Hundreds Gather to Honor Sister Thea Bowman’s Legacy at Catholic University

“Let your light shine, walk your talk. God didn’t give your light only to sit on it.” – Sister Thea Bowman
 

On March 29, The Catholic University of America proudly hosted the first Sister Thea Bowman conference, “I Bring My Whole Self,” bringing nearly 300 people together in Heritage Hall to celebrate the life and legacy of a great alumna on the path to sainthood. On the eve of her 35th anniversary of death, Catholic University’s Sister Thea Bowman Recommendations Coordination and Implementation Team facilitated an event that honored her remarkable ministry. 

With the generous financial support of the Black and Indian Missions Office, various University departments and offices, and alumni, this day-long event was fittingly held on the campus that played such a pivotal role in the life of Sister Thea Bowman, F.S.P.A., M.A. 1969, Ph.D. 1972. It truly was a “coming home” in many senses, as well as a celebration of scholarship and sanctity. 

“We want our campus community to know more about her time at the University from 1966-1972, and the significance of this experience to the evolution of her sense of identity as a Black Catholic religious,” said Veryl Miles, J.D., former dean of Columbus School of Law and member of the Bowman Committee/Implementation Team. “Her powerful and eloquent voice calls the Church to recognize the gifts in the culture, history, and traditions of Black Catholics.” 

Sister Thea would go on to become a persuasive advocate for the Church’s full inclusion of all the faithful, and she is now one of seven Black Catholics from the United States up for sainthood. 

Points of Light

The conference kicked off in prayer and song, with a palpable spirit of joy and sense of fellowship among attendees from many parts of the country. The keynote address featured Reverend Maurice Nutt, C.Ss.R., who spoke of his personal encounters with Sister Thea and the core elements of his biography, Thea Bowman: Faithful & Free. 

Rev. Nutt noted what it meant for Sister Thea to come to DC to study at Catholic University. 

“Here, her black spirituality and traditions came to life in a city with such a large community of black Americans,”  Nutt said. “She was excited about coming here to study, as an avid learner and bibliophile – but also the opportunities to meet new people from across the country and world. This was a place… where she also encountered a large Black Catholic community for the first time, where there was an emergence of Black preaching styles and faith formation programs.”

University President Peter Kilpatrick then led a conversation and Q&A session with Rev. Nutt to dive deeper into her perspective on education, cultural contributions, and more. Kilpatrick helped facilitate questions with the audience and also discussed ways that the campus is championing her legacy by key actions from the Thea Bowman Committee and hosting conferences such as these.

Three panels shaped the programmatic core of the day’s events. The first panel, “Becoming Sister Thea: Organizational Influence in Her Formation as a Catholic & Religious,” featured Sister Sue Ernster, F.S.P.A., from Thea’s community; Reverend Michael Barth, S.T., from the order that inspired Thea’s childhood conversion; and Kathleen Dorsey Bellow, Ph.D., director of Xavier University’s Institute for Black Catholic Studies. 

Kathlee Dorsey Bellow shared: “Thea joined the Institute for Black Studies in 1982, when she already had a national profile with revivals, etc. She taught preaching courses and was serious about studies, saying that Black people deserve excellence. But as serious as she was in the classroom, she was the joy of the Institute; after classes were over, people would gather around and they would tell stories and jokes and sing together. She embodied the balance of rigorous studies and the joy of everyday life.” 

The second panel offered testimonies and powerful reflections from Thea’s colleagues and students on the impact she had on their lives: Sister Barbara Spears, SNJM; Monsignor Ray East of the archdiocese of Washington DC, and Ronny Lancaster, an alumnus of Catholic University in the first class of the Partnership Program who studied Black literature with Sister Thea.

What does it mean to be Black and Catholic? It means that I come to my Church fully functioning. That doesn’t frighten you, does it? …. I bring my whole history, my traditions, my experience, my culture, my African-American song and dance and gesture and movement and teaching and preaching and healing and responsibility – as gifts to the Church.” – Sister Thea Bowman, Address to U.S. Bishops 1989

Moderator of this panel, Angela McRae, Ph.D., Associate Vice Provost for Instructional Innovation and Thea Bowman Committee member, summarized their remarks perfectly: “This panel session served as a powerful reminder of how one person can shape history through faith, resilience, and love. Sister Thea’s legacy was brought to life through reflections on her relationships with her peers and students.”

The final panel of the day gave insights into Sister Thea’s canonization process and offered lessons for daily life. Miles says: “A key objective of this conference was to bring together different groups and individuals that are working to further her canonization process, so we can unite efforts.”

Perhaps the high point of the day was the mid-day musical performance from Howard University’s Bison Catholic Gospel Choir; these students sang several songs that powerfully drew together the conference in a spiritual experience, elevating the day to a new level. It would have made Sister Thea proud, given her own passion for song and the joy she showed the world in her great musical gifts.

Javier Bustamante, director of the University’s Center for Cultural Engagement and a member of the Bowman Committee/Implementation Team, shared a key takeaway from this experience. 

“The spirit that permeated the room, I felt like I was at home with relatives whom I haven't seen in a long time,” he said. “And like any family gathering, it is a celebration and [sometimes] a challenge… The participants were fully engaged throughout the day; it was evident in the questions they asked, the observations they shared, and the joy they displayed.”

Words of Action

This marks just the beginning of what is to come, as Black Catholics around the nation grow their voice and contributions to the global Church – continuing the great work Sister Thea began. Support her legacy by contributing to the Thea Bowman Initiatives Fund and all its future impact!