Frank Cordaro 70 yr old Des Moines native, former Des Moines Diocesan Catholic priest for 19 years, co-founder of the Des Moines Catholic Worker in 1976.  Frank calls the Berrigan brothers Dan and Phil his rabbis. His 1st arrest on the steps of the Pentagon Aug 9, 1977. Frank’s been arrested hundreds of times, in lots of places, for a wide range of issues over the years, spending over nights, to months in jails or prisons.  Collectively Frank has done 6 years of jail and/or prison time, never more than 6 months at a time over the last 44 yrs.

Two weeks after 9/11 in 2001 Frank suffered a life threatening heartache. After a long recovery and an even longer decrement process Frank resigned from active priestly ministry in 2004. In a public statement he said he wanted to live, that his long standing conflict at maintaining celibacy was too much to bear.

Frank’s been living and working at the Des Moines Catholic Worker since 2004. Life at the Des Moines Catholic Worker has given Frank a place and tradition that allows him to remain Catholic and follow the radical Jesus he came to know in the Gospels and in the people he’s served over the years.