The life of Servant of God Thea Bowman will be celebrated at her alma mater this spring in Washington, where a one-day conference has been scheduled at the Catholic University of America (CUA).
The event, under the theme “I Bring My Whole Self,” is scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 28. It was announced by the school and shared publicly by the U.S. bishops’ Subcommittee on African-American Affairs early this month.
“Join us at The Catholic University of America for a day of celebration, learning, and renewal as we reflect on the life and legacy of one of our most inspiring alumni,” reads a flyer for the gathering on the famed Black Catholic nun.
The event is in partnership with the Sister Thea Bowman Committee, formed in 2020 to promote racial equality at CUA, a school sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
A convert to the Catholic faith, Bowman was born in the 1930s in Mississippi and joined the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration as a teenager, moving to Wisconsin for her formation and undergraduate education. She was the first Black member of the order.
Bowman went on to earn a master’s degree in English and a doctorate in English and literature, both at CUA, and taught there as a professor. A major player in the Black Catholic Movement, she became nationally known as an educator, public speaker, and liturgist before dying of breast cancer at age 52 in 1990.
She has since become one of seven African-American Catholics on the path to sainthood, none of whom have yet been beatified.
Formed two years after Bowman’s canonization cause, the Bowman Committee undertook a yearlong study of academics and operations at CUA and published a report in 2021. It detailed the state of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the school and made nearly 50 recommendations to university leadership for improvement.
Following his hire as CUA president in 2022, Dr. Peter Kilpatrick appointed former CUA Law School Dean Veryl Miles, Associate Vice Provost Dr. Angela McRae, and Center for Cultural Engagement Director Javier Bustamante as facilitators for the report's implementation.
The announcement of the Bowman conference at CUA comes ahead of the 35th anniversary of her death, which will be commemorated on March 30.
Details on the conference are forthcoming, Interested parties can email the Bowman Committee team at cua-bowman@cua.edu for more information and to register for updates.
Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.
