Sunday, April 06, 2025
PC Chaplain Simon Teller, seen here reminding Catholics not to eat on Fridays during lent. PHOTO: Teller Instagram
Providence College Chaplain Simon Teller’s presence transcends campus – he is a bona fide social media star.
This weekend, Teller’s latest video on Instagram telling Catholics, “Remind your friends: no meat on Fridays during Lent! What are you eating today instead of pork dumplings?” garnered over 27,000 likes as of Sunday night.
Considering Teller has nearly 80,000 followers on that social media platform alone, his humorous approach to advocating for church teachings comes as no surprise.
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“The original plan was for Fr. Damian to actually hit me with the car. After two takes we discovered that getting hit by a car is, in fact, unsafe. Thanks to this takeout container for taking one for the team. To whoever left their takeout in the campus ministry fridge, you saved a life today,” joked Teller in a comment on his video.
According to PC, “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.”
Teller has nearly doubled his social media presence since PC featured him in February of 2024, when he had 40,000 followers.
“My goal is to bring people closer to the Catholic sacraments. Catholic spirituality is all about engaging the senses, so the ‘smells and bells’ — the sights and sounds — that we find at Church are really important,” Teller told the college publication at the time. “God enters our lives through these symbols of our faith. He speaks to us, he changes us, through them. I want people to become more aware of that and more disposed to encountering God in that way.”
Teller appeared with the Zac Brown Band with Domincan Father Justin Bolger with “The Hillbilly Thomsists” at PC’s Late Night Madness event at the Providence Civic Center last October.
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