Jamie Manson

Jamie Manson is a columnist and the books editor at the National Catholic Reporter. To her knowledge, she is the only out queer woman in the global Catholic media.

Jamie received her Master of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School, where she studied theology, spirituality, and sexual ethics. She served as research assistant to Margaret Farley, work that she continues to do to this day. In 2015, she edited the book Changing the Questions: Explorations in Christian Ethics, a collection of writings by Margaret Farley (Orbis Books).

Jamie began her career as Director of Publications at Yale Divinity School where she created an entirely new publications program and re-launched the School’s magazine, Reflections, serving as its editor in chief for five years.

Her calling to be an activist ignited in 2005, when she was hired as Pastoral Associate and Director of Faith Formation at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Manhattan, a parish dedicated to lifting up the poor, homeless, and LGBTQ people. In 2008, she was hired as Director of Social Justice Ministries at Jan Hus Presbyterian Church in New York City, where she ministered full time to the needs of Manhattan’s poor and homeless population.

In 2008 she also began writing her National Catholic Reporter column, “Grace on the Margins,” which has won dozens of awards from the Catholic Press Association and the Religion Newswriters Association. She also won the 2015 Wilbur Award for Best Online Religion News Story for the story “Feminism in Faith,” written for Buzzfeed. Her activism on behalf of women and LGBTQ people earned her the Theresa Kane Award for Women of Vision and Courage from Women’s Ordination Worldwide in 2015.

A native of New York, Jamie lives on the south shore of Long Island, and travels around the country as a speaker, retreat leader and media commentator on issues related to women and LGBTQ Catholics, young adult Catholics, and the future of the church.

(This biographical statement provided by Jamie Manson.)