The Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, marked the completion of its work on the canonization cause of Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA, on Feb. 9, formally advancing the process to the Vatican for review.

The Closing Ceremony of the Diocesan Phase of the Cause of Canonization was observed following a Mass of Thanksgiving at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, celebrated by Bishop Joseph Kopacz of Jackson. The diocesan tribunal sealed the acts of the investigation — years of documentation, testimony, and research into Sr. Bowman’s life and virtue — preparing them for transfer to Rome.

The sealed materials will be sent to the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C., before being forwarded to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, where the Vatican phase of the cause will begin.

“This moment marks an important milestone in the Church’s careful and prayerful discernment of Sister Thea Bowman’s witness to the Gospel,” Bishop Kopacz said. “Her life continues to inspire faith, hope, and joy, not only within our diocese, but throughout the Church in the United States and beyond.”

Born Bertha Bowman in 1937 in Yazoo City, Mississippi, Sister Bowman converted to the Catholic faith as a child and later entered the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, becoming the congregation’s first African American member. 

Sister Bowman devoted her life to education and ministry, teaching at the elementary, secondary, and university levels, including at Viterbo University in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University of Louisiana, and The Catholic University of America. 

She also became a nationally recognized speaker and consultant for intercultural awareness, particularly during her years working with the Diocese of Jackson. Known for blending preaching, prayer, storytelling, and song, Sister Bowman traveled widely, at times making as many as 100 speaking engagements a year. Music was central to her ministry, and she often brought choirs with her or broke into solo song during talks. According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), her presentations challenged Catholics to confront racism while affirming black Catholic identity as an integral part of the Church’s life.

Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1984, Sister Bowman continued her ministry even as her illness progressed.

Sister Bowman gained national attention in June 1989 when she addressed the U.S. bishops’ annual meeting. Speaking from a wheelchair less than a year before her death, she challenged them to reflect on what it means to be a black person in the Church and in American society. 

She died in 1990 at the age of 52, and devotion to her life and legacy has grown in the decades that followed.

Next steps 

The Diocese of Jackson formally opened her cause for canonization in 2018 with the approval of the USCCB, and she was given the title “Servant of God.” The diocesan phase focused on investigating her reputation for holiness and heroic virtue, including her perseverance in illness, her commitment to education, and her joyful public witness amid racial injustice.

If the Vatican determines that Sister Bowman lived a life of heroic virtue, she could be declared “venerable,” the next step toward beatification and eventual canonization, pending the recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession.

Sister Thea Bowman is one of seven African American Catholics whose causes for sainthood are currently under consideration.