…by a writer I respect a great deal: William Doino:
When Gloria Purvis was twelve, something remarkable happened to her. Praying before the Blessed Sacrament, she suddenly felt a spiritual fire move throughout her soul. It was the kind of thing one reads about in the lives of saints—except that Gloria wasn’t even a Catholic at the time, much less an aspiring mystic.
When she was growing up in South Carolina, her Protestant parents wanted to send her to the best school in town, which just happened to be Catholic. It was there, under the care of the school’s dedicated nuns, the Oblate Sisters of Providence, that Gloria’s original “Catholic moment” took place.
It was not something anyone saw coming—least of all Gloria. Up until then, she had been like a younger version of the protagonist in the film Ladybird—a non-Catholic in a Catholic parochial school, appreciating her education, but wondering what this whole “Catholic thing” was about, and occasionally wrestling with it. But the beauty and mystery of the Church’s teachings and liturgy kept tugging at her heart, leading to that indelible moment.
On the day it occurred, Gloria and her classmates had gotten into a food fight, which did not go down well with their teacher, Sister Carmelita. Even though the children quickly cleaned up their mess, Sister didn’t leave the matter there. Gently but firmly, she asked each of the students to stand up and acknowledge their sin, then brought them to the school’s chapel for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament as an act of reparation. It was there, during Gloria’s supernatural encounter with the Holy Eucharist, that her life began to change: She was convinced that God was calling her to become a Catholic. Eventually she announced her intentions to her family. Expecting resistance, she received only love and support. Gloria’s parents, who attended a Methodist Church, respected their daughter’s decision to become a faithful Catholic and actively helped her become one. They drove Gloria to Mass every Sunday and made sure she observed each Holy Day of Obligation. Her Baptist grandmother even taught Gloria how to pray the rosary—not to mention accompanying her to see Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II.
Along with her family and friends, the Church became an indispensable part of Gloria’s life, and helped her endure the harrowing racism she encountered as a child. As she revealed to a reporter:
I grew up in the cradle of the Confederacy. I remember as an elementary school girl, coming home from Catholic school, waiting on the bus in downtown Charleston, when a pickup truck of Citadel cadets drove by. One guy pretend-aimed at me like he had a rifle or gun and he was shooting me dead. And I just remember the vulnerability of standing out there as a child at that moment and thinking to myself, “Why?”1
The contrast between the serenity of her faith and the cruelty of the world was stark, but Gloria drew strength from the Church’s teachings on justice, truth, and equality. As Gloria matured, she became such an effective witness for Catholicism that all her siblings also entered the Church.
Today, Gloria Purvis is one of the best-known lay Catholic evangelists in America.2 Although she never set out to become one, her resounding affirmation of Catholic teaching, especially its defense of human life and dignity, has placed her at the forefront of the pro-life and racial justice movements. Rather than separate the two, Gloria believes passionately that both movements are inextricably bound—and that expanding the pro-life vision, rather than restricting it, will increase its vitality and influence.
That Gloria has achieved such prominence as a woman, an African American, and a Catholic—even while battling misogyny, racism, and anti-Catholicism—speaks to her resilient character. She has never feared proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, nor let the prejudices of others stifle the joy and hope that is within her.
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