Matthew Pinto founded Ascension in 1998 and was the president and chief executive officer from 1998 to 2021. He is a recognized leader in Catholic marketing and communication in the Church in the United States. Matt has been at the forefront of several Catholic ministries and initiatives since he began full-time service to the Church in 1991, including Ascension Press, CatholicExchange.com, the Theology of the Body Institute, and Spark Catholic Communications.
He is a best-selling Catholic author, whose books include the teen question-and-answer books Did Adam & Eve Have Belly Buttons?, Did Jesus Have a Last Name?, and Do I Have to Go: 101 Questions about the Mass, the Eucharist, and Your Spiritual Life, as well as the Amazing Grace series. Matt also co-authored A Guide to the Passion: 100 Questions About “The Passion of the Christ“, which went on to sell more than a million copies and reached #6 on the New York Times Religion Best-Seller List.
Matt is a recipient of the Catholic Leadership Institute’s Award for Outstanding Catholic Leadership (2004). He has served or presently serves on the boards of the Theology of the Body Institute, the Association of Catholic Publishers, and John Paul the Great University.
Matt and his wife, Maryanne, live in Pennsylvania, and are the parents of six children.
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