From serving as a volunteer chaplain at the UCLA Olympic Village to film production and teaching, Father Frank Desiderio, CSP has a multitude of experiences during his 33-year priesthood.

A native of Washington, D.C., Father Desiderio, graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in English literature in 1976 and holds master’s degrees in communications management and theology. After his ordination in 1982, he served at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Los Angeles, becoming the director of the University Catholic Center at the University of California at Los Angeles in 1984.

In 1988, Father Desiderio went into radio production, overseeing two religious and public affairs shows for Paulist Communications. He then became rector of St. Paul’s College, the Paulist seminary in Washington, D.C., while teaching at The Catholic University of America and Washington Theological Union. Father Desiderio returned to Los Angeles to join the staff of Paulist Productions in 1998, becoming its president in 2000. He then served as the director of the Paulist Center in Boston before becoming the first consultor of the Paulist Fathers in 2014. Father Desiderio is a practitioner of Tai Chi and enjoys bicycling and hiking.

The following is Father Desiderio’s reflection on his experiences in religious life.

St. Francis of Assisi, Ernest Hemingway, St. Francis Xavier, Jack Kerouac, St. Paul, Bruce Springsteen, my early influences were all men who lived on or wrote about being on the road.  Couple that with my felt call to be a priest and it made sense to become an itinerate preacher. The paradigm of my life is camping with Jesus.

In my younger years I experienced in a visceral way the love of God and wanted to share that gift with others. I chose the Paulists because I was impressed by the men I met. They were all well educated, savvy and grounded. They were uncommon men of common sense. Besides being on the road preaching, I was also interested in doing media work. The Paulists allowed me to do that. I worked with Father Jack Mulhall doing radio production at Paulist Communications and succeeded Father Bud Keiser as president of Paulist Productions. After I left television and video work I wrote a book for Paulist Press, created an audio series for Now You Know Media and still use multi-media presentations as part of parish missions. The Paulists continue to encourage me in the ministry of being an itinerate preacher.

Religious life allows me to follow Christ and live the Gospel in a very focused way. I find the structure and support for this life in a community of like-minded individuals who are individualists. The Paulists have allowed me to grow in my personal spiritual journey and develop a unique ministry. Currently I spend part of my time doing parish missions titled, Can You Let Go of a Grudge. This exploration of the spirituality of forgiveness grew out of the Paulist mission of reconciliation. It’s a way for me to help others live free of resentment and hurt by leading them to the healing of Jesus Christ.

After 36 years as a Paulist, I find religious life is still a life-giving option. I still like to travel, I still like to preach and, all the time, new opportunities open to be an instrument of God’s grace in the world. Those opportunities form me and fuel the ongoing conversion that is the religious life.