Fr Bryan Massingale, a leading American theologian and professor at Fordham University, won the John Courtney Murray Award in June from the Catholic Theological Society of America, marking just the second time a Black person has received the nation’s most prestigious Catholic academic honor.
The 69-year-old African-American priest was presented the lifetime achievement award at the CTSA’s annual meeting, held from June 11-14 in St. Louis under the theme of “Theology in a Synodal Church.” It honored Massingale's various contributions to Christian social ethics, the study of racism and racial justice in the Catholic Church, and his advocacy on LGBTQ+ issues—being one of few openly gay Catholic priests.
“Tonight, we have a visibility, acknowledgment and recognition never before given,” he said in his acceptance speech.
“In a sense, tonight, Catholic theology comes out of the closet.”
Congratulations to my friend Fr. Bryan N. Massingale, who received the John Courtney Murray Award at this year's convention of the Catholic Theological Society of America, CTSA's highest accolade. He has spoken extensively on racism and LGBTQ people and was a keynote speaker at… pic.twitter.com/kE5xh8yPLr
— James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) June 15, 2026
A native of Milwaukee, Massingale has spent more than 40 years in ministry and academics, ordained in 1983 and hired as a professor at St. Francis Seminary in his hometown in 1986. He received his licentiate in sacred theology from the Catholic University of America and a doctor of sacred theology from the Alphonsianum in Rome.
Massingale was hired at Marquette University in 2004, remaining at the school for 12 years. During this time, he published his seminal work, “Racial Justice and the Catholic Church,” establishing him as an international voice on institutional racism. Since 2017, he has served as the James and Nancy Buckman Chair in Applied Christian Ethics at Fordham and as senior fellow at the university’s Center for Ethics Education.
Among his various achievements, Massingale was elected president of the CTSA in 2009, and president of the Society of Christian Ethics in 2021. He received the Rev. Al McKnight Award from the Black Catholic Joint Conference in 2011, and was named the Pax Christi USA Teacher of Peace in 2021, recognizing his public advocacy on matters of anti-racism and LGBTQ+ equality. In 2022, he received the Yves Congar Award for Theological Excellence from Barry University and the Robert M. Holstein Faith Doing Justice Award from the Ignatian Solidarity Network.
Nate Tinner-Williams
Massingale is the first Black priest to receive the John Courtney Murray Award, bestowed since 1972 to honor a CTSA member for distinguished theological achievement. It was first awarded to a Black member in 2018, when Dr. M. Shawn Copeland was honored at the convention in Indianapolis.
In presenting the award to Massingale, outgoing CTSA president Dr. Susan Abraham described Massingale as a crucial voice in the current Catholic moment whose work continues to reverberate.
“This year, we honor a scholar whose voice has become indispensable in our time,” she said.
“A theologian of courage, clarity, and compassion; a teacher whose work has transformed classrooms, communities, and consciences; a priest who models his ministry on the life of Jesus Christ; a public intellectual whose insights have reached far beyond the academy; and a moral leader who calls the Church to deeper truth and more faithful justice.”
Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.
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