Dear Fellow Disciples,

This marks the first month in fifty-one years that Gary Seromik, our office manager, chief administrator, finance person, and translator is not working for Renewal Ministries. He is retiring, and while we will miss him, we are grateful that he is willing to serve as a consultant for as long as needed to ensure a smooth transition.

Director of Operations Chris Baker is taking over many of Gary’s responsibilities, so we expect everything to transition smoothly with the help of God’s continuing mercy.

We held a retirement party for Gary, and he shared many wonderful stories of his work with us over the years. I first met Gary when I was giving a talk at his high school in Flint about a personal relationship with Jesus. The talk inspired Gary and some of his friends. A few months later, Gary caught up with me in Ann Arbor, as he began his studies at the University of Michigan. Later, as senior in college, he sensed a call from the Lord to work in something “international” and came to my office to ask if we needed any help from someone fluent in many languages.

Did we ever! The Catholic Charismatic Renewal was spreading like wildfire across the globe—and since we were one of the first places where it developed, people from all over the world wrote to us and visited us. Gary’s first language was Polish, and he also could speak English, Spanish, French, Russian, and Italian! He earned his undergraduate degree in French and Russian and his master’s in comparative literature.

Wow, what a providential gift!

Gary’s unique gifts have helped with many other aspects of our international work over the past half-century as well.

One highlight of Gary’s time with us was when he moved to Rome for several months in 1975 to lay the groundwork for a big international conference held that year that included a closing Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica. I discuss this event in more detail in my memoir, A Life in the Spirit, available here. This proved to be a significant turning point for the renewal and the Church—and it would not have been possible without Gary’s help.

Gary married Anilú, a lovely and holy woman from Mexico. Together, they raised four children who speak Spanish as their first language! They now have eleven grandchildren—all of whom speak Spanish—with a twelfth on the way.

We are sorry to see Gary go but look forward to continue seeing him at our biweekly staff bible studies.

We all want to say to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

Please say a prayer of thanksgiving for Gary and his family and ask for God’s continued blessing on him in retirement.

Thank you for journeying with us—some of you for almost as many years as Gary! Your support makes all we do possible.

Your brother in Christ,

Ralph

This article originally appeared in Renewal Ministries’ January 2025 newsletter.