Have you ever heard of THEA BOWMAN...???
Sister Thea Bowman died in 1990 at the young age of 52...!!!
At one time the only BLACK Sister of the Franciscan Sisters Of Perpetual Adoration, Thea spent most of her life fighting against racism and discrimination, and fighting for Christian transparency and the spread of Jesus’ authentic Christian message...and all of this within as well as outside The Church and all of its collateral institutions...
Influenced by the witness of Catholic Nuns in her hometown in Mississippi, Sister Thea became a Catholic at the age of ten with the permission of her Protestant parents, and before she turned 18, she decided to become a member of the Franciscan Sisters, where she served until her death at age 52...eventually succumbing to the cancer that overtook her physically...HOWEVER...
Not before she could give a discourse in 1989 to The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops which for me serves as Her signature Christian witness and testimony...!!!
Her legacy is the ‘preaching’ she accomplished both during and after her lifetime...using basic skills and gifts of song, education, wisdom, culture, heritage, public speaking, etc...
This little blog cannot begin to contain or adequately describe the effect she has had on the lives of everyone around her as well as the lives of The Universal Church...
I regret that I myself only recently discovered her and her saintly demeanor and lifestyle...I invite and encourage you to do your own research and study of her life and works...!!!
The one attribute I want to focus in on with this post is her adamant disgust for ‘back room dealing’, ‘good ole boy’ networking, and her bringing attention to the lack of transparency in life altering situations...again, both within the church and in the world of the average American...!!!
Unfortunately, sleazy back room deals still exist despite the many laws and regulations that have been enacted since the civil rights movement of the sixties...!!!
Sister Thea Bowman realized that real changes wouldn’t occur until they were begun in the heart...and these changes come about only through prayer, hard work, and spiritual conversion...!!!
To honor her memory and legacy, I rededicate this Blog to her vision of eradicating isms wherever they exist, and making the world a better place to live...And doing it through Love, Song, and Education...!!!
Have a great weekend...!!!
It seems benign to say it is about who you know when it comes to getting things done as opposed to what you know. But your post points out the slippery slope. She does sound amazing and until I read your post I had never heard of her. Thanks Fran
Charlie,
If you get a chance to watch the video of her talk to the US Bishops, you'll be amazed...!!!
Thanks, Fran
Great tribute Fran and I had heard of her before but didn't know about her dying so young. There are still people out there that care but hardly anyone takes a stand anymore it is more about the me than the we.
Charles,
I've got a feeling there are more Saints around us than we know...sin seems to be more 'popular' than virtue in our society...!!!
I can't get enough reading in about Sister Thea, and I repeatedly watch that video of her in 1989 to the USCCB in New Jersey...!!!
Thanks, Fran