by The Cowl Editor on September 3, 2021

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Sports

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by The Cowl Editor on April 22, 2021

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Features

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by Sydney Olinger ’23

News Staff

Father Justin Bolger, O.P., works within faith formation ministries at Providence College. He is also involved in music ministries as he has a background in various types of music. As an assistant chaplain, Fr. Justin also helps to serve the wider campus community and provide for the spiritual needs of the students, faculty, and staff.

Though his faith plays an important role in his life, music is an early passion of Fr. Justin’s. His love for music came in the form of both singing and songwriting. Shortly after finding this passion, he signed a record deal with his sister, Maggie. He recorded, toured, and wrote music with her for a period of time. Aside from just recording, touring, and writing, he found a way to connect his two passions: faith and music. Fr. Justin and his sister also played music for masses, youth retreats, and other religious events, which helped him imagine what his next journey might be.

Fr. Justin received his master’s degree in philosophical studies at Mount St. Mary’s University. While obtaining his master’s, he worked as the director of music ministry there, continuing to pursue his love for music. After his time at Mount St. Mary’s, Fr. Justin entered the Order of Preachers. In May 2020, he was ordained a priest, eight years after becoming a Dominican. Though it was an exciting moment meant to be celebrated after a long journey, Fr. Justin’s ordination was a fairly small event due to COVID-19 regulations. Despite the small affair, he realized it was not the celebration that truly mattered, but instead the experiences to come.

Fr. Justin has worked in a variety of different ministries, both as an ordained priest and as a student brother. Some of these include campus ministry, prison ministry, helping the homeless, and, of course, music ministry. His desire to help others both inside and outside of the PC community demonstrates how much it means for Fr. Justin to act as a servant leader.

As a Dominican, Fr. Justin has helped record music specifically for music ministry. He has recorded four albums of sacred choral music and two albums of bluegrass/gospel music with his band, The Hillbilly Thomists. Students and faculty may remember members of The Hillbilly Thomists serenading the community from a golf cart in the fall of 2020.

“I love the fraternity of the Dominican Order—we live, pray, eat, study, and minister together,” said Fr. Justin.

Growing up in a big family, it was not a huge adjustment for him to join the Dominican family here at PC. Fr. Justin was born in Baltimore and raised in Frederick, MD, alongside six siblings. Within his big family, his brother also decided to follow Christ and join the priesthood; he is currently a priest in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. 

Something Fr. Justin carries with him is the Dominican Order’s charism “to contemplate and share with others the fruits of contemplation.” He acknowledges that this is an important part of the Order, as well as the priesthood, and it is something the friars practice each and every day, studying and sharing the truth as a way of life.

Fr. Justin also thoroughly enjoys the time he spends with students on campus and loves to work with them. “I hope to help lead them in their pursuit of truth. Most of all I hope to lead them closer to Jesus, who is truth personified,” stated Fr. Justin.

As a friar and a very faithful person, he loves spreading his knowledge of the Catholic faith and helping students to become active members in the ministry on campus. He shared that he is always available to meet and discuss any topic regarding faith, school, life, or anything else.

by Kyle Burgess on January 30, 2020

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Campus

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by Matthew Mazzella ’20

News Staff

On Wednesday, January 22, Providence College continued its third annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Convocation celebrations in ’64 Hall with the Student Celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

The event offered a talent show for students of all backgrounds to showcase their skills in celebration of Dr. King’s legacy. The event included food from across the world to help bring diversity into the event, as well as raffle prizes for spectators and  a $500 prize awarded to Caylynn Maldonado ‘22 for her karate performance.

Nancy Kelley, senior executive assistant to the president, was a huge reason this event was made possible. She and her team have been working tirelessly to make this week as impactful as possible. Kelley shared her thoughts on the student celebration,  saying, “The talent show is meant to capture different talents among students across campus as we want to showcase all students and the unique talents they have. There was a flyer in December promoting the event, and it asked all candidates to send in a video clip of their talent so they could see that it would be appropriate for the event.”

Kelley also listed the timeline of events that took place throughout the week on campus. The events spanned from Monday through Friday, including MLK Day of Change, MLK Prayer Vigil, Student Celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., MLK Humanities Forum, and keynote speaker Ndaba Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela.

Estarlyn Hiraldo ’21, who goes by the stage name “Starling,” is an aspiring hip hop artist who performed his song “Like Fire” at the student celebration. Hiraldo left for his semester abroad in Prague on the following Monday and was happy to be able to be a part of the performance right before he departed from Friartown.

Hiraldo shared what hip hop music means to him and why he loves performing so much. He stated, “Performing describes how I feel as an artist and a rapper in a society where hip hop is a dominant genre. It is all about hype, who has the best flow, and the flashiest things. My music comes from my upbringing and where I am coming from. I have always loved to rap, and I have been making music since I was twelve. I want to put certain frustrations out there for people to relate to and I am trying to make it fun and real, and I hope to touch people’s hearts.”

Many students and faculty came out to enjoy the event, including Andre Rogers ’20. Rogers had a great time watching his classmates showcase their unique talents, and he took a particular liking to Maldonado’s winning karate performance.

Rogers reflected on the student celebration by saying, “I had an amazing time at the talent show! It was awesome to see some of PC’s finest engage in friendly competition through dance performances, rap battles, and singing. Maldonado’s karate routine especially caught my eye. The way Maldonado gracefully kicked, flipped, and punched in the air made me feel like I was watching Rush Hour 2 for the very first time all over again. I sure would want her by my side if I ever needed backup. Great job to everyone who performed!”

As the week dedicated to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., comes to a close, it is essential we do not forget his most important teachings. King once said, “People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.” 

The Student Celebration allowed for students to display their background and passions to connect with people on a more personal level. Overall, the event was a huge success and was another stride towards bringing the College community a little bit closer.

by The Cowl Editor on April 4, 2019

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Features

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Travel-sized Bibles

Incense

Handwarmers

More pockets

Rosary beads

Map of campus

Tide-to-Go stick

Copy of The Cowl

Backup robe

Cigars

A collection of ABBA CDs

The mystery of the Trinity

Unconsecrated wafers (#afternoon snack)

Personal autograph by Coach Cooley

Martin Luther’s 95 Theses

Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica