Rev. Bryan N. Massingale, S.T.D., S.T.L., M.Div.,

The week of his graduation from Marquette University, Massingale’s parents somehow learned he had turned down a prized fellowship.  He was accused of wasting his gifts, of throwing away his one opportunity to become something respectable like a psychologist or lawyer.  

Massingale had indeed excelled and the fellowship would have paid for 4 years of any type of graduate school – except for seminary.  His parents didn’t yet know that, in his junior year, he had discerned a call to priesthood. So Massingale turned down the fellowship, instead attending St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee for his M.Div.  And he continued to excel, soon earning a moral theology degree (STL) from Catholic University in Washington D.C. and an STD degree from Academia Alphonsianum in Rome.

Today, Massingale has become one of the world’s leading Catholic social ethicists and scholars of African-American theological ethics, racial justice, and liberation theology. He joined the Fordham theology faculty in the fall of 2016.  Previously, while on the faculty of Marquette University, his alma mater, he had received that institution’s highest award for excellence in teaching (2009).

Massingale has served as president of the Catholic Theological Society of America and convener of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium.  He holds at least four honorary doctorates. He has written over 80 articles, book chapters, and book reviews for publications. His book, Racial Justice and the Catholic Church (Orbis Books, 2010) won a first place book award from the Catholic Press Association.

This scholar-activist has served as a consultant to the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops, the National Black Catholic Congress, Catholic Charities USA, the Catholic Health Association and the National Catholic AIDS Network.  Notable awards include the Pope John XXIII Award from the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests in 2017 and the “Rev. Al McKnight Award” in 2011 by the National Joint Conference of Black Catholic Clergy, Sisters, Deacons and Seminarians for outstanding witness on behalf of justice for the marginalized.  Indeed, how blessed are we that Massingale discerned the right call for his gifts!