Thea Bowman

Sr. Thea Bowman, F.S.P.A.
Born	Bertha Bowman December 29, 1937 Yazoo City, Mississippi, U.S.
Died	March 30, 1990(1990-03-30) (aged 52) Canton, Mississippi, U.S.
Alma mater	Viterbo University Catholic University of America Boston College
Occupation	Roman Catholic Religious Sister and teacher

Sister Thea Bowman, F.S.P.A., (December 29, 1937 – March 30, 1990) was a Roman Catholic Religious Sister, teacher, and scholar.

Life

Born as Bertha Bowman in Yazoo City, Mississippi, she converted to the Roman Catholic Church, during her childhood, and joined the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration at La Crosse, Wisconsin, where she attended Viterbo University. She also attended Catholic University of America and Boston College, where she was a scholar of William Faulkner. She taught elementary school in La Crosse, Wisconsin and high school in Canton, Mississippi. Bowman also taught in colleges at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Viterbo College in La Crosse.

In his book, "Eleven Modern Mystics" Rev. Victor M. Parachin includes a biography of Bowman noting her impact upon Catholic liturgical music by providing an intellectual, spiritual, historical and cultural foundation for developing and legitimizing a distinct worship form for black Catholics. She explained: “When we understand our history and culture, then we can develop the ritual, the music, and the devotional expression that satisfy us in the Church.”

Thus, in 1987 Thea was instrumental in the publication of a seminal new African American Catholic hymnal, "Lead Me, Guide me: The African American Catholic Hymnal." Reverend James P. Lyke, OFM, PhD, and auxiliary Bishop of Cleveland coordinated the hymnal project saying it was born of the needs and aspirations of Black Catholics. Thea was actively involved in helping select songs to be included. That hymnal includes an essay by Thea titled “The Gift of African American Sacred Song.” In it she says “Black sacred song is soulful song” and then describes it these five ways:

1. holistic: challenging the full engagement of mind, imagination, memory, feeling , emotion, voice, and body. 2. participatory: inviting the worshiping community to join in contemplation, in celebration and in prayer; 3. real: celebrating the immediate concrete reality of the worshiping community – grief or separation, struggle or oppression, determination or joy – bringing that reality to prayer within the community of believers; 4. spirit-filled: energetic, engrossing, intense. 5. life-giving: refreshing, encouraging, consoling, invigorating, sustaining.

Public speaking

After a career of years involved in education, Bowman became more involved with ministry to her fellow African-Americans. She began to give inspirational talks to Black congregations and found a tremendous response by the people to whom she spoke. Even after she developed cancer, she continued to speak to religious groups, becoming a model of hope and faith.

Later she appeared on 60 Minutes with Mike Wallace. She told Wallace on 60 Minutes that:

"I think the difference between me and some people is that I'm content to do my little bit. Sometimes people think they have to do big things in order to make change. But if each one would light a candle we'd have a tremendous light".

Death

Sister Thea died of cancer in 1990, aged 52, in Canton, Mississippi. Less than a week before her death it was announced by the University of Notre Dame that they would award Sister Thea the 1990 Laetare Medal. It was presented posthumously at the 1990 commencement exercises.

Published works

• Thea's Song: The Life of Thea Bowman by Charlene Smith and John Feister (Orbis Books, January 2010) Full-length biography containing first-published interviews of Thea and her friends, history, letters and photos.
• Cepress, Sr. Celestine, FSPA (ed.), Sister Thea Bowman, Shooting Star; selected writings and speeches, La Crosse, Wisconsin, FSPA (1999)
• Bowman, Sr. Thea, Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, Families, Black and Catholic, Catholic and Black (1985)
• Bowman, Sr. Thea, Thea Bowman: In My Own Words; ISBN 978-0-7648-1782-3; edited by Maurice J. Nutt (Liguori Publications, Liguori, MO (2009); index of Bowman's speeches, writings, interviews with a brief biographical sketch and epilogue

Legacy

• Sister Thea Bowman Catholic School
• Xavier University of Louisiana's Institute for Black Catholic Studies.

External links

• Sister Thea Bowman profile