Sister Thea Bowman - her voice speaks to us today

Sister Thea Bowman (1937 - 1990) was an important voice in our American Catholic Church.  We are proud to say that she has her roots in our Diocese.  Born in Yazoo City, her mother was a prominent educator and her dad was a physician.  She was raised in Canton, where she joined the Catholic Church at the age of nine.  Called to a religious vocation, she entered the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.   She received two graduate degrees in English from Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, having written her doctoral dissertation on the writings of Mississippi writer William Faulkner.  After working for many years in the field of education, she returned to her home Diocese, where she founded the office of intercultural awareness.  She was a voice in our Church and our society who built bridges and challenged false assumptions.  She has been named a Servant of God in the canonization process which is headed by our Diocese and approved by the US Catholic Bishops. Sister Thea passed away of cancer in 1990 at the age of 52.  She is buried with her parents in Memphis.  She is truly a voice for our times.  Below is a prayer we are sharing throughout the Diocese.  It is a prayer that incorporates the values of Sister Thea and that speaks to us in our challenging harsh reality today.  

Blessings to all of you.  

Father Lincoln  

Ever loving God, in your infinite goodness, you inflamed the heart of your servant and religious, Sister Thea Bowman with an ardent love for you and all people. May her prophetic witness continue to inspire us to share the Good News with all, but especially with the poor, oppressed and marginalized. May Sister Thea’s life and legacy compel us to walk together. Gracious God imbue us with the grace and perseverance that you gave your servant, Sister Thea, for in turbulent times of racial injustice, she sought equity, peace, and reconciliation. In times of intolerance and ignorance, she brought wisdom, awareness, unity, and charity.  May her light be a beacon of goodness and holiness in our troubled times.  We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord. Amen.