Michael Martin

Michael Thomas Martin (born December 2, 1961) is an American Catholic prelate who serves as Bishop of Charlotte and is a member of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual.

Biography Early life Martin was born on December 2, 1961, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Beverly Beatty and Donald Martin. He attended Archbishop Curley High School in that city. After high school, Martin entered the Franciscan novitiate at Ellicott City, Maryland in August 1979 and professed his solemn vows to the order on August 2, 1985. In the meantime he earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Saint Hyacinth Seminary in Granby, Massachusetts, a Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University of St. Bonaventure in Rome, and a Master of Education degree from Boston College.

Priesthood Martin was ordained to the priesthood for the Franciscan Order on June 10, 1989, by Bishop John Huston Ricard at St. Casimir Church in Baltimore. After his ordination, the Franciscans assigned Martin as a teacher and coach at Saint Francis High School in Athol Springs, New York.

In 1994, he was transferred back to Baltimore to teach and coach at Archbishop Curley High School. He was ultimately named as principal and then president at the school. Martin led a successful $7 million capital campaign at Archbishop Curley and increased its enrollment after a decline during the 1990s. Because of his work at Bishop Curley, the Vatican awarded Martin its Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice award in 2007. With Martin's appointment, the Conventual Franciscans became the most represented religious community among the active bishops of the United States.

Martin's episcopal consecration occurred on May 29, 2024, at St. Mark Catholic Church in Huntersville, North Carolina. He was consecrated by Archbishop Gregory Hartmayer, with Jugis and Cardinal Christophe Pierre serving as co-consecrators.

In May of 2025, Martin restricted celebration of the Tridentine Mass from four parish churches to just one chapel in the diocese, in accordance with Francis' motu proprio Traditionis custodes. At the same time, leaked documents showed drafts of plans to restrict kneeling to receive the Eucharist, the use of Latin in the liturgy, and Roman-style liturgical vestments. In September of the same year, Martin prohibited the use of the altar rail at Charlotte Catholic High School.

In December 2025, Martin issued a pastoral letter on instructions for receiving the Eucharist within the diocese. In it, he announced that beginning January 16, 2026, altar rails would be prohibited:"The episcopal conference norms logically do not envision the use of altar rails, kneelers, or prie-dieus for the reception of communion. Doing so is a visible contradiction to the normative posture of Holy Communion established by our episcopal conferences. Instead, the instruction emphasizes that receiving Holy Communion is to be done as the members of the faithful go in procession, witnessing that the Church journeys forward and receives Holy Communion as a pilgrim people on their way."

He also instructed clergy, catechists, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, and teachers "not to teach that some other manner is better, preferred, more efficacious, etc." Martin also announced in his letter provisions for receiving communion under both kinds and the use of extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion.

In January 2026, Martin reinstated Patrick Hoare, a priest who had previously been removed due to credible allegations of misconduct.