Staff and Contact

Providence College Campus Ministry
St. Dominic Chapel, Lower Level
(401) 865-2216 | chaplain@providence.edu

Father Justin Bolger, O.P.
Chaplain
Director of Campus Ministry
401.865.1826 | chaplain@providence.edu

As chaplain and director of Campus Ministry, Father Justin serves the campus community and provides for the spiritual needs of the students, faculty, and staff. He especially enjoys drawing from his background in a variety of types of music. Father Justin grew up in Maryland and hails from a large family. After graduating from the University of Baltimore he played music professionally. He earned a masters in philosophy from Mt. St. Mary’s before entering the Dominican Order in 2012. He finished his S.T.L. at the Dominican House of Studies and was ordained to the priesthood in May 2020. Father Justin enjoys sports, literature, music, songwriting, and theology. He loves the motto of Providence College, Veritas, which means truth, and he enjoys serving the students of Providence as chaplain and helping them in their search for truth.

Father Damian Day, O.P.
Assistant Chaplain
401.865.2300 | damian.day@providence.edu

The second of six children, Father Damian hails from Rehoboth, Massachusetts. He studied history at Providence College. As a PC student, Fr. Damian spent a semester studying abroad in Rome and a summer Smith Fellowship serving poor and vulnerable children in South Africa. After graduating in 2015, Fr. Damian entered the Dominican Order, professing solemn vows in 2020 and being ordained a priest in 2022. He earned his Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) from the Dominican House of Studies in 2023. Father Damian enjoys theology, history, literature, sports, and traveling. His favorite activities, however, are celebrating Mass, preaching, and offering God’s mercy in the sacrament of confession.

Jennifer DeSilva
Administrative Coordinator
401.865.2216 | jdesilv2@providence.edu

A third-generation Friar and native Rhode Islander, Jennifer is an active member of St. Pius V Parish and is passionate about promoting the Catholic and Dominican identity of Providence College. Jennifer is a wife and mother of three teenagers, and when she is not driving them around to sports and activities, she enjoys being outside, hiking, gardening, and spending time at the beach.

Gil Donohue
Director of Liturgical Music
401.865.1035 | gdonohue@providence.edu

As director of liturgical music, Gil directs the Liturgical Choir, works closely with the student directors of the St. Dominic and St. Cecilia Ensembles, and oversees the music for all liturgies in St. Dominic Chapel. Gil grew up by the Finger Lakes in Conesus, New York, and is the youngest of five children.  He received his undergraduate degree in vocal performance and music theory from the University of Notre Dame in 2019 before returning home to Rochester, New York to complete his masters degree in choral conducting at the Eastman School of Music in 2021.  While in Rochester, he worked as the music director and organist at St. Alban’s Catholic Church, a church in the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter. Gil and his wife Katie were married in 2023. In his free time, Gil enjoys reading, composing, and losing games of chess.

Sister Mary Cecilia Goodrum, O.P.
Campus Minister
401.865.1255 | srmarycecilia@providence.edu

Sister Mary Cecilia is a member of the Congregation of St. Cecilia of Nashville, TN. She is also a native Nashvillian and has taught and worked with primary to college aged students across the country. She graduated from PC’s graduate school of Theology in 2006 and is happy to be back on campus. Her other areas of studies include education, school administration, and counseling psychology. She enjoys music, sports, and working with students, especially in helping them come to know who God created them to be.

Allyse Gruslin
Campus Minister
Director of Peer Ministry
401.865.1520 | agruslin@providence.edu

Allyse is the director of the Peer Ministry program, providing students with an opportunity for community and faith-based discussions while navigating their lives in college.  Allyse works closely with the Peer Ministry coordinators and leaders to provide formation and programming for small faith-sharing groups. She loves walking with students on their journey to knowing and loving God more deeply, and would love to grab coffee with you and hear your story. Allyse received her Master of Divinity degree from the University of Notre Dame with a focus on systematic theology and interests in liturgical theology and formation. Past ministries include high school campus ministry on Long Island, New York, and serving as a rector of a residence hall at the University of Notre Dame. She is native to Rhode Island and loves the beach, singing, walking, and being with the people she loves. Allyse was married to her husband Chris in 2018 and they have three children: Ruth, Hope, and Paul. She has been a campus minister at PC since 2018.

Eileen (Dignan) Invencion
Campus Minister
Director of Service Immersion & Social Justice
401.865.2760 | edignan@providence.edu

Eileen oversees the service and outreach programs, which flow from the Dominican ethos and focus on faith, truth, and service to others. She graduated from the University of Rhode Island with an undergraduate degree in human development and family sciences, which she obtained while working in-home supporting families and children with special and adaptive needs and challenges. This career path also put her in touch with Tim Tebow Night to Shine and Challenger League events. Prior to coming to Providence College, Eileen led campus ministry and faith formation programs at a Catholic elementary school. She loves that her work in Campus Ministry both engages and bolsters her own love of faith, and fosters the faith formation of others through service. Her interests include traveling, film, baking, languages, Korean dramas, coffee, fantasy novels, and ice hockey.

JP Manning
Campus Minister
Director of Retreats
401.865.1760 | jmannin5@providence.edu

JP oversees all of the Campus Ministry retreats. For the Connections first year retreat, Lighthouse sophomore retreat, and Encounter with Christ Retreat, he selects, trains, and oversees student leadership teams that direct these weekends for the retreatants. JP also works with Campus Ministry leadership student leaders in different ministries. He especially enjoys midweek discussions with small groups of students and all his interactions with students. JP attended Boston University for his undergraduate studies and received his Master of Theological Studies degree from Providence College in 2011. He worked for six years as a high school and middle school youth minister before working at PC. JP and his wife Caitlyn were married in 2017 and have three sons, John Paul Jr. (JJ), Caleb, and Matthew. He enjoys baseball, spending time on Cape Cod, golfing, and spending time with family and friends.

Cecilia Ramirez
Campus Minister
Assistant Director of Peer Ministry
401.865.1802 | cramire2@providence.edu

Cecilia supports the spiritual and human formation of Peer Ministry coordinators and leaders, equipping them to accompany their fellow students through faith-based small groups. She enjoys getting to know students and helping them discover opportunities to live out their personal call to holiness. Cecilia is originally from California’s Central Valley and became a New Englander when she moved to Massachusetts to complete her undergraduate studies at Boston University. She is now enrolled in the Master of Arts in Pastoral Theology program at the Augustine Institute. Prior to coming to Providence College, she worked in campus ministry at UMass Boston and served for a year with NET Ministries in Minnesota. In her free time, Cecilia enjoys traveling, cooking for friends, dabbling in photography, and reading at coffee shops. Students are welcome to stop by her office in the lower level of St. Dominic Chapel.

Father Simon Teller, O.P.
Associate Chaplain
401.865.2159 | steller@providence.edu

As associate chaplain, Father Simon serves the campus community by administering the sacraments and providing pastoral care for students, faculty, and staff. He was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is the third of seven children. Before entering the Dominican Order in 2014, he studied English at the University of Dallas, worked in oilfield water management in Dickinson, North Dakota, and performed and recorded folk music in Asheville, North Carolina. Father Simon was ordained a priest in May 2021, and earned his S.T.L. from the Dominican House of Studies in May 2022. He enjoys philosophy, theology, sports, hiking, and music.