Bishop stars in new Catholic kids’ TV show
Bishop Frank J. Caggiano of the Diocese of Bridgeport hosts a new animated children’s series, “Bishop Frank Teaches the Faith,” introducing Catholic topics such as the Rosary, the Holy Family, and God’s love. The three-minute weekly episodes began streaming September 18 through the diocese’s Start with Sunday initiative. The first 52 episodes took more than a year to produce, with seminarians and Catholic school teachers writing scripts; free activity materials and classroom toolkits support families, parishes, and schools. A Vatican Dicastery for Communication official praised the series for bringing faith formation into the digital media world children use.
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A new animated Catholic children’s series, Bishop Frank Teaches the Faith, features Bridgeport Bishop Frank J. Caggiano introducing young viewers to Catholic teachings through short episodes and accompanying activities. The project is designed for use by families, parishes, and schools. 1
The weekly episodes, which run about three minutes, began streaming on September 18 through Start with Sunday, an initiative of the Diocese of Bridgeport’s Institute for Catholic Formation. Topics include the Rosary, the Holy Family, the Bible, and God’s love. 1
Caggiano said the series reflects the Church’s need to use new ways to share the Gospel with children growing up in a digital-media environment. Its stated aim is to present faith as an invitation to a relationship with Jesus and as a way of life. 1
The first 52 episodes took more than a year to produce. Seminarians and teachers from diocesan Catholic schools wrote the scripts, and families previewed several episodes at a screening in March. 1
Free materials—including coloring sheets, questions, and word searches—are available alongside episodes to support lessons and parish activities. The Institute also offers toolkits for parishes and schools; more than 225 were delivered around the show’s launch. 1
Monsignor Lucio Adrian Ruiz, secretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, attended the family screening and praised the project for engaging children through digital media. The series is part of Start with Sunday, which is supported by a $1.23 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. 1*
Digital media reshapes the Church’s responsibility for childhood catechesis
Digital media does not merely give the Church another channel for teaching children; it changes the environment in which they learn, form relationships, and encounter questions of faith. The Church’s responsibility therefore includes both making the Gospel credibly present online and helping children develop the judgment and habits to live faithfully and safely in digital spaces. The Synod describes digital culture as a crucial dimension of contemporary witness and an emerging missionary field, while warning that it can also expose people to bullying, misinformation, sexual exploitation, and addiction.
Digital catechesis cannot be reduced to posting prayers, videos, or lessons. Catholic guidance on media education emphasizes forming “truthful moral judgment” and conscience, so that young people can assess what they encounter and use technology for their integral development and the good of others. In practice, children need help distinguishing trustworthy Christian teaching from distortion, recognizing manipulative or harmful content, and reflecting on how their online choices affect other people.
This formation is also spiritual. Pope Leo XIV has said that digital literacy should include education in the truth about God and the human person, and should help young people encounter Christ and integrate technology into a holistic Christian life. Thus the goal is not simply “safe screen use,” but a Christian understanding of truth, dignity, freedom, and relationship.
The Church’s task is not to transfer the whole burden of digital formation to children, nor to assume that parishes or schools can replace parents. Catholic guidance assigns parents responsibility to guide and supervise children’s internet use, model prudent media habits, and talk with them about what they encounter online. It also recommends protective measures, including filters when feasible, and cautions against unsupervised exposure.
That responsibility can be demanding when children know more about the technology than adults do. The Church’s guidance expressly recognizes this gap and urges parents to learn enough to accompany their children wisely. Pope Leo describes such accompaniment—helping children form responsible relationships, recognize risks, and choose what fosters inner freedom—as a concrete expression of charity that safeguards their dignity.
Schools, parishes, catechists, and Church institutions also have a role. They should provide media education that includes ethical discernment, and support adults as well as young people in learning how to engage well online. The responsibility is therefore collaborative: families provide close, ongoing accompaniment; Church educators form conscience and faith; and the wider Church supports those who evangelize and build community in digital spaces.
The Church is called to presence in digital culture, not withdrawal from it. The Synod urges local Churches to encourage and accompany those engaged in digital mission, while also noting that online connection can coexist with loneliness, marginalization, manipulation, and polarization. A Catholic digital presence should therefore seek genuine encounter, dialogue, and belonging—not merely reach, views, or engagement.
That missionary openness requires care about the content itself. Christian teaching should be present online in reliable forms that do not distort its meaning. And because the digital world is still developing, the Church should not assume that every new technology is either automatically beneficial or inevitably harmful. Pope Leo calls for education that helps people engage with technology humanely and recognizes that its development can be guided by personal and collective responsibility.
The result is a broader understanding of childhood catechesis: it must form children to know the faith, recognize what is true and good, use media responsibly, and build relationships that reflect Christian dignity. Digital tools can serve this mission, but they cannot by themselves provide the patient, personal accompaniment that children need. The Church’s responsibility is not simply to put catechesis online; it is to help children become mature disciples in a culture that is increasingly online.