Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA, Servant of God

03/30/2026

Remembering Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA on the day she went HOME like a shooting star 36 years ago. Her memory continues to be a blessing!

01/29/2026

BIG NEWS: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Jackson invites us all to experience the next step in Sister Thea's journey to Rome, where the cause for canonization will continue.

12/29/2025

Happy Heavenly Birthday, Sister Thea! She would have been 88 years old today! 🙏🏾

Today we remember the birthday of Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman. May her joyful witness to the Gospel continue to inspire us.

Sister Thea, pray for us.

10/21/2025

From Maurice J. Nutt, C.Ss.R.:
I’m pleased that One Subject Press has published a second edition of Reverend Dr. Joseph A. Brown, S.J.’s “A Retreat with Thea Bowman and Bede Abram Leaning On The Lord.” Father Brown asked that Dr. Cynthia Bailey Manns and I write the foreword and afterword respectively to the book. The book also includes a resource guide highlighting music and books in reference to their lives and ministries. The book captivates and invites you to with these two phenomenal Black Catholic scholars, spiritual mystics, and evangelists. Proud to claim Thea, Bede, and Joseph as my graduate school professors, and cherished friends!

04/17/2025

From Louisiana :

I have a very good friend who was put on the lung transplant list in November of 2023. Against all odds, she received a double lung transplant in April of 2024. I pray for her daily and fervently while seeking spiritual favor of Sister Thea Bowman’s intercession. Here is my praise report: Less than a year later, she is walking around, holding long conversations, laughing, eating, finally able to travel, and all without assistance from walking aids or oxygen. At one point she had lost so much weight that she weighed less than 94 pounds. Today she has a very healthy weight, and looks extremely healthy. I submit to you that this is nothing short of a miracle. She actually looks, sounds, and moves as though she never went through this ordeal. Thank you Sister Thea Bowman for your intercession!

12/29/2024

Happy Heavenly Birthday to Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA, Ph.D. Today would have been her 87th birthday. We rejoice and celebrate your life and legacy. Sister Thea, continue to pray for us!
(She is pictured here with her parents, Mrs. Mary Esther Bowman and Dr. Theon Bowman at her 25th anniversary of religious profession in 1983).

12/17/2024

Bishop Joseph Kopacz invites all to come and celebrate the installation and blessing of a life-sized bronze statue of Servant of God Sr. Thea Bowman, FSPA, on Saturday, Dec. 21, at 11 a.m. in the Cathedral of Saint Peter the Apostle in Jackson. The statue is a gift from the Bishops of the Province of Mobile. The celebration will begin with Mass followed by the blessing of the statue, then a reception following.

04/24/2024

We are thrilled that Nathan Yungerberg's Afro-Surrealism production of THEA, a work in process, will be workshopped on the Stages of the Victoria Theatre @ the Apollo Theatre in Harlem this Saturday. THEA is an imaginative depiction of the day Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA, Ph.D., went HOME to her eternal rest at her home in Canton, Mississippi, and the ancestors gather to welcome her. With music and singing, the play captures the audience with fascinating plot twists and turns. Father Maurice Nutt, C.Ss.R. and Father Manuel Williams, C.R., former students of Sister Thea will co-facilitate a talk-back session with the playwright, Nathan Yungerberg, and director, Zhailon Levingston, and the audience. Sister Thea is rejoicing that she made it to the Apollo Theatre!

03/30/2024

➕ 34 years since Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA, Servant of God went HOME like “a shooting star!” We remember and cannot and will not forget her and her tremendous impact on the Church and society. May her memory be a blessing! Sister Thea, pray for us…🙏🏾

On this day, in 1990, Sister Thea Bowman returned to Heaven. I thank God for the amazing gift of her life for the Church and the whole world.

Sister Thea couldn't be contained in a small or medium canvas! I had to paint her in a big one so I could capture the incredible force of her joy, singing, dancing, holiness, celebrating the love of God in all its fullness!

May this painting help me to share her story and the loving revolution she brought to the Church by being truly herself, her whole black self!

"Born Dec. 29, 1937, in Yazoo City, Mississippi, Thea was reared as a Protestant until at age nine when she asked her parents if she could become a Catholic. Gifted with a brilliant mind, beautiful voice (you can hear her songs on youtube or Spotify) , and dynamic personality, Sister Thea shared the message of God's love through a teaching career. After 16 years of teaching, at the elementary, secondary, and university levels, the bishop of Jackson, Mississippi, invited her to become the consultant for intercultural awareness. In her role as consultant, Sister Thea, an African American, gave presentations across the country; lively gatherings that combined singing, gospel preaching, prayer, and storytelling. Her programs were directed to break down racial and cultural barriers. She encouraged people to communicate with one another so that they could understand other cultures and races.

In 1984, Sr. Thea was diagnosed with breast cancer. She prayed "to live until I die." Her prayer was answered, and Thea continued her gatherings seated in a wheelchair. In 1989, the U.S. bishops invited her to be a key speaker at their conference on Black Catholics. At the end of the meeting, at Thea's invitation, the bishops stood and sang "We Shall Overcome" with gusto. Thea lived a full life. She fought evil, especially prejudice, suspicion, hatred, and things that drive people apart. She fought for God and God's people until her death in 1990. Explore more of Sister Thea's story."

Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, who worked to overcome racial divisions so that all Christians might be united in Christ—pray for us!

Thea Bowman Leadership Academy K-12
Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA, Servant of God
African American Catholic Ministries

03/24/2024

The latest commissioned artwork honoring Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA, Ph.D. at Saint Ursula Academy in Cincinnati, Ohio.