Fr. Bryan Massingale, S.T.D., "Spirituality for Racial Justice" - Tuesday, January 31 at 7:30 p.m.

Fr. Massingale received his doctorate of sacred theology (S.T.D.) at the Alphonsian Academy in Rome, the pontifical institute for moral theology. A leader in Catholic theology, he is the president of the Society of Christian Ethics. He is also a former president of the Catholic Theological Society of America and a former convener of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium.

The author of two books and more than 170 articles, book chapters, and book reviews, Fr. Massingale’s monograph, entitled Racial Justice and the Catholic Church, received a first place Book Award from the Catholic Press Association of the U.S. and Canada. He also authored a major document for Catholic Charities USA, entitled, "Poverty and Racism: Overlapping Threats to the Common Good. Fr. Massingale is an award-winning contributor to major Catholic thought vehicles such as U.S. Catholic, Commonweal, America magazine, The Tablet, and The National Catholic Reporter.

As a public intellectual, Fr. Massingale frequently addresses issues of racial and sexual justice in venues such as National Public Radio (NPR), ABC News, the PBS NewsHour, the Huff Post, Canadian Public Radio, the South African Times, and the Associated Press. His current writing projects explore the contributions of the Black radical imagination to Catholic theology and the intersections of race, sexuality, and faith.

Fr. Massingale has served as a consultant to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, providing theological assistance on issues such as criminal justice, capital punishment, environmental justice, and affirmative action. He has also been a theological consultant for the National Black Catholic Congress, Catholic Charities USA, the Catholic Health Association, the National Catholic AIDS Network, Catholic Relief Services, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, and the anti-racism teams of Call to Action and Pax Christi USA.  He is a leading voice among Catholic thought leaders advocating the full inclusion of LGBTQ persons in both society and the faith community.

In addition to four honorary doctorates, Fr. Massingale is the recipient of numerous honors and recognitions for both his academic scholarship and advocacy for justice, including:

• Marquette University’s highest award for teaching excellence
• Barry University’s Yves Congar Award for Theological Excellence
• Pax Christi USA’s Teacher of Peace Award
• The Ignatian Solidarity Network’s Faith Doing Justice Award
• Dignity USA’s Risk Taker/Justice Maker Award for “advocating for justice for LGBTQI Catholics at great personal risk.”
• The Association of U.S. Catholic Priests’ Pope John XXIII Award, for his tireless efforts to create a world where the dignity of each person is respected and protected.
• Catholic Charities USA’s Centennial Gold Medal for leadership and service in the social mission of the Catholic Church.
• The Al McKnight Award from the National Joint Conference of Black Catholic Clergy, Sisters, Deacons and Seminarians, for outstanding witness on behalf of justice for the marginalized.