Gloria Purvis is an African-American Catholic public scholar, speaker, author, podcaster, and activist in Washington, D.C. She has spoken and written extensively on women's rights, abortion, sex, marriage, family, religious liberty, and racial justice.[1]
Gloria Purvis | |
|---|---|
| Born | Charleston, South Carolina |
| Education | Cornell University |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist and speaker |
| Known for | The Gloria Purvis Podcast |
| Movement | Pro-life movement |
| Board member of | Northwest Pregnancy Center and Maternity Home, ProBlack ProlLife, Real + True |
| Honours | Doctor of Humane Letters, University of Portland 2022 Doctor of Humane Letters, St. Martin's University 2023 |
Early life and education
editBorn and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, Purvis was educated by the Oblate Sisters of Providence and converted to Catholicism as a child.[2][3] She later graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor's of Science in Human Development and Family Studies.
Career
editPurvis worked for more than a decade in the mortgage and finance industry before becoming a policy manager at a major financial services company, where she co-chaired the Catholic Employee Network.
Purvis for years co-hosted the Morning Glory show on EWTN Radio, which ended in December 2020 when the show was abruptly canceled. Purvis was not given a reason for the cancellation, which was part of "a year-end spate of changes at EWTN."[4] She later began hosting The Gloria Purvis Podcast in collaboration with America Media.[5]
In 2021, the University of Notre Dame's Office of Life and Human Dignity at the McGrath Institute for Church Life appointed Purvis its inaugural Pastoral Fellow.[6]
In November 2022, Purvis spent two hours at the private residence of Pope Francis as a member of a five person team from America. She is the first African-American female Catholic journalist to interview Pope Francis for such an extensive time period at his personal residence.[7] Purvis shared with Pope Francis some of the concerns and experiences of Black Catholics in the U.S. Catholic Church.[8]
Purvis held an interview in May 2022 with Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, discussing with him his reasons for barring Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi from receiving communion in her home diocese.[9]
In the aftermath of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision from the Supreme Court of the United States, Purvis penned a piece for Deseret News decrying abortion as a solution for Black women.[10]
Purvis was named a scholar in residence at St. Martin's University for the 2023-24 academic year.
In 2024, Purvis gave a keynote address to the National Eucharistic Congress.[11] It was a challenge to the U.S. Church to remember the visible signs of unity in the Church and to reject the disunity visible in the Church as evidenced by, for example, those who reject Pope Francis. She also identified the sin of racism as a sign of disunity.
Volunteer work
editPurvis served as Chairperson of the Culture of Life Committee and Coordinator of the Young Adult Association at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Washington, D.C., from 1998 to 2002 and on the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council for the Archdiocese of Washington from 1999 to 2003.
Purvis has served as a board member for the Northwest Pregnancy Center and Maternity Home in Washington, D.C. and an advisory board member on the Maryland Catholic Conference's Respect for Life Department. She has also served on the National Black Catholic Congress' Leadership Commission on Social Justice. She was the Chairperson for Black Catholics United for Life, which has sought to increase the size and strength of active Black Catholics participating in the pro-life movement.
Media appearances
editPurvis has been featured in The New York Times, National Catholic Reporter, Newsweek, and Catholic News Service. She has also been a featured guest on PBS NewsHour and Fox News.[12][13][14][15][16][17] She was interviewed by Robert P. George for the Witherspoon Institute's online journal Public Discourse.[2]
She created a six part Youtube video series for Word on Fire Institute titled Racism, Human Dignity and the Catholic Church in America.[18]
Accolades
editOur Sunday Visitor named Gloria Purvis, Catholic of the Year, in 2020[19]. St. Martin's University awarded her a Doctorate of Humane Letters in May 2023, at which time she was also the commencement speaker.[20] The University of Portland awarded Purvis a Doctorate in Humane Letters Honora Causa in 2022.[21] Salve Regina University awarded Purvis a Doctorate in Humane Letters Honora Causa[22]. In October 2024, Ender's Island awarded Dr. Gloria Purvis the St. Edmund's Medal of Honor[23]. The medal is presented to men and women who, like St. Edmund, see talents and expertise as God-given gifts. They are ordinary people doing extraordinary service for the church and community. It is a prestigious honor.
References
edit- ^ Rocha, Samuel D. (2020-07-20). "The Gift of Blackness to the Church: An Interview with EWTN's Gloria Purvis". Church Life Journal. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
- ^ a b "Catholic, Black, and Pro-Life: An Interview with Gloria Purvis and Robert P. George". Public Discourse. 2022-08-29. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
- ^ Doino, William Jr. (2022-03-17). "Gloria Purvis: Faithful and Fearless". The Human Life Review. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
- ^ "Fired EWTN host Gloria Purvis: 'I will never, ever, ever have regrets' for talking about racial injustice". America Magazine. 2021-01-04. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
- ^ "Gloria Purvis to host new podcast on America Media". The Catholic Sun. 2021-05-11. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
- ^ Dame, Marketing Communications: Web // University of Notre (2021-10-13). "Notre Dame Office of Life and Human Dignity welcomes Gloria Purvis as inaugural Pastoral Fellow // McGrath Institute for Church Life // University of Notre Dame". McGrath Institute for Church Life. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
- ^ "Exclusive: Pope Francis discusses Ukraine, U.S. bishops and more". America Magazine. 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
- ^ "Exclusive: Pope Francis discusses Ukraine, U.S. bishops and more". America Magazine. 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
- ^ "Interview: Archbishop Cordileone on Biden, Pelosi, abortion and Pope Francis". America Magazine. 2021-11-09. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
- ^ "Perspective: Stop framing abortion as the solution to Black women's problems". Deseret News. 2022-07-05. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
- ^ EWTN (2024-07-20). Gloria Purvis' Full Speech at the National Eucharistic Congress. Retrieved 2024-11-13 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Ben Domenech: The abortion industry's harm to Black America". Fox News. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
- ^ Bruenig, Elizabeth (2020-08-06). "Opinion | 'Racism Makes a Liar of God'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
- ^ "Gloria Purvis' radio show 'Morning Glory' pulled from EWTN's airwaves". National Catholic Reporter. 2020-12-30. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
- ^ "AOC could do more for women by opposing abortion". National Catholic Reporter. 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
- ^ "Women need better solutions than abortion | Opinion". Newsweek. 2022-05-20. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
- ^ "Will Pope Francis' manifesto on family bring change to the church?". PBS NewsHour. 2016-04-08. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
- ^ "Racism, Human Dignity, and the Catholic Church in America - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
- ^ Authors, Various (2020-12-17). "Meet Our Sunday Visitor's 2020 Catholics of the Year". Our Sunday Visitor. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
- ^ "Saint Martin's University names Gloria Purvis as 2022-2023 commencement speaker and honorary degree recipient | Saint Martin's University". www.stmartin.edu. 2023-04-24. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
- ^ "University of Portland Plans Multiple In-Person Commencement Ceremonies at Chiles Center – Its First Since 2019 | University of Portland". www.up.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
- ^ "Commencement Speaker | Salve Regina University". salve.edu. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
- ^ "Medal of Honor Dinner". e.givesmart.com. Retrieved 2024-11-13.