Dear Friends of the Mission,

Our Renewal Ministries’ team continues to be given opportunities by the Lord to contribute to the health of the Church and the salvation of souls.

Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi Vicar General Fr. John Bartunek, whose bible study on prayer is my wife’s favorite, recently invited me to a special meeting of the “Regnum Christi Family,” which includes the Legionaries of Christ priests, the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi, the Lay Consecrated Men, and many other lay contributors. The meeting, held at Mundelein Seminary near Chicago, was very special.

After years of sorting out the trauma of discovering that their founder was living a horrendous double life that included gross immorality, they are emerging in a good way, ready to carry on their mission of helping people become disciples of Christ. They are humbled, chastened, and in a good place to be used by the Lord going forward.

The meeting was called to consider how to integrate the charismatic dimension, including healing and prophesy, into their charism. While they were going through their purification, many members found it helpful to connect with various healing ministries and charismatic missions. While there now is a general openness to this development, there are legitimate issues being raised about how this can be integrated with their fundamental call.

I was very impressed by all those who shared and by the attendees’ maturity. I am confident that the Lord will give them the wisdom they seek. I was one of four “outside experts” invited to offer input and felt it was a privilege to do so.

This summer, I also had the privilege and joy of being asked to give eight talks to our local, amazing religious order that is expanding all over the country, the Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist.

I also recently spoke at the National Conference for Deacons in St. Louis, Missouri. Their wives also attended, and it was a blessing to support these men and women doing so much for the Church.

Additionally, I traveled to Cameroon with Bishop Scott McCaig to do a retreat for hundreds of priests, like what we did last year in Uganda. I hope to share more details about my time there in next month’s newsletter!

Meanwhile, many other members of our Renewal Ministries’ team have also been exceptionally busy with opportunities to preach the Gospel.

Peter Herbeck led a marriage retreat with Debbie, spoke at a conference for Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services of Manitoba in the Archdiocese of Winnipeg (photo below), and spoke with Bishop Scott McCaig at both the Encounter Conference in Toledo, Ohio, and a priests’ retreat for the Diocese of Green Bay (photo below).

Rachel Herbeck also has been speaking at events across the US and Canada. She spoke with her mom, Debbie, at a Beloved Daughters Conference in Calgary, Alberta. Rachel shares below about some unique encounters at the event:

We had a few women randomly walk into the conference off the street. One was an older woman who hadn’t been in a Catholic Church in over twenty years. She happened to be driving by and felt convicted to come inside, not knowing that a retreat was happening. She came up to my mom afterward and said, “I’m home.”

A teenage girl, who was not in the faith, also happened to walk into the Church right before we called all the teenage girls to the front to be prayed over. So, we got to pray over her!

Rachel also ran a summer discipleship group with young women who expressed a desire to learn how to die to themselves, take up their crosses, and follow Jesus. They committed to meeting weekly to grow closer to the Lord and each other. They deepened their relationships with Jesus and grew in consistent prayer time, an increased love for Christ and their neighbor, and zeal for spreading the Gospel.

Forged, an outreach of Renewal Ministries that ministers to young men, continues to grow under the leadership of Director Steve Norman. Forged offered an abundance of discipleship opportunities this summer that included bible studies, various clubs, social nights, and a Life in the Spirit Seminar.

As I write this, Debbie Herbeck and the Be Love Revolution team are preparing for another great year at Pine Hills Girls Camp. They will celebrate the camp’s fortieth anniversary and its highest enrollment yet!

In addition to camp, the Be Love Revolution team spent the summer helping middle and high school girls encounter Jesus. They hosted a high school bible study and launched a bible study for seventh and eighth-grade girls, who loved it! The team also held weekly Adoration nights and small groups to help the girls grow as disciples.

Be Love Revolution also sent six rising high school juniors to Washington state to help launch Camp Solanus, modeled after Pine Hills. The girls were wonderful leaders and missionary disciples. In the past, we have sent people to help with a camp for young men also started in Washington.

Pete Burak recently spoke at the Steubenville Power & Purpose Conference and a men’s conference in Barcelona, Spain. He also led another amazing weeklong Pine Hills Camp for middle school boys. More boys attended than ever before—and those numbers included three of my grandsons. Anne and I enjoyed hearing them excitedly recount their adventures when we had lunch with them on their way home!

None of this would be possible without your support—your love, prayers, and financial giving. Thank you!

Ralph

P.S. You have probably already heard this, but just before the September newsletter went to press, I was fired from Sacred Heart Major Seminary. When I asked Archbishop Weisenburger for an explanation, he said he didn’t think it would be helpful to give any specifics but mentioned having concerns about my theological perspectives. I had been teaching there for more than twenty-three years and was the director of Graduate Theology Programs in the New Evangelization.

I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support I have already received, and I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has prayed for me or offered support in any way. Your kindness means more than I can say. I look forward to seeing what God has in store for us all. I’m sure He has a plan to bring wonderful good from it!

This letter originally appeared in Renewal Ministries’ September 2025 newsletter.