Providence College’s New Hire

by Shannon Kelly ’26 on December 11, 2025

News

An Interview with Catholic Scholar, Gloria Purvis

On Wednesday, Dec. 3, I interviewed Gloria Purvis, special advisor for Integral Human Development and Dignity at Providence College. This is a new role at the college part of the Office of Mission & Ministry that seeks to combine the work of mission and ministry, the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, and institutional equity.

The first question I asked regarded Purvis’ motivation for pursuing this work, including social justice, while upholding Catholic values and combating racial injustice. She emphasized the importance of “saying yes to God in small things” and “following the queues.” She also referenced her past experience in real estate and the world of finance. She said that she eventually felt compelled to “leave corporate America” because it was not fulfilling. Additionally, Purvis discussed her desire to do the work God calls her to do, which does not entail her having a website or business card to give to others. She believes in the importance of spending one’s time engrossed in theological texts and being open to hearing opinions that may differ from her own.

We also talked about the importance of diversity, both in the workplace and in the greater world. She divulged by explaining that she has worked with many racist people in her past roles, and that raised a fundamental question for her—“Shouldn’t it be natural to accept everyone?” She talked about the need for marginalized people to bring their full selves into the workplace, meaning all elements of their identity, because that is how we thrive as human beings. She also explained the history of Black women being historically excluded from participating in corporate America, which was particularly valuable. When talking about diversity, equity, and inclusion and the controversies surrounding it in present-day society, Purvis encouraged everyone to ask their family members about their lived experiences to be able to gauge the need for prioritization of DEI policies and practices in our world today. Purvis continually spoke to the need for people to understand the concept of justice through a Catholic perspective, which ultimately tends to the innate dignity that can be found in every human person.

During the interview, we discussed the history of our country at length. We both agreed that many people, including those on this campus, fail to understand our nation’s full history. Specifically, we spoke to the very nature of slavery and the multifaceted ways in which we see the impacts of this in the present day. When discussing both the stolen land that was once taken from Native Americans and the practice of chattel slavery, Purvis spoke to the obligation we all have to repair what was once broken or harmed. She mentioned the sin of racism, which is innately sinful in its very principle. She spoke of her firm belief in the preferential option for the poor, which is a concept that is founded in Catholic Social Teaching that speaks to the need for the poor and marginalized to be prioritized in all decisions—including political, social, and economic.

Purvis spoke at length about her deep-rooted belief in the bonds of the human family, which we so often fail to recognize the importance of. She said that “justice comes out of love” and how our current societal framework largely does not allow for people to legitimately understand how to act towards one another. She said the current climate in society often endorses resistance to justice and that there is an “evil spirit of hatred that has had its claws on our country” for many years. She said this evil must be named and expelled, as it diminishes the depth and beauty of the Christian faith. Purvis spoke to the need for believers to trust in and lean into the word of God, rather than the rhetoric being used by politicians, in order to avoid leaning into hate for those who differ from us.

Love of thy neighbor is a fundamental tenet of the faith, and Purvis aims to practice this in her everyday life. She repeatedly emphasized the collective need to recognize that love makes all things possible, recognizing one’s dignity is the first step to loving someone, and to understand that justice is radical. She called upon all students to ask themselves what it truly means to be a Dominican college and to gauge whether or not our behavior often proves to be in alignment with the mission of the college. She said one of the greatest tenets of her work is promoting the mission of the Church and the dignity so deeply embedded in that work. She encouraged us all to acknowledge that faith can be practiced in so many ways and the beauty that can be found. She said we must always vow to act in accordance with the dignity of the human person. When talking about the current political atmosphere in the United States, Purvis said that oftentimes, it feels as though we are living in a culture of death, rather than a culture of life, with our current administration often upholding the latter sentiment. She said we must not be afraid to speak to one another, regardless of whether or not the subject is controversial.

Nearing the end of our conversation, Purvis spoke to the need for all of us to act in light of who we truly are as people. She also referenced her desire for people to engage in acts of both service and love, while honoring the dignity of human beings and acting in a way that honors the common good. Purvis profoundly explained that faith is the act of choosing to believe without seeing, which she finds to be a necessary reminder on our campus.

Celebrating Laudato Si’

by Shannon Kelly ’26 on October 9, 2025

News

A Speech from Pope Leo

On Wednesday, Oct. 1, Pope Leo XIV spoke at a conference centered on climate change in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. This was his first speech on the environment since becoming pope in May. In light of celebrating ten years of Laudato si’, an encyclical written by Pope Francis which focuses on the importance of caring for our common home, Pope Leo XIV centered his call around the need for global action to protect the world as we know it. As explained by Pope Leo XIV, “the challenges identified in Laudato si’ are in fact even more relevant today than they were 10 years ago.”

Pope Leo XIV put pressure on the people to call on their respective governments to take action and involve themselves in addressing one of the world’s most pressing issues—climate change. He emphasized the fact that “We cannot love God, whom we cannot see, while despising his creatures.” Pope Leo XIV also spoke to the connection that is often formed between environmental degradation and poverty. He continually emphasized the bond that remains between having a concern for nature, seeking justice for the poor, remaining committed to society, and desiring interior peace. He stated that striving for the common good should always be at the forefront of all that we do, while sticking to the fact that there is no room for indifference or resignation in conversations centered on climate change.

Pope Leo XIV acknowledged the need for upcoming international conferences, such as the 2025 Climate Change Conference, the 53rd Plenary Session of the Committee on World Food Security, and the 2026 Water Conference, to listen to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor, families, indigenous peoples, involuntary migrants, and believers all over the world. The Pope reminds us that we are all one family, who depend on one another and whose actions reap consequences both in the present day and in the future. Pope Leo XIV preached the need for unity in his own words: “We inhabit the same planet, and we must care for it together.”

Pope Leo XIV has recently spoken in regards to the political climate in the United States at this current moment. He weighed in on the dichotomy of those who say they are pro-life, but agree with the inhumane treatment of immigrants in the U.S., stating that he does not know if that is truly pro-life. Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich highlighted the divisions that exist in the U.S., saying that Catholics have been left “politically homeless.” In Pope Leo XIV’s final remarks, he concluded with a question regarding each and every one of us as people. After acknowledging that God asks us to cultivate and care for the world that he created, which we all are called to do as believers, we must reckon with taking true care of our brothers and sisters. Will we cultivate the earth, care for the environment, and support our loved ones for the benefit of future generations, or in the words of the Pope, “what will be our answer?”