‘The firing of Ralph Martin and Eduardo Echeverria from Sacred Heart Seminary…is an act of a thin-skinned, petty tyrant,’ said Eric Sammons, editor-in-chief of Crisis Magazine.
By Catholics for Catholics
Detroit’s new and progressive Archbishop fired two of the most noteworthy and respected theologians and writers in the country from one of the nation’s best seminaries.
Archbishop Edward Weisenburger fired professor Ralph Martin, who is an author of several classic Catholic books, and Eduardo Echeverria, a theology and philosophy professor, from the Sacred Heart Seminary. The archdiocese gave no explanation for the termination.
According to LifeSiteNews, Weisenburger came under fire last month for squashing almost all public celebrations of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) and outlawing ad orientem in the Novus Ordo.
In a brusque statement, the archdiocese’s associate director of communications, Holly Fournier, dismissed LifeSiteNews’ request, saying: “The Archdiocese of Detroit does not comment on archdiocesan or seminary personnel matters.”
Martin and Echeverria had criticized Pope Francis’ doctrinal ambiguity over the years, which has stimulated notions that Detroit’s new archbishop wants to exterminate any exposure to conservative, orthodox teaching rooted in the magisterium of the Church from the training of future priests.
“It’s true I was fired yesterday morning from my position at the seminary by Archbishop Weisenburger,” explained Martin in a statement provided to LifeSiteNews. “When I asked him for what reason he said he didn’t think it would be helpful to give any specifics but mentioned something about having concerns about my theological perspectives.”
The firing of Ralph Martin and Eduardo Echeverria from Sacred Heart Seminary (which I've confirmed as true) is an act of a thin-skinned, petty tyrant. It's not about advancing the Gospel; it's about power and control.
— Eric Sammons (@EricRSammons) July 24, 2025
Note that neither Martin nor Echeverria are "trads"—they are… pic.twitter.com/t4JBPKGge1
“This was a shock after contributing a lot to the seminary over more than 22 years, including to our flagship Pontifical Degree Program, the Licentiate of Sacred Theology in the New Evangelization,” said Martin.
“One fears for all seminaries,” said Dr. Janet Smith, a former longtime colleague of both men at SHS. “If these two aren’t qualified to teach in a seminary — at least in respect to Martin because of his theology, which is entirely faithful and orthodox — who is safe?” she wondered.
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