Sister Thea Bowman
Born: December 29, 1937
Died: March 30, 1990
Thea Bowman became a scholar of distinction, a wise mentor, an authority on William Faulkner, an acclaimed singer, a spellbinding international speaker, a mystic, a prophet. Her myriad gifts propelled her before eager students and pressing audiences. Her friends were legion. She pioneered incorporating African American music and dance into Catholic culture, luring folks to church for the joy of it. Talk of sainthood hovers around her name.
Thea overflowed with life force. Her central passion was spreading the gospel. “Do you know anybody who has heard too much Good News?” she’d ask. She captured the hearts and souls of those she met. Her confidence made others confident, including me.
“Remember who you are and whose you are,” she’d chant. An only child who’d grown up around adults, she was conversant with old folks and slave ancestors shaped by spirituals. She lived and breathed the air of gospel melodies. Next to her in chapel, her dazzling soprano transported me beyond Wisconsin.
More about Thea Bowman:
Thea-logy: Memories of Thea Bowman
Being Sister Thea Bowman’s friend was a study in living joyfully every day.
Sister Thea Bowman on dying with dignity
Two weeks before her death, Sister Thea Bowman speaks of finding God in the midst of illness.
Black saints matter
It’s time to include people of color in the U.S. church’s models of holiness.
Image: Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, fspa.org
