Fr. Matthew Powell, O.P., a member of the Province of St. Albert the Great who teaches theater at Providence College, has published an adaptation of a medieval English mystery play titled "The Trial of Mary and Joseph." The play originates from the "Coventry Cycle" of plays presented in England in around 1350. Inspired by the text of Matthew 1:18 in which it is discovered that Mary is expecting a child before her marriage to Joseph, the play presents the comic characters of Slander and Gossip who accuse Mary and Joseph of improper behavior before their marriage. A judge decrees that the couple must undergo a trial by ordeal to prove their innocence. Fr. Powell's play is an adaptation of the original with contemporary language.

According to Fr. Powell, "The original author’s intent was to re-affirm two important Christian beliefs: the virgin birth of Jesus and the Incarnation--that God the Son became a human being in the person of Jesus Christ. In addition, the author wanted to warn audience members about the moral evils of gossip and slander, probably as much common sins then as they are today. One cannot overlook the fact, however, that the one of the purposes of the play was also to entertain the audience, with the allegorical characters of Gossip and Slander providing comedy and the trial by ordeal providing drama."

The new version of the play was first performed in 2002 in the Priory Chapel at Providence College for the 25th anniversary of the New England Mariological Society. The cast included seven theatre majors. According to Fr. Powell, "The actress who played Mary was a devout Catholic while the actor who played Joseph had no religion. They started dated during rehearsals. They are now married and both practicing Catholics."