86. Fr. Frank S. Donio, S.A.C., D.Min.
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On Today’s Show
Changing Our World‘s Jim Friend interviews Fr. Frank S. Donio, S.A.C., D.Min., Director of the Catholic Apostolate Center and a member of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallottine Fathers and Brothers). Fr. Frank is also Executive Director of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men of the United States (CMSM), the national organization representing leaders of Catholic religious institutes for men, monasteries, and societies of apostolic life in the United States. Jim and Fr. Frank discuss the life-giving mission of the Catholic Apostolate Center and how they have adapted and enhanced their ministry through the pandemic. Fr. Frank also shares the joys and opportunities of the religious life for the CMSM and closes with some thoughts on the upcoming season of Lent.
About Fr. Frank
Fr. Frank’s academic background, teaching, presenting, pastoral and administrative work is focused primarily around evangelization, spiritual formation, and pastoral practice that fosters greater co-responsibility and collaboration among all the baptized. Father holds additional provincial, national and international leadership positions in the Pallottines and in the Union of Catholic Apostolate (UAC), an international public association of the faithful founded by St. Vincent Pallotti in 1835. Fr. Frank is the former Provincial Rector of the Immaculate Conception Province of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate. Some of his other prior assignments include Provincial Director of Formation, Pastoral Director of St. Jude Shrine in Baltimore, MD, and Chaplain of Bishop Eustace Preparatory School in Pennsauken, NJ.
Fr. Frank writes, presents and gives numerous interviews on evangelization, co-responsibility and collaboration in ministry and apostolate, pastoral planning, Church leadership and management, and Catholic and Pallottine spirituality. He has spoken at various colleges and universities, schools of Theology, dioceses, and national and international conferences as well as on radio, television, and podcasts. He also provides consultation to Catholic dioceses, religious communities, and organizations in the United States and internationally. Fr. Frank and the Center are recipients of the Gaudium et Spes Award from the National Association for Lay Ministry. The award is its highest honor and recognizes an outstanding individual or organization for promoting understanding of the Church in the world according to the vision of Vatican II.
He collaborated with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on the development of Living as Missionary Disciples: A Resource for Evangelization and on the Convocation of Catholic Leaders. Fr. Frank served as a Consultant to the USCCB Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis and Consultant to the Archdiocese of Baltimore for pastoral planning and assisted in the development of its Be Missionary Disciples planning process.
He is a Lecturer in the undergraduate Theology program in the School of Theology and Religious Studies at The Catholic University of America. At the graduate level, he teaches at St. Joseph’s College of Main in the online Theology program and taught part-time at Fordham University in the Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education. He teaches in the areas of Catholic mission, pastoral ministry, spirituality, ecclesiology, and Church management and leadership. Fr. Frank is a recipient of the Part-Time Faculty Award for Teaching Excellent in Ecclesiastical Schools from The Catholic University of America.
Fr. Frank has an extensive background in young adult ministry, particularly at the collegiate level, and has assisted pastorally at various universities in Maryland and the District of Columbia over the last twenty-two years. Currently, he assists the Office of Campus Ministry at The Catholic University of America.
He is also significantly involved in chaplaincy with the Knights of Columbus, including three terms as State Chaplain of the District of Columbia, and serving currently as Chaplain of The Catholic University of America Council 9542. While in Baltimore, he served as a chaplain of the Baltimore City Fire Department.
He serves on several boards. He is past President of The Catholic University of America Alumni Association, former Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Washington Theological Union, former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Bishop Eustace Preparatory School and former At-Large Member of the Board of Directors of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men of the United States.
Fr. Frank holds a Doctor of Ministry in Adult Spiritual Formation from The Catholic University of America (CUA), as well as a Bachelor of Arts in History (summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa) and a Master of Arts in Church History from CUA. He also holds a Master of Divinity from Washington Theological Union and a Master of Science in Church Management from Villanova University School of Business.
Born in 1966, Fr. Frank is originally from Hammonton, New Jersey, the oldest of four sons of Frank (deceased) and Angela Donio. He made his first consecration as a Pallottine in 1986 and his ordination to the priesthood was in 1994.