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Father Bryan Massingale Is New York-bound

By June 29, 2016No Comments2 min read

Father Bryan Massingale presided at a spirit-filled farewell Mass at St. Ann Center’s Stein Campus—a place where he’s shared his ministry as a volunteer priest and member of the board of directors. The congregation for this bittersweet celebration included the Center’s adult clients and several Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, including a few who taught Father Bryan in elementary school.

When Father Bryan mentioned his departure during the homily, the clients groaned in unison. But when he added that he’d be going to New York City, a big town they’d all heard of, they cheered for him and his future.

Father Bryan, one of the world’s leading Catholic social ethicists and scholars of African-American theological ethics and racial justice, will join the Fordham University theology faculty in the fall of this year. He comes to Fordham from Marquette University, where in 2009, he received the University’s highest award for teaching excellence.

In an article for the Fordham News, J. Patrick Hornbeck, PhD, chair of Fordham’s theology department, said of Father Bryan, “His work on advocacy for both racial justice and justice in the realm of sexual ethics is incredibly well known all around the country,” he said. ““There really is no person in the Catholic theological academy who excels at doing such work in a creative and intersectional way than Father Massingale.”

A lifelong Milwaukeean, Father Bryan plans to keep close contact with his many hometown friends.  As for his ties to St. Ann Center and the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, he laughed, “Sister Edna will not let me leave!” Conference calls will keep him connected during future board meetings.

Thanks for the many ways you bless us, Father Bryan. St. Ann Center will miss you!

 

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