Parish Missions

What to Expect from a Parish Mission

• If requested, they can be available to assist (and preach, if desired) at a daily Mass.
• Mission presentations are approximately one hour long in length. They include computer-based audio and visual support and some brief times for the congregation to discuss an idea or question in a small group.
• Our mission preachers are also happy to provide an overview of charisms or discipleship for parish staff.
The above services are all covered in the mission fee, to which is added travel, food and lodging. To inquire about bringing a mission preacher from the Institute to your parish for a mission, please Contact Us.

Parish Mission Theme:
Discipleship and the call to conversion are the heart of every parish mission, since everything else flows from there. Using scripture, the rich teaching of the Church, and reflections on his own journey of faith and the lives of disciples who have influenced them, our mission preachers aim to present Jesus’ invitation to each one of us to become his disciple in ways that are personal, fresh, engaging, and often surprisingly amusing.

Click here for a list of upcoming Parish Missions.

Deacon Mark A. Cesnik, OP,
Traveling Teacher, Catherine of Siena Institute
Permanent Deacon, Diocese of Tucson

Deacon Mark began teaching for the Catherine of Siena Institute in 2005. A permanent deacon in the Diocese of Tucson he is also a life professed tertiary member of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) and a graduate of both the University of Arizona (B.A. – Journalism) and the University of San Francisco (M.A. –  theology / pastoral ministry). Dc. Mark has earned a certificate in Spiritual Direction from the Redemptorist-run Hesychia School of Spiritual Direction. He and his wife, Anna (who is a Certified Lay Ecclesial Minister), are members of Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Tucson where he serves as Coordinator of Ministries and Adult Faith Formation. In addition to preaching missions, Dcn. Mark also travels to teach the Called & Gifted Worskhop. To hear a sample of Dcn. Mark's homilies go to Corpus Christi's website.

Patrick Conley
Traveling Teacher, Catherine of Siena Institute

Patrick is a Called & Gifted™ workshop presenter and interviewer, and he coordinates Called & Gifted™ in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. He holds a degree in theology from Oxford University, has done doctoral-level theological work, and has worked a number of years in parish ministry. He and his wife, Kendra, are currently forging a new life in rural Wisconsin on Kendra's family farm. Patrick enjoys riding his motorcycle, brewing ale, smoking his pipe, and spending time with Kendra and their bulldog, Georgie.

Fr Brent Bowen, OP
Traveling Teacher, Catherine of Siena Institute

Fr. Brent was born and raised in Lewiston, Maine. He began discerning the call to religious life during graduate school at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and entered the Dominican Friars, Province of St. Albert the Great USA in 2012.  Ordained, in 2019, discerning charisms through the Called & Gifted discernment process played an important part in his priestly formation. A presenter for the Institute, he desires to help other realize the life-changing role that charism discernment plays in the life of a disciple of Jesus. He currently serves as parochial vicar for St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, aka “Boiler Catholics” at Purdue University.  

Charlie Hoover
Traveling Teacher, Catherine of Siena Institute

Charlie Hoover has been a Called and Gifted Teacher and Interviewer nationwide since 2007 and has a passion for sharing the love of God and the good news of Jesus Christ. He is an experienced Spiritual Director and Retreat Director and possesses a Certificate in Theology and Master of Arts in Christian Spirituality from Creighton University. Charlie enjoys outdoor activities, including hiking, running, and biking, and spending time with family at his home in Omaha, NE.