Chris Padgett cannot keep still. In the hour we’ve spent together, Padgett, though seated, has burned more calories than most runners can manage in a 5K. Talking with his hands, legs bouncing and eyes aglow as he speaks, Padgett, as a family member once quipped, may be the reason Ritalin was invented. But his enthusiasm is infectious. It’s also proven successful.

Padgett, 42, wears many hats. He’s a devoted family man. He and his wife, Linda, have been married for more than 20 years and are the parents of (grab a seat): Hannah, Sarah, Madeline, Noah, Kolbe, Mary, Jude, Joe and Ella.

He’s a musician who’s released nine albums as a solo artist (The Rosary Project is a recent one) and as a former member of the Christian music group Scarecrow and Tinmen.

He’s both student and teacher. Currently an adjunct professor of theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Padgett is also studying for his doctorate at the International Marian Research Institute in Dayton, Ohio.

He is a published author of Spirituality You Can Live With, Wholly Mary and coauthor (with Linda) of Not Ready for Marriage, Not Ready for Sex (all from Servant Books) and a popular speaker who’s traveled the world over.

But, foremost, Padgett is an impassioned Catholic who percolates with excitement about his faith.

“It’s easy to become cynical and lackadaisical in the faith,” Padgett says. “Bottom line: I want to be a good father, a good husband, a good friend and a good neighbor. I won’t achieve that excellence if I remain complacent.”