Thank You!

St Mary of Providence Center would like to thank our attendees, artists, vendors, sponsors and volunteers for helping us to “Proclaim His Greatness” in the biggest and best MagniFest yet!

We give special thanks for our featured artist, Marie Miller (mariemillermusic.com), who visted us from Tennessee. Marie shared a beautiful set of songs, including an ad-hoc duet with Gus deSimone from Saints Alive.

We are also grateful to all the Priests who supported us, especially Father Shaun Mahoney who celebrated Mass and Monsignor Edward Domin, who presided over Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction. The peace and beauty of outdoor confession, Mass and Adoration was a wonderful blessing!

Thank you for your support of St Mary of Providence Center. If you would like more information about our programs or are interested in helping us a volunteer, please email us at providence@stmaryprov.org or send us a message by clicking here!

God Bless!

Thank you to our sponsors!

Anonymous – Platinum Level
Jeff Evans – Gold Level
Jeff & Liz Oulton – Silver Level
Anonymous – Silver Level

Meet Our 2023 Artists!

Featured Artist

Marie Miller

Marie Miller is a folk/pop singer/songwriter and recording artist living in Nashville, TN.

In 2018, Marie Miller took a bold step. She left the record label where she’d spent the previous 10 years and began a path as an independent artist.

At first it was liberating to know that she could now do whatever she wanted musically and lyrically. But Miller also encountered the challenges of the music business without her label.

“Record labels pay for things, and you have a team, people surrounding you and cheering you; and all of the sudden I was by myself and feeling very small. I thought, how can I possibly do this by myself?”

It was out of this period of doubts that the idea for her LITTLE DREAMS album was formed. “The songs are about being afraid but taking that first step even when you’re scared— believing in yourself even when you don’t feel like you can do it.”

With the support of a strong team boosting her new music, Amazon and Apple Music playlisted Miller’s singles, and her recently released song, “Imaginary Friend,” surpassed 300 thousand streams in its first two months on Apple Music alone. On January 24th Billboard.com premiered “Little Dreams” Music Video.

Prior to her current success, Miller performed for Pope Francis during his 2015 visit to Philadelphia, opened for the BackStreet Boys, toured with American Idol winner Kris Allen and singer/songwriter Five For Fighting, and had songs featured on pop radio and ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. After all this, Miller still gets excited at the thought of performing even for small audiences of 50 people.

“Each one of us has a unique quest, something only we can do to make the world more beautiful, more humane, more fraternal. If it feels like we’re too small, it’s a mistake.”

With LITTLE DREAMS Miller has chosen to return to the acoustic, folk-oriented, approach of her roots. But she’s still creating music for the same reason she always has: a desire to connect people with beauty, solace, and cheer. “It’s the reason why I came, the reason why I’ll stay,” to pull a line from the album’s title track.

“No matter where I go, beauty finds me somehow,” she says. Still, LITTLE DREAMS isn’t following the script of “happily ever after” after hard times; this is an album that encounters the moments when all seems dark, and cold winds threaten to blow out your internal spark. Everyone’s got that spark. For Miller, it’s to make music that asks listeners to acknowledge their own spark— the motivating force that reminds us all why we’ve been put on this earth.

Saints Alive

In the Summer of 2019 Gus deSimone challenged himself to write a song per month for a year about the saints. What resulted was a deeper devotion to each saint, and more than a dozen well crafted songs in a range of musical styles that have led many to call him the “Catholic Paul Simon”. His songs explore the stories of the Saints from a multitude of perspectives, helping the listener contemplate God’s goodness through their heroic examples of virtue.

Fast forward to January 2023 and Gus joins forces with percussionist Fr. Hyacinth Marie Cordell and multi-instrumentalist David Goldberg, to form the core of the Saints Alive band. They debuted to a packed house at the Stotesbury Mansion in Rittenhouse Square in February and have receive rave reviews for their performances ever since. They play the Philly March for Life in June and will play Abbeyfest in September along with their appearance at Magnifest.

Fr. Hyacinth Cordel

Fr. Hyacinth Cordell, OP is from suburban Chicago, with a background in percussion and music. He completed his B.A. in Philosophy and Letters from St. Louis University in 2002. He entered the Order of Preachers, popularly known as the Dominicans, in 2004, took solemn vows in 2008, earned an M.Div., S.T.B., and S.T.L. from the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies, and was ordained a priest in 2011 in Washington, DC. After ordination, he served as parochial vicar in St. Pius V Catholic Church in Providence, Rhode Island amd as vicar and pastor at St. Dominic Catholic Church in Washington, DC, before being assigned as pastor of St. Patrick Church in Philadelphia, in Rittenhouse Square in July 2020. He hopes to serve in Philly for a good number of years. He was also involved in annually traveling to Kolkata, India to give an intense course on the Eucharist to the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa’s Sisters), until the outbreak of Covid-19. He is very dedicated to preparing couples for marriage and family life, and to making St. Patrick Church a place where all people can find God.

Hanna Mangiovillano and Pat Briley

Hanna Mangiovillano is a songwriter, worship leader, and artist from Downingtown PA. She is currently a middle school teacher in West Chester PA and enjoys leading worship at various events throughout the diocese. Her single ‘The Race’ can be found on all platforms, and she hopes to release more of her music in the near future!

Pat Briley is a songwriter and musician from Salinas CA. He graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville in 2022. Outside of music, Pat Briley is a telemetry nurse at Riddle hospital in Media. Pat enjoys leading worship at various events within the Philadelphia and Steubenville dioceses and recording his original music. Pat’s first full length album will be released this Easter. In the meantime, you can find his most recent singles on all music platforms!

Sarah Carpenter

Sarah Carpenter is a Catholic singer / songwriter and a lay member of Regnum Christi. After a powerful encounter on a Mission Youth mission in 2021, she felt called by the Holy Spirit to write music that not only reflects the beauty of her encounters on mission, but also reflects her relationship with Jesus Christ.

“I so desire for the music I write to uplift the souls of God’s children and bring them to a close and personal encounter with Him. Music has been something that has carried me through the hardest times and has brought immense healing in my life, and everyone is deserving of that healing. I pray that those who hear my music experience God’s healing hand, His heart of pure love, and His gentle embrace.”

Jacob Springer

Jacob Springer is a music educator and performer from Phoenixville, PA. He recently graduated from Temple University, earning a bachelor’s degree in music education. Jacob started his performing career as a member of the Philadelphia Boys Choir at the age of 11. His experience includes singing at the Kimmel Center with the Philly Pops, the Academy of Music, Carnegie Hall and on Good Morning America, sharing the stage with names such as Hugh Jackman and Sandy Patty.

An accomplished trumpet player, Jacob began his college career as a trumpet performance major but after discovering a love for teaching, switched to pursue a degree in music education.

While at Temple University, Jacob played trumpet and eventually euphonium in the Temple University Wind Symphony. Jacob also became the music director at Temple’s Catholic Newman Center, playing piano and singing for mass and adoration. Jacob continues to perform as a singer and multi-instrumentalist while maintaining his private studio of instrumental students.

Jillian Speranza

Jillian Speranza is excited to be serving on the Magnifest team for the first time! She has been serving the church in Catholic Youth and Young Adult groups and as a cantor since she was in middle school. Jillian is a promoter of the Sacred Arts and hosts annual retreats for creatives to reunite with the Creator. She enjoys creating, spending time in nature, and time with her family and friends!