Catholic University of America officials on April 29 dedicated and blessed a campus street named in honor of the late Sister Thea Bowman, a noted educator and evangelist who studied at CUA and whose cause for canonization was opened in 2018.
“During her life, Sister Thea was a shining example of religious life, and she worked for social justice, racial equality and harmony among all peoples, especially in the Catholic Church,” said Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory who serves as chancellor of CUA and who blessed the new Sister Thea Bowman Drive. “We are pleased to dedicate this street in her honor as a reminder that her life’s work still continues in the Church and on this campus today.”
Sister Thea died in 1990 from bone cancer at the age of 52. When she was 15, she entered the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, becoming the first and only African-American member of her order. When she took her vows as a nun, she changed her name from Bertha Bowman to Mary Thea Bowman, and pursued studies at The Catholic University of America where she earned both a master’s and doctorate degree in English.
For more than 15 years, Sister Thea was an educator on the high school and college levels. She then began her ministry as an evangelist, traveling the United States to urge priests, bishops and her fellow Catholics to accept her and other African Americans as “fully Black and fully Catholic.”
In addition to her evangelization work, Sister Thea helped found the National Black Sisters Conference to provide support for African-American women in religious life. In 1987, she also helped produce “Lead Me, Guide Me: The African American Catholic Hymnal,” the first such hymnal for African-American Catholics.
“While she went home to God more than 30 years ago, the impact of Sister Thea Bowman’s life is still felt in our own time,” Cardinal Gregory said in blessing the street next to CUA’s Columbus School of Law. “By her words and example, she challenged everyone to follow the command of the Lord Jesus to love God with all of our heart and our neighbors as ourselves.”
Among those attending the dedication ceremony was D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who called the late nun “an extraordinary woman of faith.”
Mayor Bowser, who grew up in and continues to attend nearby St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Washington’s Brookland neighborhood, said that whenever anyone sees the newly named street, “they will be inspired to do more and to be better… we should all celebrate the humanity in each other.”
Fifth-grade students from St. Anthony Catholic School also attended the dedication ceremony. The class chose Sister Thea, has the title "Servant of God," as its patron.
The street dedication was recommended by CUA’s Sister Thea Bowman Committee, which was formed to further racial diversity on the campus and the wider community.
“In recognition of Sister Thea’s contributions and lasting impact as a religious sister, as an educator and as the conscience of the Church, the university thought it important to honor her in a permanent and visible way by naming a street after her,” said Regina Jefferson, a professor of law at CUA’s Columbus School of Law and chairperson of the Sister Thea Bowman Committee.
“She (Sister Thea) encouraged people to communicate with one another so that they could better understand other cultures and races,” Jefferson said. “We hope that the Sister Thea Bowman Drive will serve not only as a visible tribute to Sister Thea, but also as a constant reminder to each of us to … work together to make positive and meaningful change in our lives, our communities and the world.”
CUA provost Aaron Dominguez praised Sister Thea as “our righteous inspiration here at The Catholic University of America” and said “she continues to inspire and to intercede from heaven for change.”
“We celebrate Sister Thea by dedicating this road to her, a strong, Black Catholic woman who is in the process of navigating the path toward sainthood in the Catholic Church, and whose legacy continues to call us to walk a road of solidarity and unity as one human family,” Dominguez said. “We entrust to her our work to address racism and to embrace the richness that diversity of culture, race and ethnicity bring to our community.”
CUA senior Kelly Woodson, also spoke at the dedication, noting that “the displaying of street names reflects the identification and location of property. Many are aware that Black people were seen as property… Sister Thea Bowman, being a Black woman who was such an astounding figure in the Black Catholic community, fosters this notion that we shall never be seen as a thing, but the image and likeness of God’s love.”
“It is imperative that we look to individuals like Sister Thea Bowman to understand that our brothers and sisters – no matter race, creed, religion, ethnicity, etc. – are a part of our lives,” Woodson said. “The way that we treat one another is an indication of our love for one another and especially God Himself.”
During the dedication ceremony, a letter was read that was sent from the La Crosse, Wisconsin, motherhouse of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration to mark the occasion. The sisters said it was their hope that “when you move along Sister Thea Bowman Drive, you move with love and joy.”
“May the love and joy you bring here today by dedicating this street to Sister Thea spread to the next street and the next street and the next,” the sisters wrote in their letter. “May the blessing of the Lord be upon you and all who journey on this road and the path to justice.”
As he blessed the sign designating the newly named street, Cardinal Gregory prayed, “May we who honor her memory today with this blessing of Sister Thea Bowman Drive seek to honor her legacy by the way we live our lives.”
