A World War II Army veteran, Raymond “Ray” Martin Sr., has joined the Catholic Church at 98 years old.
Before finding his way to the Church in Tucson, Arizona, Martin served in Okinawa, Japan, and in the Philippines; he then spent 27 years as a police officer in Illinois.
Martin’s connection to Catholicism began with his late wife, Ann Marie.
When Deacon Jacinto “Jack” Trevino, a hospice chaplain and parochial associate at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in the Diocese of Tucson, met with Martin in December 2025, the two bonded over a shared background in law enforcement and spoke about his wife and her faith.
“Ray is an amazing person,” Trevino told EWTN News. “We hit it off from the beginning. We talked about the job a lot — and shared some laughs.”
It wasn’t all laughs, though. As they got to know each other, their conversations grew serious.
“Ray talked about his wife, who passed,” Trevino recalled. “He said she was Catholic and he would attend Mass with her and pray the rosary.”
“One day he mentioned that he was never baptized or had any of the sacraments and he wanted to be Catholic,” Trevino continued. “We began deeper discussions of the faith.”
Martin, it turned out, had a deep faith in Christ and in the Eucharist.
“He expressed true belief in Christ and the teaching of the Catholic Church,” Trevino said. “He expressed his belief in the Eucharist and the importance of baptism and confirmation. Ray said that even though he was not Catholic, he would always pray the act of contrition.”
At the edge of death, life
Trevino, along with Father Edson Elizarraras, pastor of St. Christopher in Marana, Arizona, had a sense of urgency in bringing those sacraments to Martin.
Martin has survived a stroke, multiple falls, and other health concerns in recent years, even bordering on the brink of death in May after he suffered another stroke.
“Remarkably, Ray pulled through,” Elizarraras told EWTN News. “It was after this stroke that he clearly expressed his desire to become Catholic and receive the sacraments of initiation.”
Trevino and Elizarraras approached the bishop about advancing Martin’s sacraments. Usually, would-be converts to Catholicism go through a one- to two-year Order of Christian Initiation of Adults before receiving the sacraments.
“Though he married a Catholic woman and faithfully attended holy Mass with her prior to her passing, Deacon Trevino noted that Ray always felt unworthy to receive the sacraments, despite believing in God,” Elizarraras said.
“Ray came to tears expressing his desire for the Catholic faith, sharing that throughout his life, he would pray the Act of Contrition and the rosary,” Elizarraras said. “The more Deacon Trevino visited him, the more questions Ray asked, showing he was fully convinced and willingly prepared to receive sacramental grace.”
One of the most important days
So the date was set for July 16; the location, the assisted living home where Martin resided. The facility manager had put up banners with crosses to prepare the living room for the celebration, according to Trevino.
On the day of the celebration, Elizarraras gave Martin the short-order form of OCIA, which is written for those in near danger of death.
“The moment I approached to greet him, he began to cry and smile; he knew this was one of the most important days of his life,” Elizarraras said.
Residents, caregivers, and Martin’s family attended the Mass.
“Beautifully, at the start of the liturgy, Mr. Raymond asked to be helped closer to the small, dignified altar we had prepared,” Elizarraras said. “He wanted to hear clearly and see God at work.”
“When I asked him, ‘Dear brother, Raymond, you have asked to be baptized because you wish, as Christians do, to have eternal life … This is the faith of Christians. Do you know this?’ He responded firmly, ‘I do, yes!’ and wept tears of joy,” Elizarraras recalled.
“Throughout the rite, he remained deeply attentive, smiling and occasionally meditating with his eyes closed,” Elizarraras continued. “When the moment came for his baptism, he opened his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, recognizing this supernatural encounter with God.”
Trevino described the day as “powerful.”
“I was so blessed to humbly participate and witness how Christ, the bridegroom, pours out his love and mercy through his bride, the Church, in the sacraments for his people,” Trevino said.
Afterward, they celebrated with cupcakes — and made plans for how Martin would practice his newfound faith from the assisted living home.
“First thing he asked me and my wife, Elena, was how he could receive Communion again since he can’t get around to go to Mass,” Trevino said. “We promised that we would bring him Communion directly and he could watch Mass on EWTN.”
Martin asked for a medal of St. Christopher; he’d “always wanted one,” he told Trevino, and St. Christopher was now, officially, his confirmation saint.
Encountering Christ
Elizarraras left the celebration that day “with immense joy and peace.”
“In Rayʼs response to grace, I saw a soul truly coming alive,” Elizarraras said.
The celebration brought to Elizarraras’ mind a line from Deus Caritas Est, “God Is Love,” an encyclical letter written by Pope Benedict XVI in 2005.
“Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction,” Elizarraras said, quoting Benedict.
“For Ray, at 98 years old, this sacrament was that very encounter, giving his final days a glorious new horizon,” Elizarraras said.
A week later, Trevino’s wife, Elena, a lay ecclesial minister, brought Martin Communion.
“She read the Gospel for the upcoming Mass, the parable of the buried treasure,” Trevino said. “She told Ray that he was the man in the parable who found the great treasure. He was very happy.”