For Father James Martin, ministry means going wherever the people are
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The popular Jesuit priest and author says he felt called to minister among the LGBTQ+ community following the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016, when few Catholic leaders were speaking out.
The Catholic Church in America is experiencing great flux — with profound potential and the pain of reckoning and responsibility. Thirteen percent of Americans, according to Pew Research, are former Catholics, while the parish Masses are filled with growing numbers of immigrants from Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa.
Women are rising to new roles of leadership as directors of religious education and pastoral associates, even as the top leadership roles remain reserved for male priests. Likewise, Pope Francis has officially supported ministering to LGBTQ people and encouraged their embrace within Catholic families — creating new possibilities for in-reach.
Few have done so with the success of the Rev. James Martin, S.J., who serves as editor-at-large of “America” magazine and is a public theologian who encourages and serves millions online, in print and in person. Martin brings a sense of Catholic belonging to many who had been disaffected or unchurched, particularly LGBTQ people.
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