Offering Meat Options During Lent? Inclusivity on Campus & Freely Abstaining

by Rachel Barter ’27 on February 27, 2026

Opinion - Campus

Although I was not familiar with Lent before I came to Providence College, I have come to understand Lent as a “40 day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday, …[preparing] to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection at Easter.”

I originally found out about Lent freshman year when I witnessed Ash Wednesday for the first time and could not find meat in the dining halls on the following Friday. Of course my initial reaction as a non-Catholic PC student was confusion and eventually anger that I could not eat meat on Fridays not because I was Catholic, but rather because I could not find meat on PC’s campus.

As a current junior at PC, I have come to have a lot of respect and admiration for Catholics participating in meatless Fridays during this 40-day celebration. However, I cannot stop considering why PC does not offer accommodations and options for non-Catholic students at PC who do not intentionally or willingly participate in meatless Fridays. Afterall, 62 percent of PC’s Class of 2029 are self-identifying Catholics, so there are approximately 38 percent of the Class of 2029—456 students—that are ignored during Lent and are forced to participate in meatless Fridays (unless they leave PC’s campus or buy alternative groceries ahead of time).

However, I am not going to argue that PC Dining Services should continue as normal because that would fail to accommodate Catholics and ignore the needs of the vast majority of students here at PC. I would instead like to propose that Dining Services provide a limited number of stations at Ray Dining Hall and meat options at all the other dining locations on campus to provide options for non-Catholic students at PC to carry on as normal rather than giving them no other option than to reluctantly participate in this Lenten practice.

I also want to acknowledge that currently, student clubs on this campus are not allowed to order meat options for events on Ash Wednesday or Fridays of Lent. This restriction on clubs and organizations on campus prevents students from serving cultural food that does not align with the Catholic practices of Lent. Thus, this rule should be adjusted to still require clubs to accommodate Catholic students by ordering perhaps, at least 50 percent of their dishes to be meatless and meat options be separated from non-meat options.

Furthermore, in order to protect Catholics participating in Lent from accidentally eating meat with the addition of these stations and options, we could put extensive signs around each dining location reminding students it is Lent, so they can make the conscious and informed decision not to eat meat on Fridays of Lent. That way, PC can appeal to the beliefs and practices of all students while prioritizing and mandating the needs of Catholic students given that we are a Catholic institution.

Additionally, although I am not Catholic and cannot speak to the Catholic experience, it was always confusing that abstaining from meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays of Lent was not a conscious and willing abstinence, but rather a mandated obligation at PC given that there are not meat options offered during these specific days of Lent. According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “The hope [is] that the Catholic community will ordinarily continue to abstain from meat by free choice as formerly we did in obedience to Church law,” and abstinence from meat is a “deliberate, personal” choice that is “no longer required by law” as “an outward sign of inward spiritual values that we cherish.” So why is it that PC takes away Catholic students’ free choice to abstain from meat by eliminating the option to choose?

Although I cannot answer this question, I argue that adding limited meat options on Fridays of Lent and Ash Wednesday could strengthen Catholic students’ abstinence during Lent by ensuring it is a deliberate, free choice with the intention of “honor[ing] Christ who sacrificed his flesh on a Friday.” This new addition to PC’s practices could potentially strengthen Catholic students’ self-discipline as intended by the no longer mandated practice of abstaining from meat on such days during Lent.

Hence, I propose the introduction of meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays during Lent as a way to accommodate all students of vast backgrounds and beliefs at PC while also emphasizing the spiritual fruit of deliberate, intentional abstinence, honoring Christ who sacrificed His flesh for the human race.

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?”