In a high-rise apartment in New York City overlooking the Freedom Tower and the Statue of Liberty, Catholic thought leaders both conservative and liberal gathered to pray together and share a fine meal over a glass of Cabernet Francis — all in an effort to overcome polarization.
In the Catholic world, it’s hard to imagine an unlikelier pair than Tim Busch and the Rev. Jim Martin. A successful businessman and entrepreneur, Busch founded the Napa Institute in 2011 to combat secularization in the church and uphold conservative values. Martin, the editor-at-large of the Jesuit magazine America is best known for his Outreach program, aimed at promoting inclusivity and welcome for LGBTQ+ members of the Catholic community….
Busch contacted Martin and asked for his help to bring left leaning Catholics to the table and today the two speak regularly to work on common issues and think of ways to bring their dinner experiment to U.S. parishes. The dinners started in late 2023, as Busch became increasingly concerned with rising political polarization in the U.S. and the deepening fractures he saw mirrored in the Catholic church.
Of course, in the minds of many liberal Catholics, Busch is partly responsible for those fractures, having hosted gatherings at the Napa Institute where some of the most vocal conservative Catholic voices in the U.S. railed against woke-ism and liberal ideologies.
By this year’s annual summer gathering of the Napa Institute, held July 24-28 at the Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa, California, Busch had struck a new tone, urging Catholics during his keynote speech to leave the culture wars behind and to “stop hating and start loving.”
Busch has hosted four dinners, with 40 guests so far, and plans to host three more this year. “We are not there to debate or have a theological conversation, although it’s not prohibited, it’s just not the primary goal,” Busch told Religion News Service in an interview on Monday (July 29).
“After all, we all share the same beliefs on 95% of the issues,” he added.
The meetings start with a short Mass in the chapel in Busch’s apartment, followed by reciting the rosary before a Marian shrine that his daughter made. After a brief reception, guests are invited to sit for dinner. It was Martin’s idea to ask participants in turn to share their favorite Bible verse and describe how it has impacted their lives.
“That allows them to talk about their spiritual life, but also the family, the kids, the priests, the conversions. It’s really touching,” he said. “There are so many people who break down crying during the event. I think it shows the impact of meeting people that they have never met before, but they know who they are, and every day they get up in the morning and fight them instead of fighting the devil. I think that’s a big relief.”
There are 12 guests for every dinner, with Busch and his wife attending every one. “It was very Eucharistic,” the Rev. Ricky Manalo, a member of the Paulist Fathers, who attended one of the dinners in March, told RNS.
“Any type of gathering that centers around food is always a good start to conversation and common ground,” he said.
A French chef prepares a Mediterranean-inspired dinner for the guests, and Busch, who is in the wine business, pulls out copious amounts of wine — averaging one bottle per guest — from his Trinitas Cellars. “It dials everybody down,” he said.
Many of the wines are named after Marian shrines, but the one titled after Pope Francis is the real conversation starter, Busch said. “Especially for left/center people, they think, “Oh, this guy doesn’t hate the pope — he makes wine with the pope’s name on it!” he said, adding that he sends cases of the wine to the pope as well.
Busch said he tries to invite six people from both camps, conservative and liberal. Every guest receives a bio of the other participants before the dinner so “nobody gets surprised,” he explained. No one has canceled last minute, and overall people who attended said they were glad to have come, Busch said.
Conservative guests have included the editor of First Things magazine, Russell Ronald Reno, and Catholic commentator and author Sohrab Ahmari, and Father Javier del Castillo, the U.S. vicar of the Prelature of Opus Dei.
The list of progressive Catholic guests who have attended the dinners includes professors from Fordham University but also influential Catholics such as Kerry Robinson, who heads Catholic Charities U.S.A., and Sam Sawyer, the editor in chief of America Magazine. Inviting left-leaning Catholics to dinner would have been impossible for Busch without Martin’s support, he said.
“I’ve suggested a number of names to Mr. Busch, and when my friends receive their invitations they almost always write to me and say, ‘Should I go?’ And I say yes,” Martin said in an email to RNS. “Afterwards they write to tell me how grateful they were to have gone.”
The bestselling author of Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity, Martin has faced considerable vitriol from conservative faithful on social media and traditional news outlets….
“95% of the issues” still leaves a big one – Fr. Martin’s zeal for gay agenda.
Was that brought up after the first or second course?
What a waste of time and money—-elegant dinners with anti-Catholics “Catholics.”
NOTHING short of a miracle will change “Fr.” Martin and his ilk. They continue to push the homo agenda without regard to Catholic teaching.
What has changed? Nothing. Fr. Martin is not going to give up his false gay gospel. Wasted time, wasted wine, and wasted breath.
Interesting. Dialogue is good. But, Catholic faith and morals are immutable. Who is influencing whom?
Time will tell.
“… leave the culture wars behind and to “stop hating and start loving.” This is the language of LGBTQ advocates and to this reader constitutes a fatal aceptance of the sexual revolution and a final goodbye to Humanae Vitae.
Well, it is fine to have dinners with family and friends who are doing wrong things– but as a friend or family member, you also have the grave responsibility to try to get them to stop their wrong-doings. This is clearly not about “opinions,” liberal or conservative. It is about right and wrong, sin and virtue, the Devil and Christ– salvation and eternal loss of your soul. Many modern-day Churchmen and laymen lack the courage and conviction to do their duty to Christ. They are weak, worldly men, enablers of sinners. Just like foolish enablers of alcoholics.
My mom had a handsome older brother (both now deceased) who was very smart and rose to become the Vice-President of an international SF-based company. His business success took a toll on his marriage and family. Then my mom found out that he had been seeing a pretty secretary and was getting a divorce– and had left the Catholic Church. She was deeply alarmed and lovingly yet sternly tried to help set him right. After a few years he finally listened to her and changed his life. This made a deep impression on me.
Before Vatican II, the Catholic Church was not “loving and personal.” Priests expected grown-up behavior, and objective learning of the Faith, intellectually– and being obedient. They did not coddle your self-esteem. Not everyone had a deep, devout religious faith. If someone got excommunicated, they usually respected it, objectively, and respected the Church. They would still be at Sunday Mass, and ensured their children grew up Catholic. They still might sin– but didn’t lie about it– and didn’t want their kids to sin. Today, people lie, and try to con the Church, and get babyish sympathy/acceptance for their sins.
While I respect Mr. Busch and appreciate the good he has done, I think he was mistaken in having James Martin lead part of the Eucharistic procession in NYC. I’m glad he meets and even dines with those with whom he disagrees, including dissenters. But to put Our Lord in the hands of a dissenting priest and have him lead a procession in New York City sends the wrong message. Pray for Mr. Busch and Rev. Martin.
Lets stop referring to martin as a priest or religious of any kind , it is using its office for its own agenda , using the treasure of the laity to spread filth , and now it is being applauded and enabled further .Treat it with the contempt it deserves as it treats us as , it does not promote anything remotely Catholic .
Priests are priests, even if bad ones. And, as a couple Church Fathers taught, even when in hell.
(Only three Sacraments last into eternity.)
Allowing Judases at dinner parties has never turned out well
On Oct. 24th, Archbishop Ronald Hicks of NY announced that the Archdiocese reached an $800 million settlement with about 1300 clerical sex abuse victims, due to New York lookback laws. I feel badly for the thousands of suffering clerical child sex abuse victims, with ruined lives. Many of the clerical criminals– who all should be laicized and locked up in prison– were homosexual predators. Tim Busch should firmly tell Jesuit Fr. James Martin, to repent of his grave sins as a priest, and to strongly preach repentance of sin, and a chaste life only, to all gay clergy and laity.
According to the John Jay Institute studies, most clerical child sex abusers are not gay, but immature priests abusing opportunities, power and control over accessible boys in church programs (altar boys, choir boys), all-boy schools and institutions. 81% of the victims were boys, aged 11-14. However, how can they explain that most of the victims were male? What on earth would drive a normal, heterosexual (not gay or bisexual) adult male priest, to suddenly rape a boy?? A better explanation is needed.
I wouldn’t entirely agree with the John Jay findings about clerical child sex abusers not being gay. Some young men with homosexual propensities are drawn to the trappings of the priesthood and then, voila, they’re surrounded by males and their repressed sexuality gets even more skewered. Heterosexual seminarians and priests are the ones who have my sympathy.
Cardinal Cupich is presenting the inaugural Nostra Aetate award to billionaire businessman and Democratic donor, Michael Sacks. The award will be given on Oct. 29, 2026 at the Rerum Novarum Awards Dinner, benefitting Mundelein Seminary. Sacks is a huge donor to Planned Parenthood of Illinois, and other abortion providers. Needless to say, many pro life groups are very upset with Cupich.
There was huge oppisition to Cardinal Cupich’s evvil award this evening. Pro lifers had previously gathered over 4,000 signatures on a petition asking Cupich to rescind the award (I signed it, too). They had a big protest outside the room where the dinner was held. Cupich didn’t care. A terrible evil.
Cardinal Blase Cupich and many of our clergy are neither Catholic nor Christian and are not even morally decent men. When young, I recall my dad saying that a good and decent man lives to serve God and his family, fellow man, and country unselfishly. That is what his life is for. No man can truly be happy nor have pride in himself as a man, if he is selfish and only serves himself. Who can respect such a man? My dad, if alive today, wouid be so shocked at Cdl. Cupich’s selfishness, grave sin, and lack of integrity.
Mundelein Seminary, located in the Archdiocese of Chicago, is considered one of the premier Catholic seminaries in the U.S. It is one of the very few select seminaries in North America to hold Pontifical faculty status– granted by the Holy See– allowing it to confer canonical degrees in theology. Mundelein Seminary is a part of St. Mary of the Lake University and has a historic legacy. Its campus comprises over 1,000 acres in Mundelein, Illinois. It is not a “toy” for a heretical, immature prelate like Cupich to mess with and ruin.
“most clerical child sex abusers are not gay… how can they explain that most of the victims were male?” Easy. Most clerical child sex abusers are gay. If it walks like a duck… John Jay would appear to be protective of the lavender mafia.