Ordained in 1965, Msgr. Frank Bognanno served as the coordinator of Pope John Paul II’s visit to Iowa in 1979. He was appointed to and served as a member of the Iowa Board of Medicine (2012-2015). He was a host of weekly programs on EWTN Catholic TV (1981-1990). EWTN is comprised of 11 networks broadcasting in multiple languages, seven days a week to more than 300 million households in 145 countries.

As a cancer survivor, he climbed 29,341 feet up Mt. Kilimanjaro with Dr. Richard Deming’s Above and Beyond Cancer group. He has provided uplifting speeches about living life to the fullest to others living with cancer. He also participated in triathlons in years past.

Over the years, Msgr. Frank worked in several leadership roles for the Diocese of Des Moines including concurrently serving as Chancellor and Moderator of the Curia/Chief of Staff. Earlier, he worked as Director of Renewal. The Diocese serves approximately 130,000 Catholics in the southwest quadrant of Iowa and consists of 80 parishes in 23 counties.

A gifted speaker, Msgr. Frank is well known for the profound wisdom he’s shared through his Mass homilies, including the six parishes in which he served for more than five decades. He served as associate pastor at Holy Family in Council Bluffs; and as pastor at St. Patrick’s Settlement in Cumming, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Glenwood as well as the following Des Moines parishes: St. Ambrose Cathedral, St. Augustin and Christ the King. He also has provided lectures on “Theology for Catechists” at Franciscan University in Steubenville (2008-2016).

Msgr. is the founder of Emmaus Spirituality Program for Priests and author of Contemplating Priestly Spirituality. He’s the creator of 24 instructional videos for RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults), the process by which people explore the Catholic faith and determine if they would like to join the Church.

He received his Doctor of Ministry (D.Min) in 1980. He is currently Chaplain for two organizations—the Des Moines Legatus chapter and Knight of Malta. He is a member of the Knights of Holy Sepulcher.