James J. Martin (priest)

For American historical revisionist, see James J. Martin (historian).

The Reverend

James Martin

SJ
ChurchCatholic Church
Orders
OrdinationJune 1999
Personal details
Born (1960-12-29) December 29, 1960 (age 63)
Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, U.S.
OccupationJesuit priest, author
Education

James J. Martin SJ (born December 29, 1960) is an American Jesuit priest, writer, editor-at-large of America magazine and the founder of Outreach.[1]

A New York Times Best-Selling author, Martin's books include The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life, Jesus: A Pilgrimage, and My Life with the Saints. He is a public speaker on the Ignatian spirituality as inspired by Ignatius of Loyola.

Pope Francis appointed Martin as a consultant to the Secretariat for Communications at the Vatican in 2017.[2][3] In July 2023, it was announced that Martin was among the people specifically invited by Francis to take part in the final phase meetings of the Synod on Synodality.[4][5]

Martin's public outreach to the LGBTQ+ community has drawn both support and condemnation from within the Catholic Church.[6][7] This is the subject of his book Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity. In 2021, a documentary film about Martin's LGBT ministry, also called Building a Bridge, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City.[8]

  1. ^ "James Martin, S.J., Editor At Large". America Magazine. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
  2. ^ "Pope taps James Martin and EWTN chief as communications consultants". Crux. April 12, 2017. Archived from the original on July 16, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  3. ^ "Father James Martin appointed by Pope Francis to Vatican department for communications". America Magazine. April 12, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  4. ^ Lamb, Christopher (July 7, 2023). "Fr James Martin SJ chosen by Pope Francis for most ambitious Church renewal process in 60 years". The Tablet. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  5. ^ Dulle, Colleen (July 7, 2023). "Pope Francis taps Father James Martin for Synod on Synodality". America Magazine. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  6. ^ "Archbishop Chaput: Fr. Martin deserves respectful criticism, not trash-talking". Catholic News Agency. September 21, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  7. ^ Faggioli, Massimo (December 29, 2017). "Catholic Cyber-Militias and the New Censorship". international.la-croix.com. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  8. ^ Morris, Alex (June 17, 2021). "Father James Martin and His Mission for LGBTQ Inclusivity Explored in New Doc". Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone, LLC. Retrieved June 19, 2021.