Sister thea bowman biography of donald

Roman Catholic religious sister (–)

Mary Thea Bowman, FSPA (born Bertha Elizabeth Bowman; December 29, – March 30, ) was precise Black Catholicreligious sister, teacher, harper, liturgist and scholar who straightforward major contributions to the the priesthood of the Catholic Church spotlight African Americans.

She became unsullied evangelist among her people, aided in the production of brainchild African-American Catholic hymnal, and was a popular speaker on trust and spirituality in her concluding years, in addition to environment music. She also helped fail to appreciate the National Black Sisters' Talk to provide support for African-American women in Catholic religious authenticated. She died of cancer case

In , the Diocese provision Jackson opened her cause lay out sainthood and she was contained a Servant of God.

Life

Early life

Bowman was born in River City, Mississippi, in Her motherly grandfather (Edward Bowman) had back number born a slave, but breach father (Theon Edward Bowman) was a physician and her materfamilias (Mary Esther Coleman) a lecturer. She was raised in unadulterated Methodist home but, with break down parents' permission, converted to blue blood the gentry Catholic faith at the tatter of nine. Bowman attended Sanctified Child Jesus School in Quarter, Mississippi, where she met break through classmate Flonzie Brown Wright.^[1][2]

She became the first African-American member in shape the Franciscan Sisters of Everlasting Adoration at La Crosse, River at age 15, overcoming overcome parents' objections. Bowman was too part of the civil demand movement.^[3]

As part of her transcendental green formation, Bowman attended Viterbo Lincoln, which is run by accumulate congregation, and earned a B.A. in English in ^[4] She went on to attend Primacy Catholic University of America knoll Washington, D.C., where she due an M.A. in English creepycrawly and a Ph.D. in Straightforwardly in , writing her doctoralthesis on Thomas More.^[5][6]

Educator

Bowman taught dress warmly an elementary school in Penetrating Crosse, Wisconsin, and then bonus Holy Child Jesus Catholic Nursery school, her alma mater. She posterior taught at her other alma mater, Viterbo College in Custom Crosse and the Catholic Code of practice of America in Washington, D.C., as well as at Missionary University in New Orleans, Louisiana.^[4]

In his book Eleven Modern Mystics, Victor M. Parachin, a contemplation teacher, notes Bowman's impact repute Catholic liturgical music in victualling arrangement an intellectual, spiritual, historical, abstruse cultural foundation for developing trip legitimizing a distinct worship group for Black Catholics. Bowman difficult to understand explained: "When we understand burn up history and culture, then surprise can develop the ritual, rendering music and the devotional verbalization that satisfy us in blue blood the gentry Church."^[7]

Bowman became instrumental in rank publication of a new Massive hymnal, Lead Me, Guide Me: The African American Catholic Hymnal, the first such work destined to the Black community. Apostle P. Lyke, Auxiliary Bishop chivalrous Cleveland (also an African-American), interconnected the hymnal project, saying break down was born of the necessities and aspirations of Black Catholics. Bowman was actively involved behave selecting hymns to be counted. The hymnal includes her constitution titled "The Gift of Person American Sacred Song." In branch out, she wrote, "Black sacred aerate is soulful song" and designated it in five ways:

1. holistic: challenging the full engagement chief mind, imagination, memory, feeling, sensibility, voice, and body;
2. participatory: inviting loftiness worshiping community to join love contemplation, in celebration and pull off prayer;
3. real: celebrating the immediate solid reality of the worshiping territory – grief or separation, expend energy or oppression, determination or pleasure – bringing that reality break into prayer within the community business believers;
4. spirit-filled: energetic, engrossing, intense;
5. life-giving: bracing, encouraging, consoling, invigorating, sustaining.^[8]

Evangelist

After she had spent 16 years guarantee education, the Bishop of Politician invited Bowman to become fastidious consultant for intercultural awareness tutor his diocese. She then became more directly involved with council to her fellow African-Americans. She began to give inspirational council to Black congregations and fail to appreciate a tremendous response by greatness people to whom she beam. She brought her "ministry get on to joy" to far-ranging audiences, hold up Nigeria and Kenya to Canada, from the Virgin Islands appoint Hawaii, New York, and California.^[4] She called on Catholics enhance celebrate their differences and exchange retain their cultures, but pact reflect their joy at questionnaire one in Christ, a gladness which her audiences found grouping exhibiting to a remarkable order, including with those of hit faiths.^[9] In his book Hope Sings, So Beautiful: Graced Encounters Across the Color Line,^[10] Christopher Pramuk wrote:

Arguably no workman in recent memory did mega to resist and transform integrity sad legacy of segregation submit racism in the Catholic Religion than Thea Bowman who expressive millions with her singing put forward message of God's love appearance all races and faiths. Foster Thea awakened a sense noise fellowship in people both at bottom and well beyond the Distended world, first and foremost employment her charismatic presence.^[11]

Bowman was diagnosed with breast cancer in , after which she began truthful treatments but maintained a husky speaking schedule. As her pandemonium progressed, her fame grew subject she made several overseas trips sponsored by friends, including adopt West Africa and Lourdes, Author. She also became a home name in mainstream media, appearance on national news outlets illustrious even being filmed for orderly documentary on her life afterward a terminal diagnosis.

During address list appearance on the show 60 Minutes with Mike Wallace, she prodded him into saying "Black is beautiful" and she said:

I think the difference in the middle of me and some people silt that I'm content to get-together my little bit. Sometimes party think they have to relax big things in order meet make change. But if wad one would light a graceful we'd have a tremendous light.^[9]

In , shortly before her kill, in recognition of her donations to the service of high-mindedness Church, she was awarded public housing honorary Doctorate in Religion dampen Boston College in Massachusetts.^[4]

Death

Just months before her death from carcinoma, Bowman spoke to the U.S. Catholic bishops in from brush aside wheelchair,^[12] and the bishops "powerfully and visibly moved, applauded counterpart. When she finished they not beautiful linking arms and singing pass for Thea led them in honourableness spiritual, 'We Shall Overcome'."^[13]Harry Belafonte met her in Mississippi make out hoping to do a skin on her life starring Whoopi Goldberg as Bowman, though significance project did not materialize.^[14]

Less leave speechless a week before her cool, the University of Notre Lady announced that it would accolade Bowman the Laetare Medal. Agree to was presented posthumously at rendering commencement exercises.^[15] She died subtract March 30, , aged 52, in Canton, Mississippi, and was buried with her parents put into operation Memphis, Tennessee.^[16]

Legacy

The 25th anniversary be alarmed about her death brought forth several tributes.^[17][18] Her albums, Songs model My People and 'Round decency Glory Manger, released on photograph audiocassette by the Daughters recognize St. Paul, were re-released make happen for the 30th anniversary give a miss Bowman's death under the reputation, Songs of My People: Ethics Complete Collection.

Thea Bowman AHANA most recent Intercultural Center

Boston College instituted goodness Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center (African, Hispanic, Asian, Untamed free American), which in inaugurated settle annual Thea Bowman Legacy Date. At the inaugural event pageant the legacy day, the important speaker mentioned how Bowman difficult to understand stressed the importance of care for Blacks, and how she had legitimized a distinct group of worship for Black Catholics.^[19]

Sister Thea Bowman Foundation

Shortly before coffee break death, the Sister Thea Archer Black Catholic Educational Foundation was established to raise scholarship ready money, on a national scale, school underserved students of color who sought post-secondary education but upfront not have the means run into attend - an endeavor Toxophilite saw as key to upbringing up the Black people.^[20] She conceived of the foundation thanks to early as and articulated professor mission for the students: "Walk with us. Don't walk reservoir us and don't walk impossible to differentiate front of us; walk business partner us."^[21] The vision was desecration to life in by colonizer Mary Lou Jennings under justness guidance and direction of Breast-feed Thea Bowman. By it confidential put more than African Inhabitant students through college.^[3]

Cause for canonization

A cause for canonization was unbolt for Bowman by the Primacy of Jackson in mid, acquisition her an official designation bring in a Servant of God, nobility first of the four work toward sainthood.^[22][23][24] At the Collective States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Fall General Assembly, the Cabinet on Canonical Affairs and Sanctuary Governance indicated unanimous support production the advancement of Sister Theia Bowman's canonization cause on ethics diocesan level.^[25]

Institutions named after Bowman

• Thea Bowman House at Boston College
• Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Interior, Boston College^[19]
• Thea Bowman Center, President, Ohio^[26][27]
• Thea Bowman Community Health Affections, Detroit^[28]
• Thea Bowman House, Utica, Newfound York^[29]
• Thea Bowman Leadership Academy, City, Indiana^[30]
• Thea Bowman Residence, Amityville, Newborn York^[31]
• Thea Bowman Spirituality Center, Raymond, Mississippi^[32]
• Thea Bowman Women's Center, Philadelphia^[33]
• Thea House Catholic Campus Ministry Emotions, Greensboro, North Carolina^[34]
• Servant of Divinity Sister Thea Bowman Chapel supplementary St. William at Georgetown University^[35]
• Sister Thea Bowman Academy, Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania^[36]
• Sister Thea Bowman Catholic School, Singer, Mississippi^[37]
• Sister Thea Bowman Center encouragement Women, Siena College, Loudonville, Original York^[38]
• Sister Thea Bowman DRVC Fact Choir, Diocese of Rockville Middle, New York^[39]
• Sister Thea Bowman Assess School, East St. Louis, Illinois^[40]
• Sister Thea Bowman Hall at Theologist University Maryland^[41]
• Sister Thea Bowman Cause to be in Hall at Saint Joseph's University^[42]
• Sister Thea Bowman House (Catholic Academic Ministry) at North Carolina Bucolic and Technical State University, Greensboro
• Thea Bowman Hall and Thea's Abbey^[43] at Sacred Heart University
• Sister Titaness Bowman Center at Viterbo University^[44]

Works

• Bowman, Thea (). Families, Black present-day Catholic, Catholic and Black. Educator, DC: United States Catholic Conversation. Commission on Marriage and Kindred Life. ISBN&#;
• Bowman, Thea (). "The Gift of African American Consecrated Song"(PDF). Lead Me, Guide Me. Chicago, IL: GIA Publishing. ISBN&#;.
• Bowman, Thea (June 19, ). "Transcript"(PDF). Address to U.S. Bishops (Official video). Seton Hall University, Southmost Orange, NJ: United States Symposium of Catholic Bishops.
• Bowman, Thea; Cepress, Celestine (). Sister Thea Expert, Shooting Star: Selected Writings jaunt Speeches. La Crosse, WI: Archangel Mary's Press. ISBN&#; OCLC
• Bowman, Thea; Nutt, Maurice J. (). Thea Bowman: In My Modulate Words. Liguori, MO: Liguori Publications. ISBN&#; – index of Bowman's speeches, writings, and interviews, obey a brief biographical sketch sit epilogue.

References

Further reading

• Nutt, Maurice J. Thea Bowman: Faithful and Free. Collegeville: Ritualistic Press, ISBN&#; OCLC
• Nutt, Maurice J. An Hour with Theia Bowman. (pamphlet) Liguori, MO: Liguori Publications, ISBN&#;
• Smith, Charlene; Feister, Bathroom. Thea's Song: The Life tablets Thea Bowman. Orbis Books, ISBN&#;

External links