Local Airports

Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI)

7062 Elm Rd.
Baltimore, MD 21240
(410) 859-7111

On the Town Limousine Shuttle Service has been arranged for services to and from BWI and Mount St. Mary’s University. On the Town Limousine accomodates 39 passengers. The shuttle is a white van named "Senator." It will be available at the following times:

  • From BWI to Mt. Saint Mary's - Monday, 8/4/2014, 3:00pm
  • From Mt. Saint Mary's to BWI - Friday, 8/8/2014, 10:00am

Reagan National Airport (DCA)

2401 Smith Blvd.
Arlington, Virginia 22202
(703) 417-8000

Dulles International Airport (IAD)

1 Saarinen Cir.
Sterling, VA 20166
(703) 572-2700

 Please contact us for more information.

Fr. Francis Martin

 
Fr. Francis Martin is a renowned Scripture scholar and Professor Emeritus of New Testament at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. He was Senior Fellow at the Intercultural Forum for Faith and Culture at the John Paul II Cultural Center in D.C. and visiting professor at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan. In the past, he has taught at the Gregorian University in Rome, Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem, Catholic University in Washington, D.C. and held the Cardinal Adam Maida Chair in Biblical Studies at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. He has also taught at Franciscan University of Steubenville and the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Washington, D.C.

He was ordained at St. Joseph’s Abbey in 1956, received his Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) from St. Thomas Pontifical University in Rome in 1959 and his Doctorate in Sacred Scripture (S.S.D.) from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in 1978, also in Rome. Fr. Martin is a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. where he is also chaplain of the Mother of God Community in Gaithersburg, MD.

At present he dedicates himself full-time as Founder and President of Father Francis Martin Ministries and The Word Proclaimed Institute. In addition to over 60 scholarly articles, Fr. Martin’s publications include The Life Changer, Baptism in the Holy Spirit, The Feminist Question, The Fire in the Cloud, Sacred Scripture: The Disclosure of the Word, and Acts in the Ancient Christian Commentary Series.


Fr. Peter Cameron, O.P.

 
Father Peter John Cameron is a Dominican priest ordained in 1986. He is the editor-in-chief of Magnificat. He is also the artistic director of Blackfriars Repertory Theatre in New York City, adjunct professor of homiletics at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception (Huntington, NY), and the director of preaching for the Dominican Province of St. Joseph. He is the author of eight books, including Why Preach: Encountering Christ in God’s Word. Fr. Cameron lives at St. Mary Priory in New Haven, Connecticut.
 
 
 
 
 
 


Dr. Ralph Martin

 
Dr. Ralph Martin is the president of Renewal Ministries, an organization devoted to Catholic renewal and evangelization. Renewal Ministries is the sponsor of “The Choices We Face” a widely viewed weekly Catholic television and radio program distributed throughout the world and engages in a wide variety of mission work in more than 30 countries. 

He is also the Director of Graduate Theology Programs in Evangelization and an assistant professor of theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in the Archdiocese of Detroit. He holds a doctorate in theology from the Angelicum University in Rome. 

In December of 2011 Pope Benedict XVI appointed Ralph as a Consultor to the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization, for a five year term. 

He is the author of a number of articles and books the most recent of which is The Fulfillment of All Desire: A Guidebook for the Journey to God Based on the Wisdom of the Saints. He and his wife Anne reside in Ann Arbor, Michigan.


Msgr. John Esseff

 
Monsignor John Esseff
 is a Roman Catholic Priest for the last 58 years. He is of Lebanese decent. Monsignor is based in the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania. He was based in Lebanon from 1984 to 1986 serving as head of the Pontifical Mission, a Catholic organization that directly assists the Pope in bring the good news to the world, especially to the poor.

Monsignor Esseff assisted the founders of the Institute for Priestly Formation at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska: he served as the former Spiritual Director of Pius X Seminary in Dalton, Pennsylvania and Director of Formation at Cardinal Meunsch Seminary in Fargo, ND.

Monsignor was s Spiritual Director and confessor to Mother Teresa and now assists in direction for the Lay Missionaries as well as a Retreat Master for the Missionaries of Charity around the world. He met Padre Pio who became a spiritual father to him. Monsignor is a world wide Retreat Master on Healing and Discernment as well as the former Director of the Enthronement Apostolate in Scranton, PA. He is a co-founder of the Sacred Heart Apostolate, a worldwide group with a 10 year plan to bring the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart to the world.

He remains today as the Spiritual Director to many priests, seminarians, deacons and laity from across the world. He is the retired Exorcist for the Diocese of Scranton and a sought after Retreat Master and conference speaker.

Fr. Allan White, O.P.

Fr. Allan White was born in London and after taking a degree in Modern History at Oxford University he joined the Dominican Order in 1973 and was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood in 1979. After studying philosophy and theology at Blackfriars, Oxford, he completed a Ph.D. in sixteenth century history at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. His time in the Order has been mostly spent in the university ministry, teaching in Oxford, Cambridge, London and Edinburgh, and in administration. He has served as senior Chaplain in the University of Edinburgh and was associate Chaplain in the University of Oxford before being invited to become senior Chaplain in the University of Cambridge in 1994. He was elected Prior Provincial of the English Dominican friars in 2000 and served in that capacity for eight years before going to Rome as an assistant to the Master of the Dominican Order. Father Allan came to the United States in 2011 and was asked to accept the post of Director of the NYU Catholic Center where he presently serves.

Dr. Mary Healy

drmaryhealy
Dr. Mary Healy is associate professor of Scripture at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit and senior fellow at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, she earned an MA in theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville and a doctorate in biblical theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Dr. Healy is co-editor of the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, a series of commentaries that interpret Scripture from the heart of the Church, and is author of its first volume, The Gospel of Mark. She is also the author of Men and Women Are from Eden: A Study Guide to John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. Dr. Healy serves as chair of the Doctrinal Commission of International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services in Rome. She addresses conferences nationally and internationally on topics related to biblical interpretation, the theology of the body, and the spiritual life.

Dr. William M. Wright IV

BillWright
Dr. William Wright is an associate professor of theology at Duquesne University and a specialist in New Testament studies. Much of his work centers on the Gospel according to John and its reception history in early Christianity. His research includes the Gospels’ use of Greco-Roman compositional rhetoric and the history of biblical interpretation as a resource for contemporary exegesis and theology in light of Catholic Ressourcement theology. He is the author of Rhetoric and Theology: Figural Reading of John 9 (de Gruyter, 2009) and a co-author (with Francis Martin) of The Gospel of John (Baker Academic, forthcoming 2015). His articles have appeared in Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Modern Theology, Journal of Theological Interpretation, and The Thomist. He is a member of the Board of Advisors for the English edition of Nova et Vetera and a participant in the U.S. Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue.

Fr. Francis Martin

 
Fr. Francis Martin is a renowned Scripture scholar and Professor Emeritus of New Testament at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. He was Senior Fellow at the Intercultural Forum for Faith and Culture at the John Paul II Cultural Center in D.C. and visiting professor at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan. In the past, he has taught at the Gregorian University in Rome, Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem, Catholic University in Washington, D.C. and held the Cardinal Adam Maida Chair in Biblical Studies at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. He has also taught at Franciscan University of Steubenville and the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Washington, D.C.

He was ordained at St. Joseph’s Abbey in 1956, received his Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) from St. Thomas Pontifical University in Rome in 1959 and his Doctorate in Sacred Scripture (S.S.D.) from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in 1978, also in Rome. Fr. Martin is a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. where he is also chaplain of the Mother of God Community in Gaithersburg, MD.

At present he dedicates himself full-time as Founder and President of Father Francis Martin Ministries and The Word Proclaimed Institute. In addition to over 60 scholarly articles, Fr. Martin’s publications include The Life Changer, Baptism in the Holy Spirit, The Feminist Question, The Fire in the Cloud, Sacred Scripture: The Disclosure of the Word, and Acts in the Ancient Christian Commentary Series.


Bishop Michael Byrnes

 
On May 5, 2011, Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron ordained the Most Rev. Michael J. Byrnes auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit. Since 2004, Bishop Byrnes had served as vice rector of Sacred Heart Major Seminary, where he earned his Master of Divinity.

Bishop Byrnes was ordained a priest by Cardinal Adam Maida in 1996. He later studied in Rome at the Pontifical Gregorian University where he earned a doctorate of sacred theology in 2003. Bishop Byrnes, a native of Detroit, also served as pastor of Presentation/ Our Lady of Victory Parish from 2004 until his ordination as bishop in 2011.

Bishop Byrnes serves as episcopal vicar and regional moderator for the Northeast Region of the archdiocese.


Fr. Peter Cameron, O.P.

 
Father Peter John Cameron is a Dominican priest ordained in 1986. He is the editor-in-chief of Magnificat. He is also the artistic director of Blackfriars Repertory Theatre in New York City, adjunct professor of homiletics at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception (Huntington, NY), and the director of preaching for the Dominican Province of St. Joseph. He is the author of eight books, including Why Preach: Encountering Christ in God’s Word. Fr. Cameron lives at St. Mary Priory in New Haven, Connecticut.
 
 
  


Dr. Ralph Martin

 
Dr. Ralph Martin is the president of Renewal Ministries, an organization devoted to Catholic renewal and evangelization. Renewal Ministries is the sponsor of “The Choices We Face” a widely viewed weekly Catholic television and radio program distributed throughout the world and engages in a wide variety of mission work in more than 30 countries. 

He is also the Director of Graduate Theology Programs in Evangelization and an assistant professor of theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in the Archdiocese of Detroit. He holds a doctorate in theology from the Angelicum University in Rome. 

In December of 2011 Pope Benedict XVI appointed Ralph as a Consultor to the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization, for a five year term. 

He is the author of a number of articles and books the most recent of which is The Fulfillment of All Desire: A Guidebook for the Journey to God Based on the Wisdom of the Saints. He and his wife Anne reside in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Schedule Overview

This conference is designed to help priests, deacons, and seminarians enter more deeply into the responsibility of preaching Biblically. We will exploit various aspects of the statement made in Verbum Domini (56), “Christ, truly present under the species of bread and wine, is analogously present in the word proclaimed in the liturgy.” As can be seen from the titles, we will look at the Biblical Word in the sacramental ceremonies and in enlightening and empowering those who receive it. From the perspective of the preacher, we will look at the Word in spiritual warfare, the gift of understanding, lectio divina, and the call to holiness. Every evening there will be a small-group practical exercise with discussion in preparing a Sunday sermon. There will be plenty of opportunities for spiritual reflection, prayer, confession, rest, and informal social time.

Monday, July 23, 2012
3-6 pm- Registration & Housing Check-In 
6- 7:30 pm- Dinner 
8-9:30 pm- Opening Talk- “The Word at the Liturgy”-Fr. Francis Martin 
9:30- 10:30 pm - Social Hour

Tuesday, July 24, 2012
7-8:30 am- Breakfast 
9-9:30 am- Lauds 
9:30-10:30 am- “Preaching and Teaching as Spiritual Warfare”- Dr. Ralph Martin 
11 am-12 noon- Mass 
12-1:30 pm- Lunch 
1:30-2:30 pm- Free Time 
2:30- 3:30pm- “The Mystical Body of Christ” -Msgr. John Esseff 
3:30-4 pm- Free Time 
4 pm-5 pm- “The Word of Salvation”-Dr. Ralph Martin 
5-6 pm- Holy Hour (Confessions Available) 
6-7:30 pm- Dinner 
7:30-9 pm- Preaching Practicum with Fr. Peter Cameron (With Breakout Sessions) 
9:15-10:15 pm- Social Hour

Wednesday, July 25, 2012
7-8:30 am- Breakfast 
9-9:30 am- Lauds 
9:30-10:30 am- “What is the Spiritual Sense?”-Fr. Francis Martin 
11 am-12 noon- Mass 
12-1:30 pm- Lunch 
1:30-2:30 pm- Free Time 
2:30- 3:30pm- “A Christian Anthropology of the Heart”-Msgr. John Esseff 
3:30-4 pm- Free Time 
4 pm-5 pm- “The Word of Holiness”-Dr. Ralph Martin 
5-6 pm- Holy Hour (Confessions Available) 
6-7:30 pm- Dinner 
7:30-9 pm- Preaching Practicum with Fr. Peter Cameron (With Breakout Sessions) 
9-10:30 pm- Social Hour

Thursday, July 26, 2012
7-8:30 am- Breakfast 
9-9:30 am- Lauds 
9:30-10:30 am- “The Word of the Culmination of All Things”-Dr. Ralph Martin 
11 am-12 noon- Mass 
12-1:30 pm- Lunch 
1:30-2:30 pm- Free Time 
2:30- 3:30pm- “Baptism and Confirmation as United with the Holy Spirit” -Msgr. John Esseff 
3:30-4 pm- Free Time 
4 pm-5 pm- “Lectio Divina and Preaching”-Fr. Francis Martin 
5-6 pm- Holy Hour (Confessions Available) 
6-7:30 pm- Dinner 
7:30-9 pm- Preaching Practicum with Fr. Peter Cameron (With Breakout Sessions) 
9-10:30 pm- Social Hour

Friday, July 27, 2012
7-8:30 am- Breakfast 
9-9:30 am- Lauds 
9:30-10:30 am- Closing Talk- “The Gift of Understanding”-Fr. Francis Martin 
11 am-12 noon- Mass 
12-1:30 pm- Lunch

CONFERENCE CLOSES