Bio: Stephen K. Ray, named after the
first martyr of the Church, was born on December 29,
1954 to parents who had just become Christians through
a Billy Graham Crusade. They were a strong Fundamentalist
Baptist family and Steve was dedicated to Jesus in the
local Baptist Church. At four years old he “asked
Jesus into his heart” and was “born again”
according to Baptist tradition. Steve often did street
evangelism, taught the Bible in various churches, and
conducted a successful series of classes in his home
and various Protestant churches between extended trips
abroad.
In 1976 Stephen married Janet Ray who came from a
long line of Protestants—in fact, she is the first
Catholic in her family in over 400 years. Her ancestry
can be traced to pilgrims who arrived in America from
England on the Mayflower and Hussite Protestants from
Moravia who joined the Protestant Reformation in the
1600s. With two small children in tow, they moved to
Europe for one year where they traveled extensively
researching their Reformation roots in Switzerland,
Germany, England and other countries. They were also
able to study for six months at L’Abri in Switzerland
with the noted theologian and Evangelical thinker Francis
Schaeffer. On subsequent trips to Europe, Steve and
Janet visited the communist countries and even smuggled
Bibles and medicine to Christians behind the Iron Curtain.
In 1975 Stephen started a business of his own and with
an investment of only $5.00 and homemade business cards.
He started a building services company named Foremost
Maintenance, which was incorporated as Distinctive Maintenance,
Inc. in 1987. Over the years the business has grown
rapidly and the multimillion dollar firm now has about
600 employees. Steve helped co-found the Affiliated
Building Service Contractors Association and served
on the Board of Directors. In 1996 Tom Monahan of Dominos
Pizza invited Steve to join the organization of CEO’s
named Legatus. Steve serves on the Board of Directors
for the Ave Maria Foundation and the Ave Maria College.
He is also a regent of Ave Maria University in Naples
Florida. Steve now spends most of his time writing,
producing documentary videos, traveling, teaching, and
service to the Catholic Church.
Steve also serves as a research assistant for Scott
Hahn’s St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology,
and advisor for Catholics United for the Faith,
After being a Fundamentalist Protestant of thirty-nine
years and members of various Fundamentalist and Evangelical
Protestant churches, Steve Ray and his wife Janet converted
to the Catholic Church on Pentecost Sunday, 1994. Prior
to 1994 neither of them had—out of principle—ever
set foot in a Catholic Church. Steve and Janet now attend
Christ the King Parish in Ann Arbor Michigan. Steve
taught a very successful Catholic Bible Study before
the video series demanded his time.
Janet taught their children at home. Their oldest daughter
Cindy received her Masters in Philosophy at Franciscan
University of Steubenville in 2001 after graduating
summa cum laude with a double major in theology, philosophy
and a minor in business. She has now graduated from
Catholic University of America and is completing her
dissertation for her PhD in Philosophy. She married
Benjamin Brown, another summa cum laude graduate of
Steubenville on January 12, 2002 who is now a professor
of theology. Steve’s son Jesse graduated summa
cum laude from Eastern Michigan University with a degree
in business. By the end of 2006 he will have his Masters
in Finance. He is part owner of the family business.
He married Anna Bolster on December 29, 2001 and the
father of three children. Charlotte is attending Eastern
Michigan University and Emily attends Fr. Gabriel Richard
Catholic High School where she runs cross country.
In 1997 Steve’s first book, with an Imprimatur
from Bishop Carl Mengeling, was published by Ignatius
Press in San Francisco, California. The conversion story
is entitled Crossing the Tiber: Evangelical Protestants
Discover the Historic Church in which Steve details
the intellectual and spiritual journey from Fundamentalism
to the Catholic Church. The book also contains extended
studies of Baptism and the Eucharist from the Scriptures
and the Fathers. Within less than a year the book had
become a Catholic best seller. Ignatius Press released
another best seller by Steve in 1999 entitled Upon this
Rock: St. Peter and the Primacy of Rome in the Scriptures
and Early Church. Ignatius Press is publishing Steve’s
third book in October of 2002 entitled St. John’s
Gospel: A Bible Study Guide and Commentary. He also
wrote the Papacy Learning Guide and the We Have A Pope
for Catholic Answers. Faith for Beginners will be released
in late 2006. He is also speaking at conferences and
seminars and his numerous tape sets.
Since becoming Catholics, Steve and Janet have traveled
extensively in the Holy Land, Egypt, Turkey, Jordan,
Syria, Greece, and Italy researching their new Catholic
faith and gathering material for their books and video
series. They have also taken four speaking tours of
the Philippines and an adventure in China. They have
visited Rome many times and Steve spoke at the North
American College in Rome and the Legionaries’
Regina Apostolorum University. In the Jubilee Year (2000)
the family went on a five week pilgrimage to Israel,
Egypt, Switzerland, and Rome studying, touring, and
preparing to film the first of ten documentary movies
(under the auspices of Ignatius Press and Steve’s
new company, St. Josephs Productions and in conjunction
with Skyline Productions). Steve and Janet had two personal
meetings with John Paul II and appeared on Fox News
four times during his funeral.
Steve is a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre and Janet is
a Lady. They received their shell in Jerusalem from
the hands of their friend Bishop Kamal Bathish.
Besides overseeing the family business, enjoying their
children and grandchildren at home and serving their
local parish, Steve and Janet now spend most of their
time researching, writing, teaching Catholic Bible studies,
lecturing, creating documentaries, leading pilgrimages
to biblical lands, and sharing the joy of discovering
the Catholic Church. Steve especially loves apologetics,
Bible study, and explaining the Catholic faith. Steve
has conducted several highly successful conferences
in conjunction with other Catholic converts.
Steve is a regular guest on Catholic Answers Live and
has appeared on a wide range of radio and television
programs including several guest appearances on The
Journey Home on EWTN, Living His Life Abundantly and
Life on the Rock with Jeff Cavins. Steve has also been
interviewed several times on Fox Cable Network News,
Fox & Friends and done radio interviews with Ave
Maria Radio, Relevant Radio and the G. Gordon Liddy
show.
But the majority of their time is now spent writing,
directing, and producing the award winning, 10-video
series “The Footprints of God: the Story of Salvation
from Abraham to Augustine” on location in the
Holy Land and surrounding countries. The main website
for the production is at Footprints of God. CREDO wrote
an article on the series entitled Jerusalem Jones. The
first video, Peter, Keeper of the Keys was released
in November 2001 by Ignatius Press and Mary, Mother
of God was released in June 2002 (www.ignatius.com).
Over Holy Ground was released in January 2002. Subsequently,
Moses: Signs, Sacraments and Salvation, and Jesus: the
Word Became Flesh have been released on video and DVD.
Paul, Contending for the Faith was released in 2004.
David & Solomon: Expanding the Kingdom was released
in March 2006. Brochures/Subscription forms and Promo
video (viewable on the web) can be found on Steve’s
website.
Steve and Janet are both certified guides for the
Holy Land and now lead groups on pilgrimages to Israel
and other biblical land through their company Footprints
of God Pilgrimages.
Affiliations: Contributing Writer,
Envoy Magazine; The Catholic Answer, This Rock Magazine;
speaker at Call to Holiness, speaker at the St. Joseph
Family Conferences, Steubenville’s Defending the
Faith Summer conferences, Fullness of Truth conferences,
Catholic Scripture Study International, and he’s
a regular on Catholic Answers Live, Relevant Radio,
Ave Maria Radio, and many more.
Ave Maria College Board member since: founding
in 1998
Board of Regents for Ave Maria University.
Board Member of Ave Maria Foundation
Legatus Member since 1999
Board of Advisors for Catholics United for the Faith
Research Fellow for St. Paul Center
Knight and Lady of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre
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