Fr. James Martin to Receive New Ways Ministry’s Bridge Building Award
For an updated version of this page, please click here.
New Ways Ministry is proud to announce the presentation of our Bridge Building Award to Father James Martin, SJ, in recognition of his ministry of communication which has helped to expand the dialogue on LGBT issues in the Catholic Church.
The award will be presented at a ceremony on Sunday, October 30, 2016, 2:00-5:00 p.m., at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, 1726 Reisterstown Road, Pikesville, Maryland, 21208 (near Baltimore). Immediately following the presentation Fr. Martin will offer remarks. An hors d’oeuvre reception will conclude the event.
For information on attending the award ceremony for Fr. Martin, click here
For information on honoring Fr. Martin on this occasion, click here.
Fr. Martin serves as Editor At Large for America magazine, the national Jesuit opinion journal. In addition, he is one of the most widely recognized Catholic personalities on social media, with a Facebook following of close to half a million people. Fr. Martin has used his communication skills and channels to allow for an extensive discussion of LGBT issues among Catholics of varying ideologies.
To read all of Bondings 2.0 blog posts which refer to Fr. Martin, click here.
New Ways Ministry’s Bridge Building Award honors those individuals who by their scholarship, leadership, or witness have promoted discussion, understanding, and reconciliation between the LGBT community and the Catholic Church. The award was first given in 1992 to Father Charles Curran, a renowned moral theologian. Other awardees were: Bishop Thomas Gumbleton (1995); Sister Margaret Farley, RSM (2002); Mary Ellen and Casey Lopata (2005); John J. McNeill (2009).
The October 30th award ceremony and reception are open to the public. A suggested donation is $35 per person (all are welcome regardless of ability to donate). If you would like to attend the event, please click here, and fill out the form by October 20th.
If you would like to honor Fr. Martin’s achievements in a special way, New Ways Ministry invites you to have your name or your organization’s name listed in the program booklet for the event. You may choose to be listed in one of the following categories:
- Patron ($1,000 donation)
- Benefactor ($500 donation)
- Supporter ($250 donation)
- Contributor ($100 donation)
- Friend ($50 donation)
To have your name or organization’s name listed, please click here and fill out the form by Ocvtober 7th.
If you have any problems with the online form, please contact New Ways Ministry at 301-277-5674 or [email protected].
Father Martin is the author and editor of numerous books including Seven Last Words: An Invitation to a Deeper Friendship with Jesus, and The Abbey: A Story of Discovery. His 2014 publication Jesus: A Pilgrimage was a New York Times bestseller and won both a Christopher Award and a Catholic Press Association Award. Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor and Laughter are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life was named as one of “Best Books” of 2011 by Publishers Weekly.
His book on Jesuit spirituality The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life, a New York Times bestseller, was awarded a 2010 Christopher Award, and was also a number one bestseller in Catholic books. His memoir My Life with the Saints (Loyola, 2006), which received a 2007 Christopher Award, was named one of the “Best Books” of 2006 by Publishers Weekly, and also received a First Place award from the Catholic Press Association. Together on Retreat: Meeting Jesus in Prayer is an e-book that uses the technology of the e-reader to lead readers on a guided retreat.
For further information call (301) 277-5674 or email [email protected]
–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry
There isn’t a more-deserving recipient of this award than Fr James S.J. . What a wonderful example of God’s unconditional love.
Well deserved!
Yes, James Martin has been a refreshing voice in our religious discussions, but…. We cannot forget. A few years ago, he moderated a panel discussion in the Paterson diocese called “Gay Marriage: Why Not?” We thought it would be an honest open conversation about the subject. However, only three philosophy scholars from Princeton were hired and all gave extremely homophobic remarks about gay people wanting “polyamourous” relationships, using the natural law argument to deny us the right to marriage. Fr. Martin did nothing to challenge them. We were wounded again by our Church and walked out. Just saying he’s not the Saint some think he is.
Maybe his views have evolved since then.