Cummins Institute Names Father Bryan Massingale 2018 Montini Fellow
The Bishop John S. Cummins Institute for Catholic Thought, Culture, and Action at Saint Mary’s has named Father Bryan N. Massingale—the James and Nancy Buckman Chair in Applied Christian Ethics at Fordham University, and one of the nation’s leading Catholic social ethicists and scholars of African American theological ethics, racial justice, and liberation theology—as the Institute’s 2018 Montini Fellow.
“Father Massingale is a leader calling the faithful, laity and clergy alike, to a much-needed analysis of racism deeply rooted within the American Catholic Church, beset by the cultural evil of white privilege, which is endemic to American society in general,” said History Professor Brother Charles Hilken, FSC, who directs the Cummins Institute.
Father Masingale is the author of Racial Justice and the Catholic Church, which won a first-place book award from the Catholic Press Association. He has also penned more than 80 articles, including: “The Church’s Appalling Silence on Racism,” “Let’s Be a Church Where Black Lives Matter,” “African American Catholics and the Quest for Racial Justice,” “We Cannot Abandon Transgender Catholics,” and “What Will It Take to Redeem the Soul of America?”
During his visit to campus, Father Massingale will engage with students, have discussions with faculty and staff, and address the SMC community in a free lecture open to the public, entitled “Racial Justice and the Catholic Church,” on Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. in the College’s Soda Center.
Massingale’s visit to Saint Mary’s kicks off a series of events related to the College’s celebration of #300LaSalle, a yearlong recognition of the tercentenary of the death and legacy of Saint John Baptist de La Salle.
“For his work and his philosophy of Catholic higher education, Reverend Massingale is an ideal person to serve as the Saint Mary’s Montini Fellow,” said Frances M. Sweeney, vice president for Mission. “Each year, Saint Mary’s invites someone whose research, experience, and/or teaching intersects with priorities we have as a liberal arts, Lasallian, and Catholic institution. This year, as we join the Lasallian network in celebrating 300 years of our Lasallian heritage, Reverend Massingale affords us a unique opportunity to explore the importance of our educational mission—not just appreciating our past but considering our promise and our responsibility to make an impact for students today, in the 21st century.”
Annually bestowed by the Institute, the Montini Fellowship honors individuals who have contributed significantly to Catholic higher education in its role to evangelize and to promote the Catholic intellectual tradition.
For more information, please visit https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/father-bryan-massingale-racial-justice-the-c….