Guests: Michael Smalanskas, senior Theology & Philosophy student and Resident Advisor at Providence College; Dr. James Keating, Associate Professor of Theology and Faculty Adviser at Providence College.
Description: Michael Smalanskas, a senior at the Dominican-run Providence College in Rhode Island, was required as a dormitory Resident Advisor to keep a bulletin board updated with informational materials of his choosing. After seeing a bulletin board in another dorm promoting lesbian marriage, Smalanskas decided to put up a pro-marriage bulletin board featuring Scripture and Church teaching on the sacrament. What ensued was a campaign of harassment and intimidation from other students and Resident Advisors, and the cold shoulder from the school’s administration — even after Michael received a drawing he says threatened him with rape. Together, Michael and his faculty advisor, Dr. James Keating, have sought remedy from college administrators, but their requests have been summarily ignored.
NOTE: After we started conducting interviews for this podcast, Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence came out with a statement on the matter not discussed in the program. You can read it here, or in the links below.
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Related Links:
- Catholic college won’t defend student threatened with gay rape for defending marriage (LifeSiteNews)
- Catholic Bishop to Smalanskas: Providence College at a Crossroads (Ocean State The Current)
- Providence College Chaplains: Catholic Marital Teachings Are Not Bigotry (Ocean State The Current)
- Anthony Esolen in His Own Words: ‘Why I Left Providence College for Thomas More’ (National Catholic Register)
- Providence College Website Catholic Identity Page
- Providence College Office of the President
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Steve Skojec is the Founding Publisher of OnePeterFive.com. He received his BA in Communications and Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville in 2001. His commentary has appeared in The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, Crisis Magazine, EWTN, Huffington Post Live, The Fox News Channel, Foreign Policy, and the BBC. Steve and his wife Jamie have eight children. You can find more of his writing at his Substack, The Skojec File.