• Latest
  • Trending
Sister Thea Bowman Faithfully Magazine

Trailblazing Black Nun Sister Thea Bowman on Path to Possible Sainthood

June 18, 2019
Daddy Yankee said 'Jesus is in me' at his farewell concert

‘Jesus Lives in Me’ — Top Latin Artist Daddy Yankee Declares Faith in Christ at Farewell Concert

December 4, 2023
Tony Lowden, Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter's personal pastor, delivered the former first lady eulogy at her funeral on November 29, 2024.

Watch: Tony Lowden, Pastor to Rosalynn Carter and Jimmy Carter, Delivers Former First Lady’s Eulogy

December 1, 2023
aaron dean charged with murder

Zion Carr: Boy Who Witnessed Cop Kill His Aunt Awarded $3.5M Settlement

November 30, 2023
Botham Shem Jean

Sister of Botham Jean — Killed in Home by Off-Duty Cop — Shares Struggles With Forgiveness, Justice in New Book

November 25, 2023
Sandra Maria Van Opstal

‘The Next Worship’ Author Sandra Van Opstal Undergoes Multiple Surgeries to Fight Rare Infection

November 25, 2023
Bishop Carlton Pearson passed away. Carlton Pearson died Sunday, November 19, 2023

Bishop Carlton Pearson, Once Celebrated Pentecostal Preacher, Dies After Brief Battle With Cancer

November 20, 2023
palestinian farmer

‘These Are Biblical Lands Promised to Us,’ Say Jewish Settlers in West Bank Amid Gaza Conflict

November 18, 2023
hans schmidt shot while street preaching near victory chapel church

Victory Chapel Outreach Director Hans Schmidt Shot in Head While Evangelizing Near Church

November 18, 2023
from the river to the sea meaning

Behind the Slogan ‘From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free’

November 18, 2023
Ayaan Hirsi Ali conversion

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Outspoken Atheist and ‘Muslim Apostate,’ Says She Is ‘Now a Christian’

November 17, 2023
Breonna Taylor was killed by cops as she was in bed.

Brett Hankison Verdict: Mistrial for Ex-Cop Who Blindly Fired 10 Shots Into Breonna Taylor’s Home

November 17, 2023
Dexter Wade story

Mississippi Man Secretly Buried by Police in Unmarked Grave Had ID With Address Yet Cops Failed to Inform Family

November 17, 2023
Faithfully Magazine
  • Members
    • Log In
    • Member Home
    • See All Members
    • What’s New
    • Start or Join a Group
    • Your Freebies
Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
  • About
    • Advertise
    • Submit Content
    • Join the Team
    • Contact Us
    • Give Via PayPal
  • Exclusives
  • Q&As
  • Specials
  • NJ News
  • Listen & Watch
  • Shop
    • Faith Heroes Bookmarks
    • Clothing
    • eBooks
  • Events
    • Community Events
    • FM Live Q&As
  • Resources
    • Black Christian Content
  • Newsletter
Cart / $0.00

No products in the cart.

  • About
    • Advertise
    • Submit Content
    • Join the Team
    • Contact Us
    • Give Via PayPal
  • Exclusives
  • Q&As
  • Specials
  • NJ News
  • Listen & Watch
  • Shop
    • Faith Heroes Bookmarks
    • Clothing
    • eBooks
  • Events
    • Community Events
    • FM Live Q&As
  • Resources
    • Black Christian Content
  • Newsletter
No Result
View All Result
Faithfully Magazine
Home Features

Trailblazing Black Nun Sister Thea Bowman on Path to Possible Sainthood

FM Editors by FM Editors
June 18, 2019
in Features, History, Remember
Reading Time: 9 mins read
0
Sister Thea Bowman Faithfully Magazine

Sister Thea Bowman appears at a Walsh University event on September 18, 1989. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons/KatieHutchison)

ShareTweetPin It

Renowned for her preaching, she took her message across the nation, speaking at church gatherings and conventions, making 100 speaking engagements a year until spreading cancer slowed her. Music was especially important to her. She would gather or bring a choir with her and often burst into song during her presentations.

In addition to her writings, her music also resulted in two recordings, “Sister Thea: Songs of My People” and “‘Round the Glory Manger: Christmas Spirituals.”

Before the vote, Kopacz told the assembly that requests that Bowman be considered for sainthood have been coming to his diocese since before he was installed in 2014.

“She courageously proclaimed that she would live until she died. And she did,” Kopacz said. “Her word, witness and song testified to her joy and holiness even as she faced the cross of terminal illness.”

RelatedArticles

Brian Allain founded Publishing in Color to bring diversity to Christian publishing

How an ‘Old White Guy’ Attacked Christian Publishing’s Diversity Problem

October 18, 2023
teacher classroom students

What Black Teachers Face Today Isn’t Much Different From What They Faced During Segregation

September 29, 2023

He said Bowman believed African-American spirituality had much to offer the church, and now the need for that healing spirituality is critical.

“There is an urgency for her sanctity to be a leaven in our church and our society,” Kopacz said.

Sr. Marla Lang professed vows with the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in the same class as Bowman, and will attend the ceremony in Jackson.

Lang said entering religious life is jarring for anyone, and Bowman had the additional pressure of being in an all-White congregation in an all-White city, not to mention the cultural — and weather-related — shock of moving to Wisconsin from the Deep South. But if Bowman was troubled by her circumstances, Lang said, she didn’t show it.

“She had her spirituals — the music that was so beautiful. Most of us had been living with little or no contact with anyone of African descent, but her voice was so beautiful, it was just a very rich experience,” Lang said. “She was just a very graceful person to be around. But there must have been times when she must have felt like she was in a whole new area or culture.”

But Bowman’s words and her songs brought people together, she said.

“It just oozed out of her whole life. You give her a microphone and her spirit just moved into the hearts of those around her,” Lang said. “She just knew how to let her energy flow. … Her warmth just kindled people’s hearts.”

At the order’s chapter in 1980, Bowman was asked to sing the Gospel at the final liturgy, Lang said.

“I don’t think I’ll ever forget that proclamation of the Gospel,” she said. “There must have been four or five hundred people there, and she just rang it out. She just called us to live out the Gospel not only with great joy, but with great intent and spirit.”

Sr. Mary Ann Gschwind was Bowman’s roommate during their first summer studying at Catholic University in 1966. Gschwind is the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration’s archivist and has been sworn in as a member of the historical commission for Bowman’s cause.

Even at Catholic University, Bowman was unique, Gschwind said: There were African-American sisters on campus, but they were all in African-American congregations. Since the sisters still wore habits, it was easy to see that Bowman was from a White congregation.

“It took a lot of nerve for her to join our community,” Gschwind said. “I don’t think I could have done it if the situation were reversed.”

And yet Bowman inspired and moved people everywhere she went.

“She taught at the school here in La Crosse, and of course it was all White, but she was still just a phenomenon,” Gschwind said. “They have very precious memories of her.”

Leave your vote

0 Points
Upvote Downvote

Browse and manage your votes from your Member Profile Page


Share This Post

Share via

Share This Post

  • Digg
  • Tumblr
  • Flipboard
  • SMS
More
  • Report
Advertisement
Ancestry US
ShareTweetPin It
Page 2 of 3
Prev123Next
FM Editors

FM Editors

Faithfully Magazine is a fresh, bold and exciting news and culture publication that covers issues, conversations and events impacting Christian communities of color.

More Articles

nazi germany
Features

‘Hitler’s American Model’ Author on How the US Influenced Nazi Race Laws

October 19, 2022
what are kids learning about slavery
Clippings

What Kids Are Learning About Slavery at School

February 3, 2018
Captain Adams drills her company at the first Women's Army Auxiliary Corps training center in Fort Des Moines, Iowa, in 1943
Features

Nation’s Only All-Black Women’s Unit Sent to Europe During WWII Awarded Congressional Medal

March 9, 2022

Discussion about this post

Upcoming Events

  • There are no upcoming events.

Trending

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Tony Evans and Carla Crummie engaged to be married

Dr. Tony Evans Engaged to Former Pastor’s Wife and Widow Four Years After Lois Evans’ Death

September 12, 2023
Sandra Maria Van Opstal

‘The Next Worship’ Author Sandra Van Opstal Undergoes Multiple Surgeries to Fight Rare Infection

November 25, 2023
international church of las vegas faithfully magazine

6 Largest Churches in Las Vegas

January 15, 2020
aaron dean charged with murder

Zion Carr: Boy Who Witnessed Cop Kill His Aunt Awarded $3.5M Settlement

November 30, 2023
Christian Cultural Center

5 Largest Churches in New York City

May 29, 2018
This artistic interpretation of what Jesus Christ may have looked like was created by Dutch photographer Bas Uterwijk

Dutch Photographer Bas Uterwijk’s Striking Jesus Christ Historically Accurate?

September 1, 2020
Daddy Yankee said 'Jesus is in me' at his farewell concert

‘Jesus Lives in Me’ — Top Latin Artist Daddy Yankee Declares Faith in Christ at Farewell Concert

December 4, 2023
Tony Lowden, Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter's personal pastor, delivered the former first lady eulogy at her funeral on November 29, 2024.

Watch: Tony Lowden, Pastor to Rosalynn Carter and Jimmy Carter, Delivers Former First Lady’s Eulogy

December 1, 2023
aaron dean charged with murder

Zion Carr: Boy Who Witnessed Cop Kill His Aunt Awarded $3.5M Settlement

November 30, 2023
Botham Shem Jean

Sister of Botham Jean — Killed in Home by Off-Duty Cop — Shares Struggles With Forgiveness, Justice in New Book

November 25, 2023
Sandra Maria Van Opstal

‘The Next Worship’ Author Sandra Van Opstal Undergoes Multiple Surgeries to Fight Rare Infection

November 25, 2023
Bishop Carlton Pearson passed away. Carlton Pearson died Sunday, November 19, 2023

Bishop Carlton Pearson, Once Celebrated Pentecostal Preacher, Dies After Brief Battle With Cancer

November 20, 2023

Most Shared Articles

  • ‘The Next Worship’ Author Sandra Van Opstal Undergoes Multiple Surgeries to Fight Rare I...
  • Bishop Carlton Pearson, Once Celebrated Pentecostal Preacher, Dies After Brief Battle With Cancer...
  • Victory Chapel Outreach Director Hans Schmidt Shot in Head While Evangelizing Near Church...
  • Tye Tribbett Makes Reunion Tour Appearance After Being Rushed to Hospital for Minor Surgery...
  • Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Outspoken Atheist and ‘Muslim Apostate,’ Says She Is ‘Now a Chris...

From The Archive

water bottle at faucet
New Jersey

More ‘Forever Chemicals’ Found in New Jersey Water Systems

by FM Editors
September 1, 2023
ethiopia
Opinion & Analysis

Genocide in Ethiopia? Why Answering the Question Will Be a Challenge

by FM Editors
May 20, 2021
women of color authors
Books

Reader Recommends: New and Upcoming Books By Christian Women of Color

by FM Editors
April 23, 2021
closed movie theater
Clippings

Poll: Two-Thirds of US Believers See COVID-19 as Message From God

by FM Editors
May 15, 2020
denzel washington
Clippings

Denzel Washington Says God Keeps Telling Him to ‘Feed My Sheep’

by FM Editors
September 24, 2021

Who’s Online

There are no users currently online

Latest Votes

  • FM Editors on

    Jesus Likely Had Olive Skin and Short Black Hair, But What Did He Wear?

  • valexander on

    Christena Cleveland on ‘God Is a Black Woman’ and What Compelled Her to ‘Step off the Plantation’

  • FM Editors on

    Sexuality Has Nothing to Do With Salvation, Jackie Hill Perry Says in TBN Talk About ‘Gay Girl, Good God’

Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram
Faithfully Magazine

Faithfully Magazine is a news and culture publication centered on Christian communities of color.

We participate in various affiliate programs that allow us to earn fees by linking to affiliated sites. FM is independently owned and published and is supported by digital subscriptions, advertising, merchandise sales, and affiliate links. We use these funds to maintain operations and pay our writers. Donations are welcomed.

Recent News

  • ‘Jesus Lives in Me’ — Top Latin Artist Daddy Yankee Declares Faith in Christ at Farewell Concert
  • Watch: Tony Lowden, Pastor to Rosalynn Carter and Jimmy Carter, Delivers Former First Lady’s Eulogy
  • Zion Carr: Boy Who Witnessed Cop Kill His Aunt Awarded $3.5M Settlement
  • Sister of Botham Jean — Killed in Home by Off-Duty Cop — Shares Struggles With Forgiveness, Justice in New Book

Most Shared Posts

  • ‘The Next Worship’ Author Sandra Van Opstal Undergoes Multiple Surgeries to Fight Rare Infection...
  • Bishop Carlton Pearson, Once Celebrated Pentecostal Preacher, Dies After Brief Battle With Cancer...
  • Victory Chapel Outreach Director Hans Schmidt Shot in Head While Evangelizing Near Church...
  • Tye Tribbett Makes Reunion Tour Appearance After Being Rushed to Hospital for Minor Surgery...
  • Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Outspoken Atheist and ‘Muslim Apostate,’ Says She Is ‘Now a Christian’...

© 2023 Faithfully Media, LLC (Owner and Operator)

  • From The Magazine
  • Inspiration
  • News
  • Opinion & Analysis
  • Profiled
  • Q&As
  • Remember
  • Specials
  • New Jersey
  • Listen & Watch
  • Web Exclusives
  • Shop
    • Clothing
    • Faith Heroes Bookmarks
    • eBooks
  • Events
    • FM Live Events
    • Community Events
  • Resources
    • Black Christian Content
  • About Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Submit Content
    • Join the Editorial Team
    • Give Via PayPal
  • Members
    • Log In
    • Your Freebies
  • Subscribe to Faithfully Magazine
  • Newsletter
No Result
View All Result

© 2023 Faithfully Media, LLC (Owner and Operator)

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

*By registering on our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Share via

Share This Post

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • WhatsApp
  • Copy Link
  • Tumblr
  • Digg
  • Flipboard
  • SMS

Add New Playlist

Log In

Sign In

Login with Facebook
Login with Twitter
Forgot password?

Don't have an account? Register

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Back to Login

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Accept

Add to Collection

  • Public collection title

  • Private collection title

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.

Try a 14-day free trial today with Ancestry® (We may earn a commission) Dismiss

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?
Send this to a friend