Bowman, Sister Thea (Bertha Elizabeth)

1937-1990 · Contribution: 1978-1990

Franciscan sister; scholar, singer, and evangelist

Singer, scholar, and evangelist who became a leading national voice for Black Catholic culture and intercultural understanding within the American Catholic Church

Religious & Spiritual Leadership: collage image
Religious & Spiritual Leadership

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Quick facts

Born
1937, Yazoo City, Mississippi
Active since
1978
Category
Religious & Spiritual Leadership
Best known for
Leading national voice for Black Catholic culture; candidate for sainthood

Impact on the world

Bowman insisted that Black spirituality, music, and culture belonged fully within a predominantly white American Catholic Church, and she made that case with a scholar's authority and a preacher's fire before the nation's bishops themselves.

An alternative history

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Sources

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    USCCB (On the Road to Sainthood)

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