Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Colleen, founder of The Little Apologist, via phone on November 12th, 2025. Some of the questions/answers have been rearranged, edited, and paraphrased to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.
Your Early Start in Apologetics
You mention that you began studying Catholic apologetics around age twelve when you had to defend your faith in public school. Could you share one of those early “aha” or “uh-oh” moments from back then, and reflect on how that shaped your approach to faith and evangelization today?
I remember when I was in 7th grade there began to be certain books or content being taught in my public school classes that were directly contrary to Truth, especially from a moral standpoint. In that time, I learned how to stand up for purity and for what’s right in writing to and having conversations with my teachers. My parents helped me to frame the emails and conversations, and my formation in Confirmation classes, along with hours of listening to Catholic Answers Live helped me to be able to articulate the Truth. The conversations with my teachers led to pushback from my classmates about different belief systems, which presented the opportunity for further evangelization and thought-provoking conversations.
At my Confirmation when I was 13, I felt a physical warmth come over me as I was Confirmed,and truly felt set on fire for Jesus and His Church. After that I was able to share my faith in a more clear, loving manner than I ever had before. So that sacrament was definitely a turning point in my life and has inspired my work in apologetics.
Beauty, Goodness, Truth in evangelization
On your “About” page you reference the classic triad of Beauty, Goodness, and Truth (drawing from the Catechism) as central to your mission. How do you see those three “transcendentals” operating in your online ministry (blog, Instagram, speaking)?
I was in a class in my first year of college and Fr. Stephen Waruszewski, TOR, was emphasizing that beauty leads to goodness and goodness leads to truth. We are drawn to beauty. That lesson inspired me to have a new focus in ministry and product and content creation. I try to let the beauty of the faith overflow into leading others to goodness and truth. I have three different categories on my blog: beauty, truth, and goodness, and everything that I do aims to include all three.
The mission of The Little Apologist blog and social media is to help people understand, share, and defend the faith in ways that are clear, straightforward, & rooted in the reality of the Holy Spirit actively working in their lives.
I have recently focused on evangelizing through social media and speaking.
Navigating secular culture as a young Catholic voice
As a young adult and creator in a digital age, you’re engaging secular audiences and social-media culture. What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced in living the faith publicly (especially online)?
I think the temptation there (as with all social media) is to make your online presence more than your actual life is. The struggle is keeping it authentic. So keeping a good separation between spending all my time online and prayer life. Practicing what I preach (or share) is key. With the secular audience I had to learn my niche. My goal since I was 14 when I started the blog was to reach Catholics who aren’t catechized well. They have the seeds there. I have had to learn to balance the simplicity needed for everyone who sees my content at the same time as keeping it deep enough to help bring people deeper into the faith and to spark curiosity at whatever stage they are at in life is something I have had to learn to do.
What surprising opportunities have you discovered for witness and apologetics in that space?
I think one of the most impactful things is learning from people who are asking questions. It gives me opportunities to research and learn more about what the Catholic Church teaches. These opportunities have shown me how the Church is all the big moments of a person’s life. To get to walk and talk with people (the guy who hasn’t been to Confession in twenty years or woman who had an abortion or the teenagers who have these random questions about the faith). Seeing the universality of the Church is the biggest opportunity. Some of the questions I come across are the most basic: people need to learn that they are loved and God is love.
Integrating Theology and Creativity
You’re not just a writer and speaker—you also do graphic design, run “MercyLight Designs,” and incorporate visual/creative work into your ministry. How do you see the interplay between theology and aesthetics?
I think it goes back to beauty, goodness and truth. My goal with MercyLight Designs is to have things you can give to people that are beautiful which are an opportunity to evangelize.
It’s about planting seeds. Beauty is very powerful in making us think. My goal is to make people think about when they order and receive something from the shop. Beauty draws us higher; brings us closer to God.
Apologetics for young Catholics (and their families)
Given my context—teaching at a classical Catholic academy, writing for families, kids, and parents—what advice do you have for teachers and parents who want to integrate apologetics (or at least faith-defending mindset) into the classroom or home without making it feel like another lecture or test?
I love that! What’s really important is helping kids to see that they are not too young. They are the Church. You are never too young to defend the truth. When you are exposing kids to the core tenets of the faith down from a young age, the more complex habits you do in middle school and high school build on what you learned at a young age.
Learning, service, and fellowship are keys to passing on the faith.
Growth, mistakes, and future vision
Every ministry has seasons of growth, recalibration, maybe even failure. Looking back from where you are now, what’s one thing you wish you had done differently in the past year or two?
There was a time in the spring and summer of 2025 where I started planning out what I was going to write. I clung to the words so tightly that there was no room for the Holy Spirit to grow. Having a plan and a goal but being open to what the Holy Spirit is nudging me to say is something I have learned. And I have learned to be more present with those and where I am at.
What is the vision or next step for “The Little Apologist” in the coming year?
In the next year, just trying to grow the social media side of things and to expand into in-person retreats and talks. Speaking is a passion of mine because that’s what drew me into the faith. I want to be that voice for the young people kind of what others have done for me.
There’s a loose plan but ultimately it is going to be what Jesus wants it to be.
About Colleen
Colleen is the founder of The Little Apologist, a digital ministry dedicated to helping Catholics understand, share, and defend the faith in ways that are accessible and rooted in the reality of the Holy Spirit actively working in their lives. In addition to her work with The Little Apologist, Colleen serves as an apologist and the social media coordinator for Catholic Questions. She is also a Catholic speaker, social media consultant for various creatives and organizations, and an entrepreneur. Colleen is currently studying Theology and Communications at Franciscan University of Steubenville and loves combining creativity, faith, and media to create content that helps people know the Beauty, Goodness, and Truth of the Catholic faith. To get in touch with Colleen or to book a speaking engagement, please visit littleapologist.com or email littleapologist@gmail.com
