Thea Bowman: Embracing the Diversity of the Catholic Church.

St. Dominic will host a community dinner and dialogue on “Thea Bowman:Embracing the Diversity of the Catholic Church.” The event will be held in theschool cafeteria from 6 to 7:30 pm Participants are encouraged to attend the 5pm Mass.

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Let’s Learn About Sr. TheaBowman’s Journey to Sainthood

By Amy Cheatham Tye

The name Thea Bowman may be a familiar one to you – mainly because many St. Dominic parishioners volunteer at the Thea Bowman Center in Cleveland’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood.  The center provides hot meals, G.E.D.training, food assistance, and other resources for the underserved population in the community.  

But how much do you know about the center’s namesake?  Sister Thea Bowman was an African-American Franciscan nun. She was an educator for a number of years and, after that, Sr. Thea was named a consultant for intercultural awareness by the Diocese of Jackson, Miss.  As a consultant, Sr. Thea challenged the Catholic Church — and society in general — to grow in racial inclusivity.  She gave presentations across the U.S. encouraging open communication among people of different races and cultural backgrounds with the goal of breaking down barriers.

Sr. Thea died in 1990, and in 2018, the Diocese of Jackson, Miss., opened the cause for her canonization, giving her the designation of Servant of God, the first step toward the Church’s official recognition of a saint. At the 2018 U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Fall General Assembly, the Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance indicated unanimous support for the advancement of Sr. Thea’s canonization cause.

On Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, St.Dominic will host a community dinner and dialogue on “Thea Bowman:  Embracing the Diversity of the Catholic Church.” The event will be held in theschool cafeteria from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Participants are encouraged to attend the 5 p.m. Mass.  To facilitate dialogue, participants areasked to view “Going Home Like a Shooting Star: Thea Bowman’s Journey to Sainthood” ahead of the event.  The video can be found on YouTube; click here to view it.  A light dinner will be served.

The discussion is hosted by the Racial EquityTask Force’s Learning/Action Committee. We hope you will be able to join us!

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