Eric Martinez critiques his first period class on the finer points of their warm-up.
Fort Pierce | Transforming from faith-less to faith-filled was an eye-opening journey for Eric Martinez, a choral educator at Fort Pierce Central High School. Martinez’s conversion to the Catholic faith began with his search for truth and beauty through the arts, specifically music.
“I’ve always loved music,” Martinez said. He first began exploring the artform when he took up piano instruction at the age of 22. Shortly following, he entered Stetson University in DeLand as a four-year undergraduate. He took a year off to study privately while playing for worship services at a Presbyterian church.
Although he majored in piano performance, it was a dean of students that brought out the singer in him.
“I wanted that voice,” Martinez said. “It was the most beautiful, transcending experience of my life.”
Martinez began to pursue more vocal opportunities. He also began dating a devout Catholic girl who was the eldest of seven and top in her class. An invitation to a chili cook-off on campus laid the groundwork for their friendship. During Martinez’s freshman year, they sang in chorus together and performed at the Stetson Christmas Candlelight Concert.
“I knew Jingle Bells, but not the real significance of Christmas. There was no Jesus,” he said.
His girlfriend began asking him questions about his life, which led him to think long and hard about the role faith played in it. He recalled that he “had no memory of going to church as a child” and that growing up with Puerto Rican and Dominican parents they sometimes spoke about the San Juan Eucharistic procession which, he shared, was more of “a cultural event, but that was all. Faith was not instilled in me.”
When his girlfriend invited him to Mass at St. Peter Parish in DeLand, it led to his understanding of the biblical roots of the Christmas holiday and the practice of attending Mass.
“The way she lived her life, her purity and daily Mass attendance coupled with her respect for me – I grew to appreciate the expression of that faith,” he said. “Her family was so wholesome. To me it was so foreign to be loved through them; it set me on my path to Christ. A lot of my receptiveness to Catholicism was rooted in how genuine she was about her faith.”
This faith witness led Martinez to enroll in Rite of Christian Initiation at St. Peter Parish in DeLand, where he was baptized, confirmed and received his first Eucharist.
“Faith is a reminder of what you’re living this life for. It definitely is what I wanted,” he said.
Upon completion of his bachelor’s degree, Martinez realized that not many jobs in his field were being listed on the market, due largely in part to the COVID-19 pandemic. With patience, he eventually landed an application posted on the Florida Music Educator Association’s job board.
“It took a while to find a posting,” he said. “The Lord opened the door.”
He moved to St. Lucie County to begin his first teaching opportunity at Fort Pierce Central High School. Prior to the school year, Martinez began attending daily Mass at St. Anastasia Parish in Fort Pierce. There, he met Father Rick George, pastor, and Father Mike Cairnes, parochial vicar, who invited him to Theology on Tap, a local meet-up for Catholic young adults being held at the parish center at that time.
“I knew from that moment I found my church,” he said.
Martinez attends Theology on Tap at Sailfish Brewery in historic, downtown Fort Pierce first Wednesdays of the month where young adults openly talk about issues of faith.
“I have met all the friends I have through Father Mike (Cairnes),” he added, saying his pro-life activism included the recent 40 Days for Life vigil in Fort Pierce where he led the Lord’s Prayer in Spanish outside of the local abortion clinic.
Martinez recently became interested in the lay ecclesiastical communion liberation (charism) of Msgr. Luigi Guissani in Italy and the question: Why does faith matter and what is the meaning of Christ in our daily life? His own search to these life questions serves as a bridge to issues that perplex his new choral students.
“My students challenge me. That’s why I love this job,” Martinez said. “I set clear boundaries from day one. The goal (to develop a curriculum) should be more than to sing songs: it is to understand why we need exploration of beauty and truth, what is this tradition in history? Why was Beethoven popular in the time he lived? It’s to go beyond their own world. This is more than singing for themselves; it’s for each other,” he added.
During his first months of teaching, Martinez strove to be the perfect teacher, but also knew that he couldn’t let the job consume him. Adjusting to the complexities of teaching during the pandemic presented physical and emotional challenges, like students being masked during rehearsals and being unable to collaborate with one another.
As a choral instructor, Martinez desires to present music as a window into the culture of high art. As his students perform Ave Maris Stella (Hail, Star of the Sea) acapella and in Latin, the room becomes a sanctuary. The piece of unknown authorship is both prayer and song, honoring Our Lady. Appearing in the Middle Ages, it is a musical setting for the Mass, specifically the Divine Hours.
“I’ve had a really good year,” he said. “If I did this solely for teaching, I’d be burnt out.”
To learn more about the faith formation programs in the Diocese of Palm Beach, visit.diocesepb.org/ministriesoffices/ministries/marriage-family-life-faith-formation-youth-ministry/faith-formation.
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