Peter and Theresa Martin founded the Wisconsin-based Wojtyla Community and Institute to help promote a rule that St. John Paul II wrote for married couples when he was the archbishop of Krakow. “It basically went unknown,” Peter Martin said of the late pope’s particular effort. “Very few people knew about it.”
The rule was rediscovered when his writings were reviewed during his cause for canonization, Theresa said. She used the book in which the rule was published for her dissertation in 2019. Some of what the late pontiff stated was “just profound and amazing,” Theresa said. “For example, he says that the … ‘conjugal spirituality’ between the couples that they receive through the grace of the sacrament of marriage can be so great that the two could have one interior life between the two of them,” she said. “That’s kind of mind-blowing stuff.”
The couple published a book titled “The Rule: St. John Paul II’s Rule for a Joy-filled Marriage of Divine Love.” And they started an organization called the Wojtyla Community Institute, “to not only publish and promote” the book, but to support couples who want to “follow JPII’s rule,” she said.
“Practicing Catholic” radio show host Patrick Conley recently interviewed the Martins about their book and institute.
During the interview, Peter described “the contraceptive mentality” that started years ago and brought “very many evils.” He recalled after St. Paul VI wrote “Humanae Vitae” in 1968, the pope was prophesying “What would a world look like when a woman loses her value as a mother and marriage loses its value as being that central point where a family is created? He was specifically talking about this contraceptive mentality that we have bought into since the rise of the pill.”
Marriage is no longer valued, Peter said. “So, we look forward to bringing back the tenets of “Humanae Vite” because it’s an encyclical that’s not simply a ‘no,’” he said. “It’s an encyclical that tells us exactly what marriage is and the value of a man and wife.”
St. John Paul II believed that marriage is unique in that one “gives this gift,” Theresa said, conferring the sacrament “on each other.” “And he says that, for the rest of your life, you are the conduit of the action of God in your spouse’s life.”
To learn more about the Wojtyla Institute, visit the Martins’ website, JPIIrule.com. The couple is hosting a marriage retreat at Holy Family in St. Louis Park Oct. 27 through Oct. 28, for $75 per couple. Discussion topics will include the Wojtyla Community and Institute and the rule of JPII.
To hear the full interview, listen to this episode of “Practicing Catholic,” which debuts at 9 p.m. Oct. 13 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM and repeats at 1 p.m. Oct. 14 and 2 p.m. Oct. 15.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes an interview with Father Ben Little, pastor of St. John the Baptist in Savage, who discusses the importance of godparents and how to pick them; and Adam Fitzpatrick, mission outreach coordinator for the archdiocesan Center for Mission, who describes the new apostolic exhortation from Pope Francis and what it means for our local Church.
Listen to interviews after they have aired at PracticingCatholicShow.com or choose a streaming platform at https://anchor.fm/practicing-catholic-show.
