with the Church, Christ's Body,” (pg. 62).Eucharistic MissionThe Church, in her essence, is missionary. Bishop Cozzens notes that our mission was not invented or decided by us, rather given to us from Jesus. This mission is ad gentes or “to the nations”. The challenge today is that we no longer live in a Christian world. Pope Francis, in a 2019 address to the Roman Curia, said, “We are no longer living in a Christian world, because faith – especially in Europe, but also in a large part of the West – is no longer an evident presupposition of social life; indeed, faith is often rejected, derided, marginalized and ridiculed.”We, who have experienced an encounter with Christ, whose identity has been revealed through this encounter, and who have been called to share in this Eucharistic life, are to be a beacon of light to those who have fallen away from their faith or have never experienced Christ. St. Teresa once said, “We must know that we have been created for greater things, not just to be a number in the world, not just to go for diplomas and degrees, this work and that work. We have been created in order to love and to be loved.” This is what it means to be a Eucharistic missionary.St. Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us! Author:​Patrick Laorden serves as a Grants Associate for the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving in Hartford, CT. Resources:Listen to On Mission: Eucharistic Revival: Year of MissionRead and learn about Eucharistic RevivalRead the Ad Infinitum blog Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center and you can also listen to his weekly Sunday Gospel reflections. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources.

Good morning! On today’s show, Matt Swaim and Anna Mitchell welcome Mark Hart from LifeTeen to discuss a new edition of the Bible designed to help teenage Catholics. Other guests include Steve Ray with more insights into the theme of ascending and descending in the Bible, and Fr. Frank Donio to discuss his experience in chaplaincy with the Knights of Columbus. Plus news, weather, sports, and more… ***** A Prayer to Our Lady, Health of the Sick Our Lady, Health of the Sick,I look to you for the comfort of a mother’s love,I pray to you on behalf of those who are sufferingand for my own healing needs.Mary, your love strengthens meand brings me peace. Our Lady, Health of the Sick,embrace all who are emotionally and physically ill that they may return togood health under your tender care. And please intercede for my veryspecial needs. (mention your needs here). Mary, your love strengthens me and brings me peace. Our Lady, Health of the Sick, pray for us. Amen. ***** Derek Rotty, author of Prophet of Hope: Fulton Sheen Responds to the Modern World Kris Corriera is online at catholicappa.org. The new Catholic Teen Bible can be found at lifeteen.com. Fr. Philip Larrey is online at philiplarrey.com. Full list of guestsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

St. Vincent Pallotti founded the Union of Catholic Apostolate and the later developed Pallottine Fathers and Brothers to encourage collaboration between clergy, religious, and lay people to evangelize in every day life. Connor Combs and Sebastian Fernandez, Summer Associates at the Catholic Apostolate Center, join this episode of On Mission with Chris Pierno, Sarah Scalfaro, and Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. to share what they've learned about St. Vincent Pallotti and the Pallottine charism.St. Vincent Pallotti founded the Union of Catholic Apostolate, an association of lay people, religious, and clergy to spread the call of the universal apostolate in society. Later, the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallottine Fathers and Brothers), developed. During Vatican II, his ideas were affirmed in the documents of the Council and the call of all to missionary discipleship, as the late Pope Francis would speak about. If you would like to learn more about the Pallottines, the Union of Catholic Apostolate, and the charism of St. Vincent Pallotti, the Catholic Apostolate Center, as a ministry of the Immaculate Conception Province of the Priests and Brothers, has many resources and information about the life and ministry of Pallotti. Related On Mission episodes:Pallottine Fathers and BrothersSaint Vincent PallottiSpirituality and Prayer Through Religious Charism From the Ad Infinitum blog:PallottinesSt. Vincent Pallotti Check out the main Saints and Feast Days websiteDownload the App on the App Store or Google Play Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify On Mission is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources and podcasts. Listen to Fr. Frank's weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

For the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on selflessly serving Christ. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

For the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on selflessly serving Christ. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

The Knights of Columbus awarded Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. the Blessed Michael McGivney Medal, which honors his longtime chaplaincy at The Catholic University of America. Listen to Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C share more in this segment of the Son Rise Morning Show on Sacred Heart Radio, about his role in founding the council and how he's accompanied college men grow in faith.The 2025 recipient of the Blessed Michael McGivney Medal is Pallottine Father Frank Donio, state chaplain of the District of Columbia, who received the medal from Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly during the annual Supreme Knight's Awards Session held on Aug. 4, the eve of the 143rd Supreme Convention in Washington, D.C.While an undergraduate student at CUA, Father Donio helped establish The Catholic University of America Council 9542 on campus in 1987. He has now served as the chaplain of that council for almost two decades, and also serves as faithful friar of James Cardinal Hickey Assembly 2534 in Washington, D.C.As council chaplain, Father Donio has been a spiritual father to many young adults discerning their vocations, offering advice and encouragement to guide them toward God's will and hosting a yearly discernment retreat for council members. Since Father Donio became chaplain, at least 20 men have become priests thanks to his influence and encouragement, including former members of Council 9542. Present and former council members testify to his unwavering dedication and profound impact on their understanding of the faith and their relationship with Christ.Notes:Read: Article on Blessed Michael McGivney Medal for Chaplaincy in the Knights of ColumbusWatch: Blessed Michael McGivney Award – Father Frank Donio, Chaplain to Catholic University KnightsFurther Resources:Listen to On Mission: The Knights of ColumbusFriends Help You Stay Catholic in CollegeYoung SaintsOther episodes about Young Adults Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center and you can also listen to his weekly Sunday Gospel reflections. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources.

For the Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on striving for Christ. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

For the Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on striving for Christ. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

Eucharistic processions have been a tradition in the Catholic Church for countless years. Recently, the Church in the United States celebrated the National Eucharistic Congress, which culminated four national Eucharistic processions and pilgrimage routes. This blogcast explores “Pilgrimage and the Eucharist as Food for the Journey" from the Ad Infinitum blog, written and read by Fatima Monterrubio Cruess.As you may know, we are in the final phase of the National Eucharistic Revival, “a three-year initiative sponsored by the Bishops of the United States to inspire and prepare the People of God to be formed, healed, converted, united, and sent out to a hurting and hungry world through a renewed encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist – the source and summit of our Catholic faith”. This initiative is a response to the Holy Father's call for a “pastoral and missionary conversion which cannot leave things as they presently are” so that the Church in the United States might be “permanently in a state of mission” (Evangelii Gaudium, 25). This final phase known as the “Year of Mission” is a response to the preceding stages of diocesan and parish revival as well as the National Eucharistic Congress that was held July 17-21, 2024.One beautiful expression of this missionary dimension of the Eucharistic Revival was the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage that took place leading up to the National Eucharistic Congress. The first of its kind, and one of the largest Eucharistic processions in history, consisted of four routes beginning at the northern, southern, eastern, and western parts of the United States. The routes formed the shape of a cross as pilgrims journeyed with the Blessed Sacrament across the whole country, blessing over 6,000 miles of our nation.Participants in the pilgrimage attended Mass every day of their journey and had regular evenings of reflection and adoration. After traveling for about two months, all four branches of the Pilgrimage met in Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress. I was privileged to join a moment of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage along the northern route, known as the Marian route, which began at the headwaters of the Mississippi and wound its way through the midwestern United States.As the pilgrimage passed through Notre Dame, IN over the course of a weekend, I was able to attend a couple of the specially planned events. One was a musical entitled “Behold God's Love: A Eucharistic Musical,” which drew inspiration from mystery plays performed on the feast of Corpus Christi (the Body and Blood of Christ) in the Middle Ages. These plays presented moments from salvation history. The other special event was Sunday Mass in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart followed by a procession around the university's campus, culminating in Benediction offered from the steps of the Main Building.It was such a gift to join pilgrims, some of whom had been part of the route from the beginning, in a tangible manifestation of our life as “the pilgrim Church on earth”, the people of God on their way to their heavenly homeland. It provided an opportunity to reflect in a special way on one of the many names with which we refer to the Eucharist, one that evokes a certain aspect of the “inexhaustible richness of this sacrament” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1328). Viaticum, a Latin word that means provision for the journey, is a particularly fitting name to contemplate in the context of this pilgrimage, as the Eucharist is the spiritual food which sustains and nourishes us. Certainly, it was the source of sustenance for those making the cross-country journey over the course of several weeks. Yet this pilgrimage (and all pilgrimages) was undertaken to call to mind our common human condition as those marching onward “ ‘following the narrow way of the cross,' toward the heavenly banquet” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1344), when we can all be seated at the table of the Kingdom of God. ​The Eucharist as viaticum gives us the graces we need for each day as we advance along our earthly pilgrimage. Each step of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage reminds us that our entire lives and every place in which we find ourselves can be holy, consecrated by the presence of our Lord. When we receive the Lord in the Eucharist and accept the call to be sent forth on mission to every part of the world, we experience “a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the Holy City of Jerusalem toward which we journey as pilgrims, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God, Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1090). The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, whether or not you were able to join it, shows a visible bond of communion that assures “the unity of the pilgrim Church” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 815) and reminds us that we do not  have to journey to far-off holy places to go on mission. Every place our feet touch can be holy ground if, as we tread it, we seek to draw ever closer to our Eucharistic Lord, who longs to make himself present to us and to all, not only in the Mass, but in every moment. Author:Fatima Monterrubio Cruess is the Resource Coordinator for the Catholic Apostolate Center. In this role, she assists in the creation and use of the Center's content and resources in both English and Spanish. Resources:Listen to On Mission podcast Catholic Feast Days AppRead the Ad Infinitum blog Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center and you can also listen to his weekly Sunday Gospel reflections. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources.

College provides young adults opportunities to explore the larger world and get to know new people and experience new things. With that, many students drift away from the Catholic Faith while in school. However, a group of peers to hold each other accountable and provide motivation to grow in relationship with Jesus can help students thrive in college and go deeper in their faith. Connor Combs and Sebastian Fernandez, Summer Associates at the Catholic Apostolate Center, join this episode of On Mission with Chris Pierno, Sarah Scalfaro, and Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. to share how friends and accountability helped them remain and grow in their Catholic faith while studying in college.When arriving on a college campus, Catholic students usually have a choice: go to Mass or don't go to Mass? For many, this is the first time they will have this question posed to them. Connor and Sebastian share from their experience encountering that same question and what means were available to them that allowed them to grow in faith. For example, a good group of friends provided motivation and accountability to go to Mass, frequent the sacraments, and live a prayerful student experience. Making the conscious choice to attend a more religious institution helped maintain them in the context of the Catholic Faith. View Synod on Young People resources Related On Mission episodes:Living Faith on a Secular CampusCommunity LifeYoung SaintsSocial Media From the Ad Infinitum blog:Student LifeFriendship Check out the main Saints and Feast Days websiteDownload the App on the App Store or Google Play Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify On Mission is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources and podcasts. Listen to Fr. Frank's weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

For the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on living our life of faith with zeal. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

For the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on living our life of faith with zeal. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

For the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on our being prepared every day to receive Christ in our lives. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

For the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on our being prepared every day to receive Christ in our lives. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

Hour 2 for 8/6/25 Drew and Helen prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy (1:00). Anthony R. Picarello, Jr. covered the John Paul II Shrine in DC (26:06), Fr. Frank Donio discussed leadership and the Fr. McGivney award (35:23), and Robby Nayden covered the Knights Cor mission (42:50). Link: KofC.org/Relevant

Discernment is a prayerful process by which we come to understand God's will in our lives for a particular decision. This blogcast explores “Discernment: Day to Day and Lifelong" from the Ad Infinitum blog, written by Christian Bordak-Roseman and read by Meg Ferguson.The popularity of the word discernment seems to have skyrocketed in Catholic circles in recent years. Discernment has always been linked to discerning one's lifelong vocation to married, single, or religious life. Discernment has also been linked—especially recently—to more short-term decisions such as what to study in college, what job to accept, and even more mundane choices within one's daily life. Many times, young people—myself included for many years in the past—want to tackle the question of lifelong discernment head on, determining their vocation as quickly as possible. This, however, cuts off the central aspect of discernment which is a long-term personal relationship with God. Instead of looking at discernment from the top down, one must examine their daily life, decisions, and prayer life to allow God to show them the path to their lifelong vocation. When I was in college, I was racked by pressure to determine my lifelong vocation to either married, single, or religious life. At the time, I understood that the heart of discernment was taking decisions to God in my prayer life, but all I could focus on was finding the result. In reality, the way to go about discernment is to maintain constant communication with God, to consistently acknowledge His Holy Presence in your life and bring your day-to-day life into your prayers. God presents Himself to us through innumerable ways on any given day, and a cornerstone of prayer is noticing Him there. If, however, you were like me in college worrying about the final result instead of an actionable next step, it is easy to miss God and lose out on quality discernment. It is only through regular prayer that God can reveal Himself clearly to us. Prayer has the power to make sense of the chaos that rules our lives in the twenty-first century. A meditation or Examen in the morning or evening can lead one to see God's personal actions daily and enable us to bring God into our lives more actively. Retreats—whether a day-long, weekend long, or self-paced at-home retreats—can allow us to break down longer stints of our lives, see God's presence, and reorient us for larger decisions that might be facing us. Once I realized that my larger vocation questions were not going to be answered unless I discerned daily, it allowed me to become more attuned with God and deepen my prayer life. I began to see how God was strengthening me as a boyfriend, fiancé, and now husband to support and be supported by my now wife. Additionally, by focusing my prayer on the daily actions of my studying and student-teaching internships and being the best teacher I could be, I was able to see how God works in and through me in my career. This realization enabled me to be confident in a career decision that was not something I would have considered when I was beginning my undergraduate experience. As many have said before, God rarely comes to us in beatific visions with clear instructions on how to live our lives for Him. Instead, Jesus comes to us through people and events around us, hoping to guide us along the way of life. Discernment is looking for trail markers that Jesus leaves for us; we are looking to understand the roadmap He laid out for us. Author:Christian Bordak-Roseman serves as a Religion Teacher at St. John's College High School in Washington DC. He received his Bachelor of Arts in History, minoring in Theology, and a Master of Arts in Secondary Education at The Catholic University of America. Informed by the Lasallian charism of St. John's and the Pallottine charism of the Catholic Apostolate Center, Christian works to witness Christ's mission of love by living as an apostle at school as a teacher and at home as a husband. Resources:Listen to On Mission: DiscernmentOn Mission: Spiritual Growth During Collegiate YearsRead the Ad Infinitum blogDiscernment Resources Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center and you can also listen to his weekly Sunday Gospel reflections. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources.

Social media is a powerful tool for Catholic ministries and evangelizers to spread the message of the Gospel, build community, and dialogue with others. Ministries, apostolates, and non-profits must keep in mind that serves the purpose of drawing people into a deeper, more personal relationship with Jesus in and through the Church, most particularly through the Sacraments. Grady Connolly, founder of Social Thomist, joins this episode of On Mission with Chris Pierno, Sarah Scalfaro, and Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. to share how ministries can employ social media for Christ and his Church.With the amount of information and media available to us, Grady recommends to be intentional with how we post to social media and what we consume on social media. Some recommendations could be to take notes about what you're consuming or set personal limits. Regardless of how we consume, the reality of the true, the good, and the beautiful unfolding in front of us surpasses anything we can engage with online. View Social Media Resources Related On Mission episodes:Social MediaPodcast EvangelizationShrinesPilgrimages  From the Ad Infinitum blog:Social MediaPilgrimagesShrines Check out the main Saints and Feast Days websiteDownload the App on the App Store or Google Play  Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify On Mission is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources and podcasts. Listen to Fr. Frank's weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

For the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on what is truly important in life. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

For the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on what is truly important in life. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

Youth and young adults are beacons of hope and signs of hope in our world, according to Pope Leo XIV in his video message to young people gathered at Rate Field, Chicago. Listen to Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C share more in this segment of the Son Rise Morning Show on Sacred Heart Radio, about how young people hope in Christ and can inspire others to hope in Christ as well as we celebrate the Jubilee of Youth in Rome this week.The Jubilee of Youth is underway in Rome where young adults are invited to the Eternal City to partake in spiritual events, pilgrimage, and community with other faith-filled young adults. The Vatican estimates over 1 million youth and young adults will make the pilgrimage to Rome to partake in special Jubilee events and Mass. Pope Leo XIV said of young people in his address at Rate Field:“To, once again, the young people who are gathered here, I'd like to say that you are the promise of hope for so many of us. The world looks to you as you look around yourselves and say: we need you, we want you to come together to share with us in this common mission, as Church and in society, of announcing a message of true hope and of promoting peace, promoting harmony, among all peoplesWe have to look beyond our own - if you will - egotistical ways. We have to look for ways of coming together and promoting a message of hope. Saint Augustine says to us that if we want the world to be a better place, we have to begin with ourselves, we have to begin with our own lives, our own hearts (cfr Speech 311; Comment on St John's Gospel, Homily 77).And so, in this sense, as you gather together as a faith community, as you celebrate in the Archdiocese of Chicago, as you offer your own experience of joy and of hope, you can find out, you can discover that you, too, are indeed beacons of hope. That light, that perhaps on the horizon is not very easy to see, and yet, as we grow in our unity, as we come together in communion, we can discover that that light will grow brighter and brighter. That light which is indeed our faith in Jesus Christ. And we can become that message of hope, to promote peace and unity throughout our world.”Notes:Listen to On Mission: Jubilee YearYoung SaintsOther episodes about Young Adults View Synod on the Young People ResourcesPope Leo XIV Resources Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center and you can also listen to his weekly Sunday Gospel reflections. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources.

For the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on being open to God. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

For the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on being open to God. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

Suffering is present in our days manifesting itself in small, daily sufferings or in larger more profound experiences such as chronic illness. With the grace Christ offers us through his passion, death, and resurrection, suffering takes on a new, sanctifying meaning whereby we . This blogcast explores “The Guarantee of Suffering" from the Ad Infinitum blog, written and read by Brian Rhude.There are a few guarantees in this life. Some say it is death and taxes. Purdue basketball fans, such as myself, will add Matt Painter. But there is another guarantee in life, and it is one that is as uncomfortable and taboo as death: suffering. Death, taxes, Matt Painter, and suffering.The suffering we think of most often is typically connected to death - the suffering of a cancer patient or of someone who has been in a tragic accident. This suffering is very real, but also extraordinary. I do not mean that this suffering is somehow alien to the human experience; it is deeply real and personal to those who experience it and their loved ones, but that it is truly extra (outside of the) ordinary. Ordinary suffering comes in many forms: the lack of sleep felt by new parents, the inability to pay one's bills after being laid off, the end of a relationship that seemed to be perfect, the inexplicable change in direction from the Lord after following a path that seemed ordained by that same God. These, and countless other examples, are the suffering of the day-to-day life of the human person.There is a human tendency to compare suffering. “Well, their suffering seems so much worse than mine, so mine must be insignificant, and my response to my suffering is somehow overblown or distorted.” But this reaction is what is distorted. Suffering is, as I said at the start of this blog, guaranteed in life. That is a pretty undesirable guarantee. All we have to do is look out into the world, or just rewatch the movie of our own lives to find some sort of suffering, whether great or “small.” The question is not if we will suffer, but how we handle suffering and what it does in our lives.I am personally unable to understand how one can endure suffering without some sort of conception of God, and more specifically a personal relationship with the God who became man and who suffered and died for us. It is just that relationship that has gotten me through the traumatic death of my father just over five years ago and the daily suffering that is thrown my way. Suffering can easily make a strong person crumble, so the first thing we should do is realize that we are not strong, but weak. We are the sick that Jesus professes need a physician in the Gospel of Matthew. The physician is the only one who can prescribe the medication of grace needed to help us through our suffering. The grace is dispensed to us not through pills or syringes but through prayer. It is only through constant prayer, which is the reception of the transformative love of God, that suffering has meaning and can be endured. Sr. Ruth Burrows says in her book Essence of Prayer that God's touch in our lives, “however lightly, means I suffer,” (Burrow, 38). Prayer opens us up to the fact that we are nothing, we are weak, we are in great need and, “it is then that I really experience that I need Jesus and everything depends on my living this out, letting go of the controls, handing them over to him and accepting to have no holiness, no achievement of my own, to be before God as nothing,” (ibid, 39).This is the bottom line of suffering. It is not gratuitous, meaningless, or completely nonsensical; it is the process of being stripped of all of our egotistical and self-seeking tendencies that leave us closed off to God's healing touch. Patient endurance of the suffering we experience is the way that we are prepared for life with God. How do we know this? Because Jesus Christ took on human form and lived in perfect obedience as the Apostle to the Eternal Father. Jesus' life found its highest fulfillment in obedient suffering and sacrifice in the Garden of Gethsemane, at the Pillar, on the road to Calvary, and on the Cross. In his suffering, Christ took on all of ours - from the suffering of a broken heart to the suffering of death - and brought them meaning. In fact, it was the signs of his suffering that he kept after his resurrection as trophies of his victory over death. It was these same signs of suffering, Jesus' wounds, that proved the resurrection to Thomas.Our wounds, our suffering, participate in the suffering and wounds of Christ. Thomas experienced the Risen Christ in His wounds, and we too experience Him in our wounds. Suffering is a guarantee, but it does not end as pain- it leads us to victory, to intimacy with God, and brings us to God as empty vessels for him to fill with his glory. Author:Brian Rhude is the Project Coordinator for the Catholic Apostolate Center where he works in developing Center programming, assists in updating and creating new resources on the Center's website, collaborates on the development of social media content, and provides other services and collaborates including participation at and facilitation of various events and conferences.   Resources:Listen to On Mission: Talking to Children About SufferingBrowse Self Care ResourcesRead the Ad Infinitum blog Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center and you can also listen to his weekly Sunday Gospel reflections. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources.

Basilicas are churches in the Catholic Church that receive the honorific title by the pope. There are four major basilicas in Rome and the others worldwide are minor basilicas. Grady Connolly, founder of Social Thomist, joins this episode of On Mission with Chris Pierno, Sarah Scalfaro, and Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. to share his experiences taking pilgrimages around the United States to visit all 93 minor basilicas.The Romans used basilicas as a gathering place and the seat of the local ruling official. After Christianity was legalized, the early Christians gathered in the basilicas for Mass and Sacraments. Today, the Pope is responsible for declaring a church a basilica, which distinguishes the church from others as a particular place of pilgrimage, sacraments, and liturgical beauty. Grady Connolly has visited over 60 of the basilicas in the US and plans to visit all of the basilicas and document his findings in an upcoming book. Related On Mission episodes:ShrinesPilgrimagesPapal History  From the Ad Infinitum blog:PilgrimagesShrines Check out the main Saints and Feast Days websiteDownload the App on the App Store or Google Play Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify On Mission is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources and podcasts. Listen to Fr. Frank's weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

For the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on choosing the better part.  Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

For the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on choosing the better part.  Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

The Our Lady of Mt. Carmel procession through the streets of Hammonton, New Jersey, celebrates the 150th anniversary with a Canonical Coronation from the Pope will be bestowed upon the statue a Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Listen to Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C share more in this segment of the Son Rise Morning Show on Sacred Heart Radio, about how the procession impacted his family and the people who attend it.The 150th anniversary of the procession in honor of the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Hammonton, New Jersey, is the longest continuous Italian festival in the United States. The image of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel there will have a canonical coronation on the feast day, July 16th. A Mass celebrates the special event as well as the annual procession of saints through the streets. The Pallottines served the parish that was called St. Joseph from 1901-2004. The diocese merged three parishes into one and renamed the parish, St. Mary of Mt. Carmel. The other image of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel that has a canonical crown is at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in New York (1904) which is the first church of the Pallottines in the United States. The Pallottines still serve there there.A canonical coronation is a formal act by the Pope, expressed through a papal bull, to crown a venerated image of Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, or St. Joseph. This act acknowledges the image's local and universal significance within the Catholic Church. This is a rare honor for the church and our diocese.In the United States, only four Marian images have received this honor: Our Lady of Prompt Succor: Crowned on November 10, 1895, in New Orleans, Louisiana.Our Lady of Mount Carmel: Crowned on July 10, 1904, in New York City, New York. Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception: Crowned on August 22, 2013, in Lake Charles, Louisiana.  Our Lady of La Leche: Crowned on October 10, 2021, at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine in Florida.The Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel celebrates the tradition that a Carmelite friar, St. Simon Stock, received a vision of the Blessed Mother presenting him with the Brown Scapular. Today, the scapular forms a part of the habit of Carmelite friars and sisters. Lay faithful who wear the scapular do so as both a sign of devotion to the Blessed Mother and as a promise to imitate her example as the perfect follower of Christ.Listen to Pallottine Fathers and Brothers to learn moreLearn more about Our Lady of Mt. CarmelVisit the Canonical Coronation websiteView the other images in the processionReady Summertime is a Time for Processions Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center and you can also listen to his weekly Sunday Gospel reflections. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources.

For the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on caring for our neighbor.  Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

For the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on caring for our neighbor.  Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

For the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on going forth on mission for Christ. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

For the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on going forth on mission for Christ. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

For the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. reflects on being perfected by Christ for mission. Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.