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By Meredith Amor
Director of Communications, Barry University

February 18, 2022, Miami, Florida – The Barry University Department of Theology and Philosophy will present the Yves Congar Award to Dr. Bryan Massingale, a leader in Catholic theology, on Tuesday, February 22, 2022. 

The event will include an award ceremony and a lecture presented by Professor Massingale, “A Spirituality of Racial Metanoia.” The public is invited to attend in person or virtually.

The Yves Congar Award for Theological Excellence is presented annually to a theologian who embodies the vision of church, contemporary society, sensitivity to culture, diligent scholarship, and pastoral concern manifest in the life and work of Yves Congar, OP. Father Congar (1904-1995), a French Dominican priest, was influential in the renewal efforts of Vatican II.  

This award was initiated in 1995 as part of Barry University’s commitment to strengthening both Dominican identity and theological scholarship through lectures by noted theologians on topics of urgency and importance to church and world. 

Racism can be understood in a variety of ways. At its deepest level, racism is a soul sickness, that is, a profound warping of the human spirit. This presentation will describe the social impacts of this spiritual distortion. It will then explore the Gospel's call to repentance and offer an understanding of the profound transformations needed to address this spiritual wound and create a more just society.

Dr. Massingale, a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, is the James and Nancy Buckman Professor of Theological and Social Ethics at Fordham University, and a Senior Fellow in its Center for Ethics Education. He is also President-Elect of the Society of Christian Ethics, former president of the Catholic Theological Society of America, and former Convener of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium.

A “scholar-activist,” Dr. Massingale is an award-winning contributor to major Catholic thought vehicles such as U.S. Catholic, Commonweal, America Magazine, The Tablet, and The National Catholic Reporter. He has received Catholic Charities USA’s Centennial Gold Medal for leadership and service in the social mission of the Catholic Church and the Rev. Al McKnight Award from the national Joint Conference of Black Catholic Clergy, Sisters, Deacons, and Seminarians for outstanding witness on behalf of justice for the marginalized. 

To register or for more information on the event and on Dr. Massingale, click here.