Enroll in a Travel Seminar
These short-term study abroad programs are offered during spring semesters and feature three-credit courses that include a travel component. The class and faculty typically travel together for 7-10 days.
10 Things to Know About Rev. George Piggford, C.S.C.
The Holy Cross priest reflects on his love of literature, his interest in global exploration and more.
Rev. George Piggford, C.S.C., is an English professor at Stonehill College.
It was a chance meeting in a Cambridge-based thrift shop that set Rev. George Piggford, C.S.C., professor of English, on a path to joining both the Congregation of Holy Cross and the Stonehill College community.
Shortly after moving to Massachusetts from Canada in 1997, Fr. Piggford struck up a conversation with Br. Stefan Clarke, C.S.C., while shopping for furniture. They discussed the fact that Saint Joseph’s Oratory, where Fr. Piggford had previously attended Mass while studying at the University of Montreal, was founded by the Congregation, just as Stonehill was.
“That conversation inspired me to reach out to the priests and brothers at the College,” Fr. Piggford said. “I joined our formation program the next year. After professing final vows and earning yet another degree at the University of Notre Dame, I was sent to Stonehill to teach English. I’ve been here ever since.”
As Fr. Piggford continues living out his vocation, here are 10 things to know about him.
Fr. Piggford marching at Commencement 2025.
1. He believes in the value of an English degree. In his classes, Fr. Piggford offers students the opportunity to encounter “the intersectional complexity of human life” through literature. In doing so, he encourages his pupils to “start with their own angle in a text and see where that leads.” He notes, “English courses produce careful readers and astute interpreters. This major harmonizes well with communication, marketing, graphic design, law and education.”
2. He is a witness to life’s intricacies. Fr. Piggford enjoys writers who “shake us to the core” and “[show] humanity in its messiness and complexity.” The literary greats he appreciates include James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Graham Greene, Alice Walker and Flannery O’Connor.
3. He embraces cultúr na hÉireann (“Irish culture”). Fr. Piggford’s love of literature permeates each course he teaches, including a short-term travel seminar focused on modern Ireland. As part of the class, Fr. Piggford and his students visit literary sites like the James Joyce Tower, located south of Dublin; W.B. Yeats’s grave in County Sligo; and Coole Park, Lady Augusta Gregory’s home in County Galway. “We listen to music, share poetry, and hear from experts on Irish culture and the Irish landscape,” he says.
4. He views learning as an adventure. By the time students leave Ireland, Fr. Piggford hopes they will have gained a deeper appreciation for experiential learning. “Being somewhere is different, and so much richer, than just reading about that place,” he says. “Walking through the Dublin that inspired Joyce or along the Walls of Derry that so troubled Seamus Heaney means that we can perceive additional dimensions in their writing. Such learning is stereoscopic: we experience a place for ourselves and marvel at its literary reimagining.”
5. He wants Skyhawks to take flight. Fr. Piggford encourages all students to consider exploring other cultures through Stonehill’s short-term travel seminars. “For some students, these trips have led to a decision to study for a semester or even an entire year abroad,” he says. “We visit not just as tourists but as learners. It’s amazing how rich a one-week experience can be.”
During a Stonehill-sponsored trip to Ireland, Fr. Piggford and his students met with Claire (McLaughlin) Cronin '82 (center) during her tenure as U.S. Ambassador to Ireland.
The travel seminar group also visited Free Derry Corner, a landmark in the Bogside neighborhood of Derry, Northern Ireland.
6. He has friends on the Emerald Isle. While Fr. Piggford maintains a vibrant connection to the Land of Saints and Scholars through Stonehill’s travel program, he notes “there are no Irish Piggfords.” Rather, Ireland is for him a place full of friends, including “politicians, poets, priests and alumni.”
7. He is committed to student success. In addition to leading the Ireland travel seminar, Fr. Piggford has also been active in the Stonehill Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program, through which students conduct publishable research alongside experienced faculty. The projects Fr. Piggford has worked on include explorations of Flannery O’Connor’s Southern Gothic and the Whitmanian tradition in American poetry, among others.
8. He is a leader among his colleagues. Fr. Piggford serves as an important resource for other professors through his role as President of the Faculty Senate. Collaborating with Vice President Nicholas Block, associate professor of biology, Fr. Piggford leads this governing body in “considering the curriculum of new academic programs, policies for faculty and other important matters that affect teaching and learning at Stonehill.”
9. He is an explorer. Outside of his work, Fr. Piggford enjoys reading and taking long walks. He also likes visiting natural and historic sites. “Some of my favorite nearby places to visit are Walden Pond and the Cliff Walk in Newport, and I recently rediscovered Borderland State Park right here in Easton,” he says. “Farther away, I love the East Bay in California, especially the views of the Golden Gate from César Chávez Park.”
10. He walks alongside God. As both a priest and a professor, Fr. Piggford endeavors to embody Stonehill’s Holy Cross mission every day. He does so by remaining mindful that “God is with us constantly,” as well as by sharing that truth. “This is why I preside at our Lady of Sorrows Chapel in Donahue Hall every Tuesday morning,” he explains. “It’s why I start every class with a contemplative moment. It’s why I try to listen respectfully when others talk and speak words that I hope will challenge them to consider the reality of God’s presence in our lives.”