Bryan Massingale wins social justice award from Paulist Center
Bryan Massingale accepted the Isaac Hecker Award for Social Justice from the Paulist Center on November 13. Massingale, a Catholic priest and theological ethicist, was given the award for his work toward justice and inclusion for Black and LGBTQ people in the Catholic Church.
Previous recipients of the award include Dorothy Day, Cesar Chavez, and Helen Prejean.
In a statement, the Paulist Center said that for more than four decades Massingale had “addressed these twin bases of discrimination,” calling him a modern prophet.
Massingale is the author of Racial Justice and the Catholic Church, widely considered to be the preeminent book on Catholicism and anti-Black racism. He currently teaches ethics at Fordham University, where he also serves as the senior ethics fellow for the school’s Center for Ethics Education.
In his acceptance speech, Massingale said he appreciated the recognition of both of his ministries—antiracism and LGBTQ inclusion. “So often, in my experience, one or the other is recognized or accepted.”
Earlier this year, Massingale also received Pax Christi USA’s Teacher of Peace Award for being a “voice of reason and leadership that is needed to guide us through these turbulent times.”
