Ralph Martin, a Catholic evangelist and host of an international television program, will speak today and Thursday at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in a two-day “mission.”

According to a press release, Martin is currently the president of Renewal Ministries, an organization devoted to the Catholic renewal.

Martin also hosts the television program “The Choices We Make,” and is the author of “The Catholic Church at the End of an Age,” and “Is Jesus Coming? A Catholic Perspective on the Second Coming.”

Martin came to Ames 30 years ago to attend Iowa State as a graduate student.

According to the press release, he and other students established St. Thomas Aquinas’s first Antioch program.

Antioch, a renewal weekend for ISU students, has become a yearly event.

Today at 7 p.m., Martin will discuss “Preparing for the Great Jubilee: We Need Jesus.”

Thursday, Martin’s mission will deal with “The Grace of the Jubilee: Christian Freedom.”

Bob Horton, representative of the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Student Center and Church, said Martin’s speeches are designed to inspire faith renewal and spiritual growth.

“The ISU students who attend will have a real opportunity to experience the grace of God,” Horton said.

Horton said Martin’s speeches will be educational because he will discuss papal documents, the Advent of the Third Millennium and the Pope’s vision.

He said they will also be evangelical because Martin will call forth students to follow Jesus and proclaim the Gospel.

St. Thomas Aquinas is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary, also known as the Jubilee Anniversary.

Horton said Martin was asked to speak at the church because of his historical connections to Ames and St. Thomas Aquinas.