Episode 11. Father John P Martin, An Evolving Relationship with Tradition

Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers Podcast

Today we sit down with missioner, author and Maryknoll priest, Fr. John P Martin.
Fr. Martin shares experiences from his missionary work in Mexico and Bangladesh. He reflects on his struggles with his Vocational calling as a Missionary versus the traditional calling of being a Sacramental Minister. Father John also talks about his deep culture shock experiences during his time in Bangladesh, then in India where he fulfilled his dream of further understanding the Hindu Bengali culture.
"a transformative journey as a Maryknoll missionary with cross-cultural and inter-religious ramifications, into realms of spiritual growth beyond imagining."
It's hard to summarize this incredible episode of Among The People into a short intro, but we know you'll be enriched by the life story of Fr. Martin and the many paths he has travelled.
Episode Notes
His website: JohnthePMArtin.com
About John P Martin
John Patrick Martin was born of Irish immigrant parents in New York City in 1939, partaking of their Irish culture, proudly, along with his four sisters, Kitty, Mary, Maggie and Ellen.
At age twelve his inspiration to become a foreign missionary carried him through 11 years of seminary to ordination in 1966 and a first assignment to Mexico. He dedicated himself to his priestly ministry including a variety of social and spiritual developmental activities until 1975. He then answered his leadership’s invitation to join the new Bangladesh Unit for insertion, through Christian testimony, into the Muslim environment as brother and friend.
Through the influence of Father Bede Griffiths, he became enamored of the many opportunities for living dialogue with believers of other religious traditions in South Asia.
​He relished the call to share the fruits of this rich life with folks in Mexico again for fifteen years, for more of the same as above, and at home through mission education programs, inter-religious forums, and his new career as a writer.