If you’ve ever seen Matthew Kelly give a talk, the first thing you notice about him is, of course, the accent: Whether this impassioned Catholic is speaking to a filled-to-capacity church about the importance of the Mass or to a room full of suits about ethics in management, his message is swathed in a thunderous Australian drawl.

And the man is never still. As he prowls the stage like a well-tailored panther with a mike, his arms are usually akimbo—his eyes widened with excitement about the message he conveys. It’s a message Matthew Kelly, The New York Times best-selling author of Rediscover Catholicism and founder of DynamicCatholic.com, has been spreading to millions of people in over 50 countries since 1993.

The purpose of the site is to provide “resources that inspire people to rediscover Catholicism, live with passion and purpose, and bring spiritual vitality to the Church.”

But what inspires Matthew Kelly? Engaging and rousing Catholics, to be sure, but this 38-year-old has found his role as father to one-year-old Walter to be singularly defining.

Recently, St. Anthony Messenger spoke with Matthew Kelly about matters of faith,self-improvement, his struggles to reach an evergrowing number of disengaged Catholics and balancing life as a new father.