Interview: Gloria Purvis talks racism, resistance at the 10th National Eucharistic Congress

As I walked down the streets of downtown Indianapolis to meet with Gloria Purvis at the 10th National Eucharistic Congress (NEC) on Saturday night, my heart was still on fire from listening to the talk she’d just delivered during a revival session just 30 minutes earlier. As I walked, I contemplated the truths she shared, that freedom comes from healing, and true healing comes from no longer hiding, and no longer hiding leads to repentance. 

While I’ve had so many moments of joy during the NEC, it wasn’t until I listened to Purvis speak that it clicked: A necessary part of revival is finding the wounds, cleaning them, and then the healing follows. Purvis boldly called out the wounds that exist within the Church, the very things that have left us all yearning for revival. She held many in the U.S. Church accountable for their attitude of disunity toward the pope, and also the tendency to sweep racism under the rug. 

I was not sure how the stadium filled with mostly White Catholics would react to her message, but when I saw almost the entire stadium standing and clapping for Purvis as she shined a light on the church’s shortcomings, it instilled a strong hope in me that the U.S. Church may yet be able to overcome the bondage that has drawn us down into despair.

I wasn’t the only person deeply impacted by the address. During my interview with Purvis, a woman named Theresa approached her and grabbed her hand, thanking her and telling her that she had waited for 10 years for someone to say to the U.S. Church what Gloria said tonight. It wasn’t just myself or Theresa who found her words to bear good spiritual fruit; Catholics all around approached her and shook her hand, thanking her. 

I was blessed to be able to sit down with her and discuss the NEC with her, her love of the Eucharistic Lord, and her hope for all Catholics going forward.

Briana Jansky: What you spoke to the audience tonight was an example of the gift of fortitude. Both about the unity of the church under Pope Francis and racism. How did you hear from the Lord in preparation?

Gloria Purvis: I had been praying for a long time, as well as asking others to pray. Leading up to the Congress, there were certain things he was touching me about where I was seeing rejection of the Holy Father. I was like, “Woah, that’s dangerous!” I want people to understand what they’re doing. We should be praying for [people like] Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò to repent, submit to the pope, and come back into the Church.

I also noticed the fruit of disunity in how people rebel against how God ordered his own Church. You can’t come into God’s house and tell him you’re going to change the furniture and rearrange everything. With the sin of racism, it’s an ongoing rupture in the human family that people want to deny even exists. I felt that God was really pushing me to talk about it, and I knew that it would be a hard word but I wanted to do the Lord’s will.

BJ: In times when the Church has not been kind to you—and there have definitely been times—how has Christ healed you?

GP: Well of course I cannot expect to be greater than the master. We saw how Jesus was abused and rejected and abandoned even by his own followers. Who am I to expect any less? The cruelty is also an example of how necessary repentance is, and also just to persevere in the faith, no matter what evil might come towards you for trying to serve the Lord.

BJ: While revival is great to have moments of joy and happiness, a true repentant church that acknowledges its brokenness is a church on the way to proper healing. You ripped the bandage off of the wound tonight. Was there a particular moment in your faith journey that inspired you to do so?

GP: Really I think it was a culmination of events from the past five years. Because I believe what the church teaches, I was scandalized by reactions to the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, especially by the part of the Church that claimed to understand the dignity of the human person. I saw that wasn’t the case, and I realized that we needed to do a better job evangelizing. I saw the lack in that area, and it made me say, “OK, Lord. I love you and I will speak if nobody else is.” Seeing the lack and rejection of this topic by those who consider themselves devout was eye-opening. 

BJ: If there’s one thing you want every Catholic to leave the Congress remembering, what is it?

GP: That we live in allegiance to Jesus Christ. And because we love God and know sins chiefly offend him, we should be motivated by the love of God to make reparation for those sins.

BJ: I think I can speak for all Black Catholics when I say that we are grateful that you addressed racism in the U.S. Church. People are comfortable shrugging it off and acting like it’s a non-issue when it deeply affects us all. In a word, what message do you have for Black Catholics hurt by racism in the Church who may be tempted to leave?

GP: Persevere! Persevere! Don’t leave Jesus because of Judas. When I met the Holy Father and I asked him about this, I wished I could have had everybody there with me at that moment. He said, “Please don’t leave. Jesus loves you, and the pope loves you.” It was so sincere and heartfelt, and I think if anybody heard it they would never leave. We also need to take care of ourselves, have our personal time of prayer, and set boundaries.

Briana Jansky is a freelance writer, author, blogger, and host of the Geeks For Jesus podcast.

Want to support the work of BCM? You have options.

a.) click to give (fee-free) on Zeffy

b.) click to give on Facebook