Push to canonize Sister Thea Bowman, assisted by a special Mass and bronze statue at the Cathedral

On Saturday, December 21, 2024, Mississippi’s Catholic Bishop Joseph Kopacz led the celebration of Mass and the blessing of a life-size statue of Sister Thea Bowman at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle. While that Mass is over and thus cannot be witnessed again, the statue will remain at the northeast corner of the Cathedral in Jackson for all to see.

It was a truly historic occasion to have witnessed the experience of that Mass and blessing of the Thea Bowman statue. A reception at the Two Mississippi Museums followed. The celebrations were at once events that deserve remembering and publicizing on their own and part of an even more significant movement. 

First of all, there has been far too little said about Sister Thea Bowman, both in the local area and across the country. During her short lifetime, she was a giant personality in the American Catholic Church and in the community. She was born in Yazoo City and raised in Canton. While she was a student at Holy Child Jesus in Canton, she not only became Catholic, but decided that she wanted to become a nun. Bowman not only became a nun, teaching in both high school and college. She became an ambassador for African American Catholic spirituality, especially its expression in the liturgy. 

The role of promoting African American spirituality can hardly be overplayed because many people, Catholic and non-Catholic, then and now, generally consider Catholic liturgical methods of singing, preaching, and praying as being only that which was developed in Europe following the period of the Reformation. Bowman and others have undertaken the task of erasing that misconception, paving the way for the acceptance of the reality that Catholic means the truths of the religion can be expressed and praised utilizing the culture of all of its people; no group should be expected to give up its cultural expressions in order to be considered authentically Catholic. Her heroic efforts in that area alone seem substantial enough for her to be seen as a saint, far above the mass of Christian believers.

Aside from that, Sister Thea Bowman lived a very pious or holy life. It is that life which has been recognized to such an extent she has been given the title, “Servant of God” and is on the road for canonization. Furthermore, it is her holy life that has her in the company of five other African Americans – Mother Mary Lange, Mother Henriette De Lille, Miss Julia Greeley, Father Augustus Tolton, and Mister Pierre Toussaint – being seriously considered for sainthood. Each of those individuals made a definite mark on the church and the community where he/she lived. It was also often through their suffering or sacrifices that they came to the attention of the larger church. In the case of Greeley and Toussaint, it was primarily their generosity catching the attention of church officials. 

The recognition of these men and women indicate not only are there many devoted souls who are African Americans in the American church. It is a testimony to the fact they have long been there. Publicizing their loves can also go a long way in informing more than serious historians that the church had its origin in Africa and the Middle East; that these more contemporary holy men and women are truly following in the footsteps of many of their earlier African ancestors. 

The Mass for Sister Thea Bowman very adequately represented her life and adopted role. The music was comprised primarily of music associated with African Americans. They included “Lead Me, Guide,” “I Give Myself Away,” “Taste and See,” “This Little Light of Mine,” and “Soon and Very Soon.” (“I Give Myself Away” was rendered by the Saint Joseph School Ensemble and “This Little Light of Mine” was rendered by the Sister Thea Bowman School Choir.) 

Bishop Kopacz’s homily highlighted her life and legacy. He referred to her as a pilgrim of hope in a time such as this and praised her gifts to the church. Even the Prayer of the Faithful reflected the spirit of Sister Thea Bowman. 

Although the majority of attendees during the Mass were African Americans from the Diocese of Jackson, there were a number of European Americans from the local area. There were also guests from the Diocese of Biloxi, on the Gulf Coast and from Birmingham, Mobile, and Montgomery in Alabama. In addition to the diversity of the attendees, it was noteworthy that the statue of Sister Thea Bowman was a gift from the bishop and people of the Archdiocese of Mobile, the Diocese of Biloxi, the Diocese of Birmingham, and the Diocese of Jackson.

As people view Thea Bowman’s statue, they may be mindful and supportive of the effort to have her canonized. This means that she will be placed before the entire Catholic Church for admiration and prayer, alongside Mary and Joseph, Paul and the apostles, St. Augustine and St. Monica, and hundreds of others having gone before us.