A Chaplain’s Thoughts: The challenge of being a Catholic institution
By Rev. James F. Quigley, O.P. ’60
Associate Chaplain, National Alumni Association
From the time of their foundation, Catholic institutions — such as schools, health care facilities, and social agencies — had a clear, often visible identity. Many were staffed by women or men of religious communities.
Today that identity is in some places less obvious. Nuns or sisters, religious brothers, and priests are no longer present in significant numbers, if at all. So how does an institution like Providence College continue its Catholic mission? How does Providence College continue to serve the Catholic Church in a culture at times at odds with its teaching? How do we successfully continue to further the intellectual growth of young women and men as they move into adulthood and toward careers? How, in the words of Pope Leo XIV, quoting St. Bonaventure, can PC continue to “be a pathway of the mind toward God?”
The mission statement of Providence College clearly affirms the Catholic and Dominican nature of this community. That would mean that the teaching of the Catholic Church guides all aspects of the college’s life. So, too, does the Dominican intellectual tradition, with particular attention to the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas.
At the heart of who we are is the person of Jesus Christ. Everything we do, offer, and promote is for an encounter with the still-living Lord Jesus Christ. That aim cannot be compromised. Pope Leo XIV points out that “Christ is not a stranger to rational discourse but rather the keystone that gives coherence and meaning to all our thoughts, hopes, and efforts to improve life and find purpose.” The college is, and must be, committed to a gospel vision and a moral anthropology of the human person and every person’s destiny.
Pope Leo also tells us that “Catholic universities … are to engage respectfully and fruitfully with all traditions of knowledge, precisely from the strength of their Christian identity.” For more than 120 years, Dominican friars have committed themselves to this Christic goal. Many women and men as professors, administrators, and staff have joined the friars in their theological and pastoral ministry. Hopefully that will continue. Some 57,000 alumni, students, and their families — all members of the PC community — are so grateful for what God is doing here.
Rev. James Quigley, O.P. ’60, celebrated the 60th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood in 2025. He continues to serve the college as associate alumni chaplain. Read tributes to him from alumni.
