FaithND, a spiritual outreach program of the University of Notre Dame Alumni Association, recently recognized Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, as their Saint of the Day. This recognition highlights Sister Thea’s contributions to the Church, education and the promotion of Black Catholic spirituality.
During Black History Month, we reflect on Sister Thea’s mission to unite people of all backgrounds in faith and justice. As a scholar, teacher and advocate, she devoted her life to breaking down racial barriers in the Church and society. Her massage of inclusion and joy continues to resonate today, reminding us that the church is made richer through diversity.
Her cause for canonization began in 2018 and is currently in the diocesan phase. All are invited to pray for Sister Thea’s cause as she journeys toward sainthood.
Read Sister Thea’s Saint of the Day feature on FaithND.
As we celebrate Black History Month, we rejoice in the life and legacy of Sister Thea Bowman, a woman of deep faith, bold witness and joyful service. In her 1989 address to the U.S. Catholic Bishops, she shared these words:
"What does it mean to be Black and Catholic? It means that I come to my Church fully functioning. That doesn’t frighten you, does it? I come to my Church fully functioning. I bring myself; my black self, all that I am, all that I have, all that I hope to become. I bring my whole history, my traditions, my experience, my culture, my African-American song and dance and gesture and movement and teaching and preaching and healing and responsibility - as gifts to the Church."