The Rev. Jay Lawlor

The Rev. Jay Lawlor is an Episcopal priest and economist. His ministry combines his work for economic justice and his passion for preaching, teaching, and liturgy (worship) as part of the Episcopal branch (The Episcopal Church) of the Jesus Movement. For over twenty years he has been active in issues of economic and social justice, particularly in areas of sustainable development. Since his ordination to the priesthood in 2003, the Reverend Jay Lawlor has served as a parish priest in several dioceses of The Episcopal Church, and has been active on numerous diocesan committees and church-wide organizations. His ministry continues to connect the response of faith communities to issues of economic and social justice, and he has worked with prominent church leaders, such as Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu, and world-renown economist Jeffrey D. Sachs (the Earth Institue at Columbia University). The Rev. Jay Lawlor is the author of two books: Faithful Action: How Each Christian Can End Poverty (2008) and The Church and International Development: Seeking Justice and Peace to the World’s Poor (1999), and a number of articles and papers. His sermon “Reconcilers in a Violent World” was published in the book Get Up Off Your Knees: Preaching the U2 Catalog (Beth Maynard & Raewynne Whiteley, editors). In 2002 he assisted in editing Waging Reconciliation: God’s Mission in a Time of Globalization and Crises (Ian T. Douglas, editor). He is currently at work on a new book about the Christian economic response to poverty and wage inequality. The Rev. Jay Lawlor was ordained a Deacon on June 15, 2002 and a Priest on May 31, 2003 (both in the Diocese of Massachusetts). Jay received his MDiv from Episcopal Divinity School in 2002, a MA in Economics from the University of Connecticut in 1995, and his BA in Managerial Economics (with honors in Economics) from Stonehill College in 1993. Prior to his ordination, Jay worked as an economist at the Center for International Development at Harvard University. He has been a member of the Fellowship of Saint John, Society of Saint John the Evangelist (SSJE) since 1997. Jay has been married to his wife Angela since July 2002 and they are parents to Nathaniel (age 14). The family dog, Joy, is often with Jay as he works.

Theology; Liturgy; Preaching; Economic justice, social justice, environmental justice, The Episcopal Church, The Jesus Movement