Dear Partners,

I have been busy getting ready for the next class of priests from all over the world who come to Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan, each summer to work on a Licentiate in Sacred Theology Degree (STL). Teaching them is one of my favorite things to do at the seminary.*

My wife, Anne, and I also have been blessed to attend various family events over the past few months. Some of them are grade school, high school, and college graduations for various grandchildren—happy occasions. We’ve also had a few confirmations and other special events. One granddaughter, Sophia Von Stauffenberg, graduated from a Catholic high school in Maryland where she lives with my daughter Rachel, her father, Diego, and her six younger brothers! The school asked me to give the commencement address, which was indeed a special honor. You can read a shortened version of it here.

One point that stood out for me as I looked at these beautiful young women ready to take their next steps was the fact that, in this life, they will never be all together again. Reunions are planned by the school every five years, but many of the girls are returning to the other countries from which they came while their parents were in the Washington, DC, area for their jobs. Others are moving to distant states. While talking about the privilege of a Catholic education, I felt led to remind them that the only way for them ever to be all together again would be in a heavenly reunion, and for that to happen, each of them needs to persevere in their Catholic faith to the end. If someone strays from the path, they need to reach out and encourage them to return to the Way. That is true for all of us.

I also was asked to give a four-day retreat for Marmion Abbey, a Benedictine monastery near Chicago whose major apostolate is running a big Catholic boys school. Like many Catholic institutions, they are dealing with significant cultural and demographic changes. There are fewer vocations, fewer Catholic families, fewer children, and fewer Catholic grade schools sending their graduates on to fewer Catholic high schools. All in all, even in the face of apparent challenges, I was very much impressed by this “band of brothers” that is persevering through difficult times and continuing in faithful service to the Lord.

All of us: Persevere!

Ralph

* This letter originally appeared as part of Renewal Ministries’ August 2025 newsletter. It was written before July 23, 2025, when Archbishop Edward Weisenburger fired Ralph Martin from Sacred Heart Major Seminary. You can read Ralph’s statement on that event here.