Martha (McMenaman ’92) Reichert

Class of 1992

After Martha (McMenaman ’92) Reichert transferred to Franciscan from a large state university, Professor John Korzi saw her in the hallway one day and greeted her by name. That simple “Hello, Martha” deeply resonated with her. At her previous school, students were identified by their student numbers. Here, she was called by her name.

“I always loved the idea of recognizing the dignity of every human person,” remembers Martha, who came to Franciscan with a passion for the teachings of St. John Paul II on human dignity. “But it was at Franciscan that I learned to embrace my own human dignity.”

After graduating from Franciscan,Martha married Tim Reichert ’92 and focused on raising their four children. Eventually, the Reicherts moved to Colorado, where Martha met several other women who shared her zeal for the Church’s teaching on human dignity. In 2003, they launched Endow—“Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women”—which soon became, as Martha describes it,“an international apostolate helping women on every continent and in all walks of life to recognize their inherent worth and dignity in Christ Jesus.”

Two years later, Martha developed a program to bring Endow to Samaritan House, a 450-bed homeless shelter in Denver run by Catholic Charities. Every Monday night for four years, she read St. John Paul II’s “Letter to Women” with prostitutes, Wiccans, domestic abuse victims, ex-convicts, and anyone else who walked in the door.

“Every single woman I encountered, no matter her background or belief structure, saw the beauty that the Church was offering her in that letter,” Martha says.

From 2014-2018, Martha served as president of Endow. She now also works with many other organizations, including FOCUS, Creatio, KATALYST, the Missionaries of Charity, and Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.

Passionate about educating the next generation of leaders, Martha serves as trustee on the Boards of Thomas Aquinas College and Augustine Institute.

“The Church is rich in examples of the feminine genius,” she says. “One of my favorites is St. Teresa of Calcutta, who said, ‘Do something beautiful for God.’ This motivates me in my family, professional, and apostolic life. It is a challenge each of us should consider in our daily lives. So simple and so attainable!”