Bishop James Massa

The Most Reverend James Massa was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, to the late Andrew and Irene Gilbert Massa. He attended Boston College and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Theology and History in 1982. In 1985, he earned a Master of Divinity Degree from Yale University, and in 1997, a Doctor of Systematic Theology (Ph.D.) from Fordham University, where he wrote his dissertation under the late Cardinal Avery Dulles.

The late Bishop Francis J. Mugavero ordained Father Massa a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn on October 25, 1986. His first assignment was as a Parochial Vicar at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in the Forest Hills section of Queens (1986-1990). He went on to serve as Campus Minister at Queens College (1990-1993) and in a number of positions at seminaries and universities as an Associate Professor of Theology. In 2005, he was appointed the Executive Director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue. In 2008, he was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as a Consultor to the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and a Member of the Joint Working Group between the Holy See and the World Council of Churches.

While serving in various pastoral roles, and later on the faculty of several seminaries, Bishop Massa has lectured and published on topics pertaining to ecumenism and the theology of the church.

Father Massa returned to the Diocese of Brooklyn in 2011 and coordinated the merger of the Theologates for the Archdiocese of New York, the Diocese of Rockville Centre, and the Diocese of Brooklyn. In 2012, he was appointed Associate Professor of Dogmatic Theology and Director of Assessment and Accreditation at Saint Joseph’s Seminary, Dunwoodie.

From 2013 through 2020, he served in Brooklyn diocesan administration, concentrating in the areas of Catholic education and faith formation of the laity.

In 2015 Pope Francis named him an Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn with the Titular See of Bardstown, Kentucky. On July 20th, 2015, Bishop Massa received his Doctor of Divinity. Three years later, the Holy Father appointed him a Member of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue. In the period of 2016-2021, he was a delegate of the Holy See to the KAICIID International Dialogue Center in Vienna, Austria. With the permission of the Holy See, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan appointed him Rector-President of St. Joseph’s Seminary of the Archdiocese of New York in 2020. In addition to serving as the twenty-second Rector of St. Joseph’s Seminary, Yonkers, New York, Bishop Massa continues to provide pastoral services to the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Currently, Bishop Massa serves on four committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: Doctrine and Pastoral Practice; Catholic Education; Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs; (Subcommittee) on the Catechism. He also represents the episcopal conference as a member of the Catholic-Modern Orthodox Jewish Consultation.