Sister Thea Bowman, pictured in an undated photo, was the granddaughter of slaves and the only African-American member of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. She transcended racism to leave a lasting mark on U.S. Catholic life in the late 20th century. (CNS photo/Beatrice Njemanze, Mississippi Catholic)
By Maureen Smith
Catholic News Service
JACKSON, Miss. — Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz of Jackson read the edict to open the sainthood cause for Sister Thea Bowman at Mass Nov. 18 at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in downtown Jackson.
The church was packed with people who loved Sister Bowman and can’t wait to see her become a saint.
Days before the Mass, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops unanimously voted in support of the cause moving forward during their general assembly in Baltimore.
Sister Bowman, a Mississippi native and the only African-American member of her order, the Wisconsin-based Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, was a widely known speaker, evangelizer and singer until she died of cancer in 1990 at age 52. She even made a presentation at the U.S. bishops’ spring meeting in 1989, moving some prelates to tears.
Some of the songs she sang at that bishop’s meeting took center stage at the Mass.
Phyllis Lewis-Hale, a professor from Jackson State University sang “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child” as a prelude to the Mass and brought the congregation to its feet with “We Shall Overcome” after Communion. Everyone in the church spontaneously joined hands and swayed as they sang with Lewis-Hale — much like the bishops did in 1989.
Members of the choir from Sister Bowman’s home parish of Holy Child Jesus in Canton offered “Be Encouraged” during Communion.
