Winter Living Theology 2018: Bridging the Gap Between Faith and Society

by Erin Carelse · May 2, 2018

Fr Bryan Massingale, Winter Living Theology 2018 lecturer. (CNS photo/Bruce Gilbert, Fordham University)

For the US priest who will deliver this year’s series of Winter Living Theology (WLT) lectures, “racism is a soul-sickness and our spiritual tradition can and does give us the tools to find healing and reconciliation if we are willing to use it”, according to Fr Russell Pollitt SJ, director of the Jesuit Institute SA, which is organising the lectures.

Fr Pollitt said that Fr Bryan Massingale was invited to meet one of the key works of the Jesuit Institute: to bridge the gap between faith and society.

“Fr Massingale is a theologian but also someone who comes from a context where race has divided people, and so speaks not just from a theological perspective but a lived experience,” Fr Pollitt said.

He noted that the bishops of Southern Africa have identified a dialogue on race and racism as a priority.

This year’s WLT theme, “Racial Justice and the Demands of Christian Discipleship”, is in keeping with the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference’s 2016 pastoral letter, “A Call to Overcome Racism”, as well as this year’s Lenten theme, Fr Pollitt said.

“In South Africa today, racism is a very important issue which continues to be a painful part of the national dialogue. Fr Massingale will try and help us see how the Church, our faith and spirituality, can help us to counter this issue which is becoming more and more divisive,” he explained.

Fr Pollitt described Fr Massingale as “sensitive and caring and yet forthright. He is not afraid to speak of the pain of disunity that racism inflicts on a people and the wounds that need healing.”

Fr Bryan Massingale

A priest of the archdiocese of Milwaukee, Fr Massingale is a professor in applied ethics at Fordham University in New York.

He is a past convener of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium and a former president of the Catholic Theological Society of America.

In 2017 he received the Pope John XXIII Award from the Association of US Catholic Priests “for his tireless efforts to create a world where the dignity of each person is respected and protected”. In 2012 he was awarded the Catholic Charities USA’s Centennial Gold Medal for leadership and service in the social mission of the Catholic Church.

In his book Racial Justice and the Catholic Church, Fr Massingale examines the presence of racism in the US from its early history through the civil rights movement and the presidential election of Barack Obama.

It also explores how Catholic social teaching has been used — and not used — to promote reconciliation and justice. He believes that the Catholic faith and the black experience make essential contributions in the continuing struggle against racial injustice.

The dates and venues for this year’s Winter Living Theology are:

Johannesburg: June 26-28 at Lumko Institute, Benoni; Port Elizabeth: July 3-5 at St Luke’s Retreat and Conference Centre; Durban: July 10-12 at St Joseph’s parish, Morningside; Cape Town: July 17-18 (venue to be confirmed).

For more information or to register, contact or call 011 482-4237.