On Mission

We’ve all been there: we are traveling and someone notices that we are Christian and/or Catholic and they start a conversation with us. What do we do when strangers ask us about our Catholic Faith when in public? Whenever we travel and embrace our Catholic faith, we may find ourselves publicly witnessing Christ and could turn into moments of evangelization with those whom we encounter. In this episode of On Mission, Chris Pierno, Sarah Scalfaro, and Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. are joined by William Tishuk, Production Coordinator at Catholic Apostolate Center, to discuss how we can live the Faith on vacation and be ready to answer questions about Catholicism while we travel.

The Faith does not take a vacation, even if we are away from home traveling to Disney, the beach, or other countries. When we are intentional with practicing the Faith, we find ourselves attending Mass in new parishes or having faith-based conversations with people we may not know. We can embrace these seemingly random events as moments God has purposely put in our way to help other people to know him better. Never be shy to pray before eating at a restaurant, or reading a Christian book in the airport, or even showing explicit kindness to strangers because we never know how God will use our actions to bring about a greater world.

Related On Mission episodes:

Prayerful Parenthood

Prayer, Work, and Life Balance

Maintain Prayer Routines During Summer Vacation

From the Ad Infinitum blog:

Vacation and Faith Refreshers

Making the Most of Summer with Your Church

More posts about Summer and Vacation

Check out the main Saints and Feast Days website

Download the App on the App Store or Google Play

Follow us:

• The Catholic Apostolate Center
• The Center's podcast website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify

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.

Offering hospitality is a great way to show appreciation and be welcoming to the priests in your life. In this episode of On Mission, Chris Pierno, Sarah Scalfaro, and Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. are joined by William Tishuk, Production Coordinator at Catholic Apostolate Center, to discuss what are some methods people can use to help their priests feel more welcomed and a part of the larger community.

Our priests do so much to take care of us and we can show our gratitude by inviting them over for dinner, remembering their ordination anniversaries, and collaborating in the ministries they are a part of. We as Christians are all journeying to Heaven together and our priests are part of our family of faith. Incorporating priests in our family life helps them feel a part of the larger community. If there are priests from other countries, then we can recognize that they may feel home sick at times. These moments are excellent opportunities to cook a meal for them to eat in the rectory during the busy times of the year. When we remember that priests and laity are all children of the Heavenly Father, we can collaborate with them more effectively and treat them as extended members of our family.

Related On Mission episodes:

Catholic Hospitality

Priestly Ministry Beyond the Parish

Spiritual Fatherhood

From the Ad Infinitum blog:

National Vocation Awareness Week: Vocational Discernment

More posts about Priesthood

Check out the main Saints and Feast Days website

Download the App on the App Store or Google Play

Follow us:

• The Catholic Apostolate Center
• The Center's podcast website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify

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.

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 History

Catholic Hospitality

Saint Vincent Pallotti

From the Ad Infinitum blog:

Summertime is a Time for Processions

Check out the main Saints and Feast Days website

Download the App on the App Store or Google Play

Follow us:

• The Catholic Apostolate Center
• The Center's podcast website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify

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.

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 Saints

Carlo Acutis

Finding Faith in Adolescence

Saint Vincent Pallotti

From the Ad Infinitum blog:

Climbing to the Heights with Pier Giorgio Frassati

Pier Giorgio Frassati: A Joyful Witness to the Gospel

Eucharistic Encounters Through Social Media

Let Jesus Talk to You

Check out the main Saints and Feast Days website

Download the App on the App Store or Google Play

Follow us:

• The Catholic Apostolate Center
• The Center's podcast website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify

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.

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 Brothers

Saint Vincent Pallotti

Spirituality and Prayer Through Religious Charism

From the Ad Infinitum blog:

Pallottines

St. Vincent Pallotti

Check out the main Saints and Feast Days website

Download the App on the App Store or Google Play

Follow us:

• The Catholic Apostolate Center
• The Center's podcast website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify

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.

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 Campus

Community Life

Young Saints

Social Media

From the Ad Infinitum blog:

Student Life

Friendship

Check out the main Saints and Feast Days website

Download the App on the App Store or Google Play

Follow us:

• The Catholic Apostolate Center
• The Center's podcast website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify

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.

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 Media

Podcast Evangelization

Shrines

Pilgrimages

From the Ad Infinitum blog:

Social Media

Pilgrimages

Shrines

Check out the main Saints and Feast Days website

Download the App on the App Store or Google Play

Follow us:

• The Catholic Apostolate Center
• The Center's podcast website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify

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.

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:

Shrines

Pilgrimages

Papal History

From the Ad Infinitum blog:

Pilgrimages

Shrines

Check out the main Saints and Feast Days website

Download the App on the App Store or Google Play

Follow us:

• The Catholic Apostolate Center
• The Center's podcast website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify

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.

Parents experience shifts in their prayer routines after welcoming children into the world. As single people, one can experience long stretches of time without interruption to say their prayers. After welcoming a child, a parent needs to adjust. Meg Ferguson, Curriculum Coordinator at the Catholic Apostolate Center, joins this episode of On Mission with Chris Pierno and Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. to share her journey to adapting her prayer life to being a parent and developing a more personal and intimate relationship with God in the process.

Prayer is the life-line for all Christians. It keeps us rooted in God and enables us to be in communion with him throughout the day. Becoming a parent requires learning how to adjust a prayer routine. But this challenge opens up the parent to new graces and a deeper intimacy with God that the parent may not have known prior.

Related On Mission episodes:

Prayer, Work, and Life Balance

Accompaniment

Year of Prayer

From the Ad Infinitum blog:

Parents

View Prayer and Catechesis resources

Check out the main Saints and Feast Days website

Download the App on the App Store or Google Play

Follow us:

• The Catholic Apostolate Center
• The Center's podcast website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify

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.

Accompaniment allows people of faith to mutually assist each other’s spiritual growth and provides a pathway for less experienced people to learn and grow through an intentional relationship. The Catholic Apostolate Center recently developed an online course that will be available soon to equip people with the basics and how-to of accompaniment. Meg Ferguson, Curriculum Coordinator at the Catholic Apostolate Center, joins this episode of On Mission with Chris Pierno and Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. to share her inspiration and development of the virtual Accompaniment Course.

Missionary discipleship is most fruitful through the witness of the baptized. Many are profoundly moved, particularly by the witness of young people. People often comment on who is not active in the life of faith. How often do we put our attention on those who are? These are the people, including many young people, who live their faith and go forth daily as missionary disciples of Christ.

Pope Francis teaches that “missionary disciples accompany missionary disciples” (Evangelii Gaudium, 175). The baptized do not become missionary disciples on their own, they need accompaniment. This is true for young people and true for all. Young people do need accompaniment toward missionary discipleship, but that can only happen if others are well-formed disciples. Part of this formation includes learning more about ministry with young people, particularly young adults.

Many young people evangelize others through their witness of faith in word and deed. Sometimes this is a story that is not told. They live well their faith through missionary discipleship and have brought others to Christ and his Church. They need our support, accompaniment, and prayers.

Related On Mission episodes:

Accompaniment

Retreat Experiences and Accompaniment

Dr. Timoney on Parish Pastoral Councils

From the Ad Infinitum blog:

Accompaniment

View Collaboration in Ministry resources

Check out the main Saints and Feast Days website

Download the App on the App Store or Google Play

Follow us:

• The Catholic Apostolate Center
• The Center's podcast website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify

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.