America magazine names new editor

And he’s the youngest ever:

For over a century, America, the only national Catholic weekly magazine in the United States, has provided a provocative and distinctly Jesuit voice on religion, society, politics and culture.  That proud history continues today as America’s board of directors named Matt Malone, SJ its newest and youngest editor-in-chief.  Father Malone, 40, who assumes his appointment in October, succeeds Drew Christiansen, SJ, who has served asAmerica’s editor-in-chief since 2005.  Father Christiansen will be on sabbatical for the next year, serving as a visiting scholar in theology at Boston College.  In January 2014, Father Christiansen will assume a senior academic appointment at a leading Jesuit university.

Father Matt Malone, America’s newest editor-in-chief, served for two years as an associate editor for the publication from 2007-2009, where he covered foreign policy and domestic politics and earned a first place award from the Catholic Press Association for a moving essay recounting his father’s decision to forgive the man responsible for Father Malone’s brother’s death in a drunk driving incident in 1984.  Earlier in his career, Father Malone served as deputy director of MassINC, an independent political think tank, and co-publisher of CommonWealth, an award-winning review of politics, policy, ideas and civic life.  He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a Master’s Degree in philosophy from Fordham University and a graduate degree in theology from Heythrop College in Great Britain and The Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.

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