Martin Pable, Capuchin
“Brother Marty,” as he is commonly known, is a priest-psychologist who has been active in Capuchin ministries for many years. He is well known as a preacher for retreats and workshops, and as a spiritual director. One of his special interests is evangelization. He has developed a number of programs for parishes, including:
- A day or evening session to explain what evangelization means in a Catholic context, and ways of becoming a more evangelizing parish;
- A day-long training course for lay Catholics to give them confidence in evangelizing one-to-one; he calls it “how to share your faith without being obnoxious”; or “kitchen-table evangelizing.”
- Parish programs for reaching out to Catholics who have dropped away from the Church and to other “spiritual seekers”;
- A method for parishes to conduct a door-to-door visitation of homes within parish boundaries.
Brother Marty is also an author. Besides many articles in various magazines, he has published four books still in print:
The Quest for the Male Soul (Ave Maria Press, 1996). This is a book on spirituality for men, based on six Hebrew words for “man” in the Old Testament.
Prayer: A Practical Guide (ACTA Publications, 2002). This book begins with a brief theology of prayer and then describes seven different ways that Christians can pray.
Remaining Catholic: Six Good Reasons to Stay in an Imperfect Church (ACTA Publications, 2005). Written in response to the sexual abuse scandal and other problems in the Church, the book focuses on “what is still good and holy” in the Church.
Catholics and Fundamentalists: Understanding and Response (ACTA Publications, 2007). This book reflects on three forms of religious fundamentalism: Protestant, Islamic, and Catholic, and suggests ways that the Church can respond constructively.
In addition, a revised version of one of his other books will soon be published by ACTA: Reclaim the Fire: A Parish Guide to Evangelization.
Brother Marty is currently living in Milwaukee and teaching in the archdiocesan lay ministry program. He is available for retreats, workshops, days/evenings of reflection, and other programs for parishes or dioceses, and for spiritual direction. He can be reached by phone at 414.336.8783 or by e-mail: [email protected]