Bowman, Thea
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Bowman, Thea
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Thea Bowman was a Catholic educator, musician, and civil rights advocate who promoted the full inclusion of African Americans in the Catholic Church, and is the namesake of Loyola University Maryland's Thea Bowman Hall.
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Sister Thea Bowman was born in Canton, Mississippi. Raised Methodist, she converted to Catholicism when she was nine years old. When Bowman was fifteen, she joined the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. She later earned her B.A. in English from Viterbo University (1965), and an M.A. (1969) and Ph.D. (1972) in English from The Catholic University of America. Bowman dedicated her life to educating others, teaching at multiple institutions throughout the United States, including schools in Wisconsin, Washington, D.C., and New Orleans.
Bowman also advocated for the diversification of Catholic liturgy and increased participation of African Americans in the Catholic faith and church leadership. In 1984 Bowman was diagnosed with breast cancer, yet she did not let her disease stop her from continuing her ministry, quoting Sojourner Truth in stating "I'm not going to die. I'm going home like a shooting star." Bowman died on March 30, 1990, due to her ongoing struggle with cancer. She has been designated a Servant of God by the Catholic Church, the first of four steps to recognition by the church as a saint. In 2020 Thea Bowman Hall, a residence hall on Loyola University Maryland's campus, was named in her honor.
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December 29, 1937
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March 30, 1990
Position: 1623 (48 views)
