Father Frank DeSiano, C.S.P., celebrates Mass during the retreat.

The Paulist Associates in Florida set up for the Meet St. Paul Retreat held at the end of January. ENLARGE PHOTO

St. Paul is alive and well, and he is still evangelizing with great enthusiasm, fervor and love for Christ and his fellow man. This is what the 50 participants of the Meet St. Paul Retreat coordinated by the Paulist Associates in Florida will tell you after the late-January event held in Riverview.

Father Frank DeSiano, C.S.P., who leads the Paulist Associates and serves as president of the Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association, gave a unique retreat in which he transformed himself into the person of St. Paul. He artfully took us back in time 2,000 years when St. Paul was imprisoned in Rome. It was a little like sitting down for a quiet day with Grandpa to listen to him reminisce about days long since past. It is always so fascinating listening to the years of wisdom and experience that a grandparent has to share. On this day we sat down and listened with great curiosity to the life and experiences of one very wise Grandpa, St. Paul himself.

I am not a lay member of the Paulist Associates, but I had the privilege of helping to set up and prepare for the retreat. Since I already knew I would be taking pictures and writing an article about the retreat, I attempted to observe the movement of the Holy Spirit and the presence of St. Paul throughout the day.

As we set up chairs and tables, and prepared food for the day, I could palpably feel the energy of the event building. The Gregorian chant music playing in the background helped us to ease into the day. As we got closer to the start of the retreat, Father DeSiano would steal moments to review his notes and prepare for the performance. I could see him becoming more focused as each minute passed.

Terry Modica, coordinator of the Florida Paulist Associates, leads a reflection during the Meet St. Paul Retreat. ENLARGE PHOTO

The retreat began with introductions by Terry Modica, the coordinator of the Paulist Associates in Florida, and morning prayer led by Father DeSiano. Knowing that St. Paul was so adamant about the members of the Christian community being unified in the Body of Christ, I am sure he very much approved of Father DeSiano starting the day with community prayer. In fact, I believe he would insist upon it.

After morning prayer, we finally met St. Paul as he sauntered out shackled in chains. He thanked us for coming to visit him in prison, visibly appreciating the act of charity. He admitted that for the most part the prisoners left him alone, but always seemed to look at him in a puzzled manner, wondering what made him tick. The curiosity of others gave him opportunities to evangelize. He actually expressed gratitude for his time in prison as it gave him time to think, reflect and pray. Not a luxury he had as much time for when roaming the world seeking the next community he would form, the next seed he would plant, the next church he would build.

As Father DeSiano warmed up and got comfortable, you could see the spirit of St. Paul radiating from his personage. You really started to feel like you were sitting down with St. Paul. In my opinion, that is exactly what we were doing! At the end of our first session with St. Paul, Mrs. Modica asked us to reflect on our own “missionary field.” We are not all called to evangelize in the same manner and way St. Paul did, but we do need to contemplate how we are called to evangelize within the construct of our daily lives.

Time for personal reflection at the Meet St. Paul Retreat. ENLARGE PHOTO

As St. Paul continued, he gave us personal insights into the communities that he worked so hard to develop. He talked candidly of his love for the Philippians as they followed his example so well. But, he also talked about his distaste for the smugness and arrogance of the Corinthians and the idleness of the Thessalonians. He was not afraid to speak his mind and tell the truth. He wrapped things up by diving a little more deeply into his mystical way of thinking, interpreting and living the scriptures.

All of the retreat participants I spoke with were truly inspired by the performance of Father DeSiano; often surprised that this was the first time he had acted as St. Paul. I think Father DeSiano has discovered a new gift of evangelization.

For many years, the Paulist Fathers have worked together with lay people in their foundations and ministries. To allow them to have an even more intimate connection with the Paulist Fathers, the Paulists created the Paulist Associate program. Men and women – even non-Catholic Christians – are invited to freely associate themselves with the Paulist spirituality and charism by making a commitment to embody the ideals of the Paulist in their daily living. With these associates, the charism of the Paulist – incarnating the Roman Catholic faith in North American culture – is extended beyond the limited membership of the Paulist community itself. For more information, log on to www.paulist.org/associates.