Honoring Sister Thea Bowman and Black Witness

November is National Black Catholic History Month. The Archdiocese of Portland and the African American Catholic Community of Oregon (AACCO) observe and honor this time in our liturgical year. Below is a reflection by Mark Holman, a member of AACCO and of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council. He reflects on Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, one of six Black Catholics on the path toward sainthood. Although the month is drawing to a close, the lessons of faith she offers can guide us throughout the year.

Reflecting on my nearly thirty years as a Catholic, I joyfully celebrate the movement to recognize Sister Thea Bowman as a saint. Sister Thea raised a clarion call in this country when she asked, “What does it mean to be Black and Catholic?” Her words continue to challenge and strengthen the Church.

I am not a cradle Catholic, but through this faith I share Sister Thea’s conviction that being in the Church means being evangelized, educated, and given the opportunity to flourish through Catholic ministry. In her presentation to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, she exhorted the people of God to embrace the Church because our formation opens the door to our evangelization. I agree with Sister Thea when she says we “come to my church highly functioning, and as a result I can tap into a spirituality that makes me want to say, ‘Thank you, Jesus.’” With this spirituality, I am able to share that joy with others.

Sister Thea Bowman worked tirelessly in the Church. She taught, preached, witnessed, worshipped, served, and offered prayers that healed the hearts of those who have come this far by faith. I celebrate, as Sister Thea reminds us, “who I am and whose I am,” grounded both in the history and experience of African Americans and in my own Catholic journey.

To place this reflection in context, the following summary offers a brief introduction to the life and significance of Sister Thea Bowman.

Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman (1937–1990) was a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration and one of the most influential Black Catholic voices of the twentieth century. Raised in Mississippi and converted to Catholicism as a child, she dedicated her life to education, evangelization, and the promotion of Black Catholic spirituality within the wider Church. With her academic background, powerful preaching, and radiant joy, she invited Catholics to encounter the Gospel through the lens of African American experience and culture. Her well-known question to the U.S. bishops, “What does it mean to be Black and Catholic?” called the Church to recognize the gifts of every people and culture within the one Body of Christ.

Her ministry reached tens of thousands across the country as she taught, sang, prayed, and encouraged communities to embrace both the beauty of Catholic tradition and the richness of Black heritage. Even during her battle with cancer, she continued to witness to hope and the healing love of Christ. As her cause for canonization advances, Sister Thea remains a prophetic model of missionary discipleship, unity in diversity, and joyful faith. Her life invites Catholics of every background to recognize the dignity of all God’s people and the evangelizing power of authentic cultural expression in the Catholic Church.