Gloria Purvis
{{Short description|African-American Catholic journalist}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Gloria Purvis
| image =
| caption =
| birth_place = Charleston, South Carolina
| education = Cornell University
| occupation = Journalist and speaker
| employer =
| known_for = The Gloria Purvis Podcast
| movement = Pro-life movement
| boards = 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
Doctor of Humane Letters, Salve Regina University 2024
St Edmund's Medal of Honor 2024
}}
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.{{Cite web |last=Rocha |first=Samuel D. |date=2020-07-20 |title=The Gift of Blackness to the Church: An Interview with EWTN's Gloria Purvis |url=https://churchlifejournal.nd.edu/articles/the-gift-of-blackness/ |access-date=2023-09-08 |website=Church Life Journal |language=en}}
Early life and education
Born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, Purvis was educated by the Oblate Sisters of Providence and converted to Catholicism as a child.{{Cite web |date=2022-08-29 |title=Catholic, Black, and Pro-Life: An Interview with Gloria Purvis and Robert P. George |url=https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2022/08/84246/ |access-date=2023-10-17 |website=Public Discourse |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Doino |first=William Jr. |date=2022-03-17 |title=Gloria Purvis: Faithful and Fearless |url=https://humanlifereview.com/gloria-purvis-winter-22/ |access-date=2023-10-17 |website=The Human Life Review |language=en-US}} She later graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor's of Science in Human Development and Family Studies.
Career
Purvis 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."{{Cite web |date=2021-01-04 |title=Fired EWTN host Gloria Purvis: 'I will never, ever, ever have regrets' for talking about racial injustice |url=https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2021/01/04/gloria-purvis-fired-ewtn-racial-justice-239638 |access-date=2021-11-26 |website=America Magazine |language=en}} She later began hosting [https://www.americamagazine.org/gloria-purvis-podcast?gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwjOunBhB4EiwA94JWsBRoEvHDBFcp7ef1EQkTJMx1gBuuuffvdS51RB7tYY72u-izsyZe-BoCvJAQAvD_BwE The Gloria Purvis Podcast] in collaboration with America Media.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2021-05-11 |title=Gloria Purvis to host new podcast on America Media |url=https://www.catholicsun.org/2021/05/11/gloria-purvis-to-host-new-podcast-on-america-media/ |access-date=2021-10-14 |website=The Catholic Sun |language=en-US}}
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.{{Cite web |last=Dame |first=Marketing Communications: Web // University of Notre |date=2021-10-13 |title=Notre Dame Office of Life and Human Dignity welcomes Gloria Purvis as inaugural Pastoral Fellow // McGrath Institute for Church Life // University of Notre Dame |url=https://mcgrath.nd.edu/news/notre-dame-office-of-life-and-human-dignity-welcomes-gloria-purvis-as-inaugural-pastoral-fellow/ |access-date=2023-09-12 |website=McGrath Institute for Church Life |language=en}}
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.{{Cite web |date=2022-11-28 |title=Exclusive: Pope Francis discusses Ukraine, U.S. bishops and more |url=https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2022/11/28/pope-francis-interview-america-244225 |access-date=2023-09-08 |website=America Magazine |language=en}} Purvis shared with Pope Francis some of the concerns and experiences of Black Catholics in the U.S. Catholic Church.{{Cite web |date=2022-11-28 |title=Exclusive: Pope Francis discusses Ukraine, U.S. bishops and more |url=https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2022/11/28/pope-francis-interview-america-244225 |access-date=2023-10-17 |website=America Magazine |language=en}}
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.{{Cite web |date=2021-11-09 |title=Interview: Archbishop Cordileone on Biden, Pelosi, abortion and Pope Francis |url=https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2021/11/09/archbishop-salvator-cordileone-gloria-purvis-podcast-241805 |access-date=2022-06-06 |website=America Magazine |language=en}}
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.{{Cite web |date=2022-07-05 |title=Perspective: Stop framing abortion as the solution to Black women's problems |url=https://www.deseret.com/2022/7/4/23182289/perspective-stop-framing-abortion-as-the-solution-to-black-womens-problems-roe-v-wade-supreme-court |access-date=2023-09-08 |website=Deseret News |language=en}}
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.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=shared&v=QWAxXDYNr38 |title=Gloria Purvis' Full Speech at the National Eucharistic Congress |date=2024-07-20 |last=EWTN |access-date=2024-11-13 |via=YouTube}} 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
Purvis 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
Purvis 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.{{Cite web|title=Ben Domenech: The abortion industry's harm to Black America|url=http://video.foxnews.com/v/6276249526001/|access-date=2021-10-14|website=Fox News|date=9 October 2021 |language=en}}{{Cite news|last=Bruenig|first=Elizabeth|date=2020-08-06|title=Opinion {{!}} 'Racism Makes a Liar of God'|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/06/opinion/sunday/gloria-purvis-george-floyd-blm.html|access-date=2021-10-14|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web|date=2020-12-30|title=Gloria Purvis' radio show 'Morning Glory' pulled from EWTN's airwaves|url=https://www.ncronline.org/news/media/gloria-purvis-radio-show-morning-glory-pulled-ewtns-airwaves|access-date=2021-10-14|website=National Catholic Reporter|language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2020-08-05 |title=AOC could do more for women by opposing abortion |url=https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/aoc-could-do-more-women-opposing-abortion |access-date=2022-06-06 |website=National Catholic Reporter |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2022-05-20 |title=Women need better solutions than abortion {{!}} Opinion |url=https://www.newsweek.com/women-need-better-solutions-abortion-opinion-1708696 |access-date=2022-06-06 |website=Newsweek |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2016-04-08 |title=Will Pope Francis' manifesto on family bring change to the church? |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/will-pope-franciss-manifesto-on-family-bring-change |access-date=2022-06-06 |website=PBS NewsHour |language=en-us}} She was interviewed by Robert P. George for the Witherspoon Institute's online journal Public Discourse.
She created a six part Youtube video series for Word on Fire Institute titled Racism, Human Dignity and the Catholic Church in America.{{Cite web |title=Racism, Human Dignity, and the Catholic Church in America - YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-qxMAIuRCZkg39tIY3ZtYBoAk1Ck8fUM |access-date=2023-09-08 |website=www.youtube.com}}
Accolades
Our Sunday Visitor named Gloria Purvis, Catholic of the Year, in 2020.{{Cite web |last=Authors |first=Various |date=2020-12-17 |title=Meet Our Sunday Visitor's 2020 Catholics of the Year |url=https://www.oursundayvisitor.com/meet-our-sunday-visitors-2020-catholics-of-the-year/ |access-date=2024-11-13 |website=Our Sunday Visitor |language=en-US}} St. Martin's University awarded her a Doctorate of Humane Letters in May 2023, at which time she was also the commencement speaker.{{Cite web |date=2023-04-24 |title=Saint Martin's University names Gloria Purvis as 2022-2023 commencement speaker and honorary degree recipient {{!}} Saint Martin's University |url=https://www.stmartin.edu/news-and-stories/news/saint-martins-university-names-gloria-purvis-2022-2023-commencement-speaker-and-honorary-degree |access-date=2023-09-08 |website=www.stmartin.edu |language=en}} The University of Portland awarded Purvis a Doctorate in Humane Letters Honora Causa in 2022.{{Cite web |title=University of Portland Plans Multiple In-Person Commencement Ceremonies at Chiles Center – Its First Since 2019 {{!}} University of Portland |url=https://www.up.edu/news/2022/03/university-of-portland-plans-multiple-in-person-commencement-ceremonies.html |access-date=2022-06-06 |website=www.up.edu}} [https://salve.edu/commencement-speaker Salve Regina University] awarded Purvis a Doctorate in Humane Letters Honora Causa.{{Cite web |title=Commencement Speaker {{!}} Salve Regina University |url=https://salve.edu/commencement-speaker |access-date=2024-11-13 |website=salve.edu}} In October 2024, Ender's Island awarded Dr. Gloria Purvis the St. Edmund's Medal of Honor.{{Cite web |title=Medal of Honor Dinner |url=https://e.givesmart.com/events/DIu/ |access-date=2024-11-13 |website=e.givesmart.com |language=en}} 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
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Category:African-American Catholics
Category:American anti-abortion activists
Category:American anti-racism activists
Category:African-American radio personalities
Category:African-American journalists
Category:American consistent life ethics activists
Category:American women radio journalists
Category:African-American women journalists
Category:African-American activists
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)