The Vatican Press Office announced today that Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Dr. Ralph Martin as a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization. Ralph was only one of two Americans appointed today. The newly-created Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization was established to promote the “New Evangelization” throughout the Church. Consultors are available to offer advice on various issues and participate in various meetings.

We here at Renewal Ministries experience this as the Lord’s encouragement of the mission and message we have been carrying out for many years now. You have been true “partners” in this message and mission and we wanted to share this news with you right away. Thank you for your support. Rejoice with us!

If you’d like to read some of the articles Ralph has written on the New Evangelization, you can access them by going to our home page at www.renewalministries.net and clicking on the link called “Free Literature” at the top of the page and scrolling down the page to “Ralph Martin.” Or you can access that page immediately by clicking here and scrolling down past the booklets.

Please join with me, Sister Ann Shields, in praying for God’s blessing on Ralph’s service to the Church in this new capacity.

Sacred Heart Seminary Press Release

Dr. Ralph Martin appointed by Pope Benedict XVI
to Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization

Dr. Ralph Martin, director of graduate theology programs in the new evangelization and assistant professor of theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, has been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as a consultor to the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization. He will serve for a five-year term.

A consultor is an expert in his or her field who gives assistance to the Holy Father and the Roman Curia on particular issues. Pope Benedict established the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization in October 2010. Its mandate is to assist the Holy Father and the Roman Curia in coordinating plans to rekindle the Catholic faith in the developed western countries, particularly those in Europe and North America which are most influenced by secularization.

Dr. Martin, who has served on the faculty of current faculty to be serving, or who has previously served, on a Vatican council or commission Sacred Heart Major Seminary since 2002, is the fourth member of Sacred Heart’s. The others are Dr. Janet Smith, who serves on the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission; Dr. Edward Peters, who advises the Apostolic Signatura, the Church’s highest administrative court; and Fr. John McDermott, SJ, who in 2009 finished a five-year term with the International Theological Commission.

Dr. Martin is an internationally known evangelist. He is the founder and president of Renewal Ministries, which he established in 1980 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to renew the faith of Catholics through retreats, publications, conferences, and through television and radio. He has published numerous books, articles, pamphlets and videos on living out the Christian faith in a more effective way. Dr. Martin’s television program, The Choices We Face, has been airing on the Eternal Word Television Network since 1985, and is the longest running Catholic television program in the world. He holds a doctorate in sacred theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas in Rome.

Note to reporters: Dr. Martin is available for interviews by calling
313-883-8792 or emailing martin.ralph@shms.edu.

Franciscan University of Steubenville Press Release

Franciscan University of Steubenville
Public Relations
Contact: Tom Sofio
740-284-5893, tsofio@franciscan.edu
Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Franciscan University of Steubenville President Congratulates Friends Named to Pontifical Council

STEUBENVILLE, OH—Both Americans named by Pope Benedict XVI to assist the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization have strong ties to Franciscan University of Steubenville.

On December 7 the Vatican named Curtis Martin, founder of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), and Ralph Martin (no relation), director of Graduate Programs in Evangelization at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in the Archdiocese of Detroit, as “consultors” to the new evangelization council.

The only Americans named as consultors, Curtis Martin received his master’s in theology degree in 1993 from Franciscan University and has spoken on numerous occasions at the University’s Catholic conferences for men and for young adults. Ralph Martin has taught at Franciscan University as an adjunct theology faculty member and for over 30 years has spoken at the University’s popular Catholic summer conferences, as well as assisted in other University evangelical outreach efforts.

“You have the prayers, congratulations, and support of the entire Franciscan University community as you take on this vital ministry,” said Franciscan University President Father Terence Henry, TOR.  “As the Holy Father stated when he established the council, many countries are experiencing a progressive secularization, what the Holy Father termed an ‘eclipse of the sense of God.’  I am certain Ralph and Curtis can give valuable advice to the Church on reawakening a thirst for Christ among people of many nationalities.”

In addition to his work with the Detroit major seminary, Ralph Martin is the president of Renewal Ministries, an organization devoted to Catholic renewal and evangelization. Renewal Ministries is the sponsor of Martin’s “The Choices We Face” a widely viewed weekly Catholic television and radio program distributed throughout the world. Martin also engages in a wide variety of mission work in more than 27 countries.

As founder and president of FOCUS, Curtis Martin directs the work of more than 260 full-time young adult missionaries who reach out to peers on 58 U.S. college campuses in 28 states, inviting them to a closer relationship with Jesus Christ and his Church.  Martin also appears on the popular EWTN program Crossing the Goal.

The Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization is a dicastery of the Roman Curia, whose creation was announced by Pope Benedict XVI at vespers on June 28, 2010, the eve of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul.

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Secretariat of State

English Translation:

The Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI has added, for a five year period, the most illustrious Mr. Ralph Martin to the Consultors of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization. Let this be brought to the attention of the most illustrious Mr. Martin, so that he may opportunely be made aware of these matters and conduct himself in accord with this directive.

From the Halls of the Vatican, 31 October 2011

+ Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone

Download the original document (PDF).

The Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization

The English Translation:

Illustrious Doctor,

I am pleased to inform you that, as of October 31, the Holy Father has numbered you among the consultants of this Pontifical Council for a period of five years.

Your nomination will be made public through the Press Office of the Holy See on December 7 of this year and will appear in the daily edition of L’Osservatore Romano dated December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In passing on to you the relevant document naming you that is signed by the Cardinal Secretary of State, I would like to wish you every blessing of the Lord for profitable collaboration with this Dicastery in view of that “discernment” that the Holy Father, in his Apostolic Letter Ubicumque et semper, noted as the specific task of this Dicastery so that the New Evangelization, which looks upon “different situations that have different needs,” offers an authentic impulse for the renewal of the life of the Church.

I gladly take advantage of this situation to send you my own personal greetings.

+ Rino Fisichella

Download the original document (PDF).

Freeing the New Evangelization (Ninth Annual Symposium on the Spirituality and Identity of the Diocesan Priest held at St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity, March 11-14, 2010. Co-Sponsored by the Institute for Priestly Formation, Omaha, NE. Published in the Proceedings: The New Evangelization: Implications for Priestly Formation, pp. 41-52)

Doctrinal Clarity for the New Evangelization   The Importance of Lumen Gentium 16 (The Fellowship of Catholic Scholars Quarterly, Fall 2011, pp. 9-17)

The die has been cast. The decision has been made. I have stepped over the line. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is in God’s hands. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, the bare minimum, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, frivolous living, selfish giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, applause, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, the best, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith. I lean on Christ’s presence. I love with patience, live by prayer, and labor with the power of God’s grace.

My face is set. My gait is fast, my goal is heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable, and my mission is clear.

I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won’t give up, shut up, let up, or slow up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and spoken up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till he comes, give until I drop, speak out until all know, and work until he stops me.

And when he returns for his own, he will have no difficulty recognizing me. My banner is clear: I am a part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed.

~Adapted by Patrick Madrid

Patrick Madrid is the author of many books on Catholic themes.

We finally made it through the crowd, starting at the far end, and making it to a place where we could take a photo and not just think about survival! How inspiring though to see so many who had come from Poland, not being able to afford a place to stay and sleeping on the streets and sidewalks with hardly a place to move.

1. For several days leading up to the Beatification of John Paul II, there really weren’t many people out of the ordinary here in Rome and I was beginning to wonder if there would be a disappointing turnout. Then, on the Saturday before the Sunday Beatification, crowds began to arrive. Fr. Jonathan Morris, our nephew, who was here to cover the event for Fox News, and Anne and I walked down to St. Peter’s Square early Saturday evening and had trouble getting across it to the other side. Fr. Jonathan stayed in the Piazza to do some commentary for Fox, and Anne and I continued to a nearby restaurant where we met Archbishop Thomas Collins from Toronto, who is the Episcopal Advisor to Renewal Ministries in Canada. We had a wonderful time together and were able to talk in-depth about many things. He is a good friend to us and we should support him in prayer in his heavy responsibilities and challenges. He is part of the Vatican-appointed team that is assisting the Church in Ireland to recover from the recent scandals there. After dinner, we discovered that the entire Piazza and the broad avenue leading up to St. Peter’s had been cleared for security reasons and we couldn’t get across it to the other side, which we needed to do to get back to our apartment. Also, huge crowds, many waving red and white Polish flags, were flooding in by bus, train and plane and converging on the area, but since they weren’t being allowed into St. Peter’s Square, they were backing up to the river and beyond and the bridges were getting clogged. The only way we could get to the other side had now been filled by thousands of pilgrims who had brought sleeping mats and were lying down on the sidewalks and streets, literally hip to hip, including nuns in full habit, older people, teenagers, etc. The police told us the only way we could get back to our apartment would be to walk entirely around Vatican City State – which Anne didn’t want to do – or simply pick our way through the dense “sea of humanity.” I was intimidated, not hardly seeing a little space between people where I could even put one foot, but Anne was determined and launched into the crowd and managed, with some difficulty and with me following, to find a path through the sleeping bodies, to the river where we could manage to walk more normally and find our way home. The next morning, people from our apartment complex came back at 6:30 in the morning of the day of the Beatification telling us that the police had closed St. Peter’s Square and that the Via Della Conciliazione and the bridges were jammed again. Since they were getting crushed, they decided to come back and watch it on TV! We decided to try to go anyway but could only get a few hundred yards away from the sides of the colonnades. We couldn’t see or hear anything, so we returned to our apartment to watch it on TV and saw Fr. Jonathan do a good job commenting on it on the TV. We went back that day several times to try to pass by the casket of Blessed John Paul II inside St. Peter’s, but each time, after waiting for long times with the vast lines hardly moving, we decided to return another day. A million and a half pilgrims is a lot! Even though we didn’t get very close, it was inspiring. When the tapestry with the portrait of John Paul II was unveiled during the ceremony, I think tears came to many an eye, including ours. John Paul II, thank you! And pray for us as we continue to participate in your ongoing mission of renewal and evangelization!

Ralph and Anne with Sr. Emmanuel in Medjugorje.

2. Anne and I spent five days in Medjugorje over the Holy Week and Easter Sunday. (While “official” diocesan pilgrimagaes are not allowed, unofficial pilgrimages and visits are allowed. Even though the local bishop has been in a conflict with the Franciscans there for historical reasons, the Vatican has now appointed its own commission to look into the apparitions, taking it out of the hands of the local bishop).We were guests of Sr. Emmanuel – some of you may remember her inspiring TV programs that she did for The Choices We Face some years ago – at her house there, which looks right out unto “Cross Mountain” and “Apparition Mountain.” (I won’t attempt the Croatian spellings!) She’s a very holy woman, completely given to doing God’s will and serving the mission of Mary. Every meal time conversation was like a little retreat as she told story after story of marvelous workings of grace in people’s lives and God’s providential care, oftentimes through St. Joseph or Mary, for her. She arranged for us to be present for the daily apparition of Maria Lunetti (the married last name of one of the visionaries) and I was touched and impressed as I was when I saw the first video that Bobby Cavnar did almost 30 years ago of the children when they were first experiencing Mary’s visits. I don’t think there’s any way that she (or they) could have faked the rapt focus – no blinking – for the several minutes that I observed. She also seemed very normal, human, and kind – not weird in any way. The village was swarming with people. The lines for confession were extremely long and there were people of all ages there: many young people, couples, families, and more Italian men that I had seen in many a Mass here in Italy. Whatever the final evaluation may be – and it may be years before such a judgment is possible – there is no doubt in my mind that the Lord is pouring out great graces through Mary at her “special places” around the world, including Medjugorje.

Jim Cavnar, on the Board for Renewal Ministries of Canada, stands in front of the just unveiled wall bas relief of his father, Bobby, and Brian Smith, founders of the Fraternity of Catholic Covenant Communities in their new offices in the Vatican.

3. Speaking of Bobby Cavnar! Anne and I attended the dedication of the new offices of the Catholic Fraternity of Covenant Communities which, along with ICCRS (International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services – the organization that we were involved in starting in Ann Arbor, that we then moved to Belgium, and now is in Rome), has been invited to have their offices right in the Palazzo San Callisto, where the Vatican has many of their offices, including Cardinal Turkson’s office for the Pontifical Council for Peace and Justice, and where the Pontifical Council for the Laity is also located. From a basement in Ann Arbor to being in the “house of the Pope,” as one of the officials present said, is a pretty amazing journey! Anyway, a wall bas-relief of Bobby Cavnar and Brian Smith (from Australia), whom many of us knew, was unveiled since they are the deceased founders of the Catholic Fraternity. It’s a funny feeling to see friends with whom one had fun meals with lots of jokes getting honored in this way! Jim Cavnar, whom many of us know again and who is member of Renewal Ministries Canadian Board, was there and we were able to have dinner with him afterwards. The renewal is being accepted into the heart of the Church in a way that we could never have imagined in the “early days.”

Ralph with his Dissertation Moderator, Fr. Robert Christian, O.P. in the courtyard of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas, also known as the Angelicum.

4. The dissertation. My dissertation Moderator has been gone for several weeks over the last month and hasn’t been able to read and comment on the last chapters I’ve sent him. He is back now and has promised to do all he can to get me his final comments by Monday, May 9. After that, I’ll implement the changes, get three copies printed up and bound, and deliver them to the Dean. At this point, he’ll appoint a second reader to review and comment on the dissertation. After that, a date for my public defense of the dissertation will be set. With all the delays and the unpredictability of when the second reader will be appointed and how long it will take him to read it and comment, etc., it will take some special grace to be finished with all that before our June 16th return ticket. So, if you can pray that all these steps can happen speedily and according to God’s plan, I would appreciate it.

We’re ready to finish and come home although almost every day brings providential encounters. Monday night it was dinner with a Jesuit professor at the Gregorian whom I cite in my dissertation – very worthwhile. Tuesday night it was dinner with some major donors to Renewal Ministries, who were in town with the Papal Foundation. Tonight we’re having over for dinner – Anne is cooking now – the international leaders of the Emmanuel Community. Cris and Jane Sameniego, Anne’s sister and brother-in-law, are arriving on Friday for a visit. Stephen Mierendorf, a young man from Ann Arbor who is working with the NET teams in Ireland, left this morning to go back to Ireland after sleeping on our couch for the last week. And just today, we had lunch with another Cardinal…

Anne and I miss our home in Ann Arbor but know we are where we’re supposed to be and are amazed at what each day brings. Thank you for your prayers and for your giving, which are keeping the good ship Renewal Ministries moving forward steadily through the waves!

Anne and I with Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, the Preacher to the Papal Household, during our recent visit with him.

The really busy time that I asked you to pray for in the last update went well. Thank you. The presentation at the Colloquium, the retreat to the North American seminarians and the doctoral seminar presentation all seemed to go well. After the Colloquium Dr. Mary Healy was able to spend some time with us and it was good visiting with someone from “home” (Michigan) and a colleague at the seminary in Detroit where we both teach. We’ve also continued to have guests. Anne’s sister and brother-in-law from Norway visited for ten days. Our youngest daughter–her husband and friends offered to take care of her two-year old–was able to visit for five days. This coming Saturday another daughter is arriving for ten days.

On the dissertation front I handed in my final chapter last week and now prayers are needed for my dissertation moderator, Fr. Robert Christian, that he has time to get back to me with needed corrections and improvements so I can implement them all and hand in a finished copy before Easter. He has an amazingly busy schedule and this week is in Detroit supervising special pontifical exams that some of our seminarians are taking. The “final” copy needs to be handed in before Easter so a Second Reader can be appointed and given time to read it and offer any corrections he thinks is necessary. Then, I will revise it again and a really “final” copy will be handed in. At this point, a doctoral defense will be scheduled. Lots of steps!

In anticipation of all this happening, Anne and I are planning to accept an invitation from Sr. Emmanuel to spend Easter in Medjugorje, which we are looking forward to as our first “break” since we’ve been here. We also find ourselves pondering the message that one of the visionaries received this past month:

“Dear Children! My Motherly Heart suffers tremendously as I look at my children who persistently put what is human before what is of God, at my children who, despite everything that surrounds them and despite all the signs that are sent to them, think that they can walk without my Son. They cannot! They are walking to eternal perdition. That is why I am gathering you, who are ready to open your heart to me, you who are ready to be apostles of my love, to help me; so that by living God’s love you may be an example to those who do not know it. May fasting and prayer give you strength in that, and I bless you with the Motherly blessing in the name of the Father, and of the son, and of the Holy Spirit. Thank you.”
Along with hosting guests and working on the dissertation there have been an amazing number of “providential” meetings with key people here in Rome. Just this past week, for example we had time with both Fr. Wojciech Giertych, the Papal Theologian, and Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, the Papal Preacher, whom many of you know, as well as other Vatican officials and key people in Rome. This provides valuable perspective that can help us shape the work of Renewal Ministries to be maximally helpful to the Church. It also allows us to offer encouragement, etc. where needed.

A photo from our visit with Fr. Wojciech Giertych, the Papal Theologian

Many people do ask about the dissertation and my topic and seem quite interested in what I am coming up with. Our May and June newsletters will carry a two part article I’ve written on the topic I’m working on. So watch for the newsletter when it comes in the mail. We also upload our newsletter to our web site, so you can always find recent copies of the newsletter there. Thank you for your continued prayers that the writing I’m doing can be useful for the Church and for sensitivity to the Spirit as he leads us in various encounters with people here.
Thanks for your ongoing support for all the work of Renewal Ministries.
Ralph Martin
President
Renewal Ministries

P.S. I know that if we were back in North America right now, we would be complaining about the high gasoline prices. Well, take heart, gas is about $9.00 a gallon here in Italy!