Openly Gay Catholic Theologian Bryan Massingale Receives the Highest Award from the Catholic Theological Society of America

Fordham University priest and theologian Bryan Massingale has been awarded the John Courtney Murray Award, the highest academic honor of the Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA). This was reported by New Ways Ministry, citing the Black Catholic Messenger.

The lifetime achievement award ceremony took place in June at the CTSA annual meeting in St. Louis. Massingale became the first Black priest and the second openly gay theologian to receive this award (the first was Orlando Espin in 2016). Bryan Massingale is known for his work on issues of racial justice and the integration of LGBTQ+ people into the Catholic Church.

In his acceptance speech, Massingale stated that the event marked the moment when “Catholic theology comes out of the closet,” emphasizing the importance of the presence and recognition of openly LGBTQ theologians in the church.