Thea NNewsVOLUME 1 NUMBER 2 2002

I pledge

allegiance

to the destiny

of Black

people,

to the Red,

Black,

and Green.

I give

my life

and love

to my people.

I promise

to keep

an open mind

toward

all people,

to seek

the goals

of unity and

community,

to stand up for

what is right

from now

until

Judgment

Day!

An eighth grade class fromFather Bertrand School,

Memphis, Tenn.

Celebrating Life with Theaby Beth Erickson

II t was courage that first brought us together. By us, I mean Sister Thea Bowmanand me. She was a “shooting star” and I was a shy and awkward 17 year old. It wasMarch 1988 and the two of us were being honored by the American CancerSociety at their National Courage Award celebration in Washington, D.C. She was

the state of Mississippi’s Courage Awardrecipient and I was Wisconsin’s.

The award was presented to those whohad shown “unusual courage” in the fightagainst cancer. I hardly felt worthy of theaward. After all, it had been 10 years since I’dbeen diagnosed. I’d been cancer-free foreight years. I was no longer “in the trenches.”I was still alive while many of my friendswith cancer were not. “Howam I courageous now?” Iwondered.

But Thea, she was anotherstory. Thea was still battlingcancer. I use the term battlebecause it is a fight. You arefighting not only to keepyour body alive, you arefighting to not be looked onwith pity. You are fighting tokeep your spirits high. Andthere was no one with higherspirits than Thea.

By accounts, she would have been about 50 then. But, oh, she looked young—andbeautiful. The funny thing is that I can hardly recall our first encounter that week. Butwhat I do remember is a wheelchair and a radiant woman with an amazing smile. Evenwhen her mouth wasn’t set in a grin, she smiled. She did it with her eyes. There was lightthere. There was fire. There was passion. And it was all Thea.

My mom approached her first. She knew of Thea through my great aunt, SisterLaurella Seipel, who worked with Thea in Canton, Miss., for several years. It was thisconnection that brought us together. My mother, a nurse and an amazing woman herself,immediately took Thea under her wing.

For those few days in Washington, Mom, Dad, and I would pick Thea up at her roomand wheel her wherever she needed to be. Together, we attended a celebration dinner

“Celebrating Life,” continued on page 3

Beth (Jaekel) Ericksonand Sister Thea Bowmanvisit at the AmericanCancer Society Celebra-tion of Life awards din-ner in Washington,D.C., 1988.

Thea made new friends wherever she went—at the same event,she also found fellowship with other black cancer survivors.

Dear Friends of Thea,

Glowing notes and letters from many readers of the premier issue of Thea NNews told usthat you prize our efforts—through the newsletter—to hand on the legacy of Sister TheaBowman, FSPA (1937-1990). Thank you for that. We thank our FSPA congregation for providingresources to pursue this important ministry.

Thea continues to inspire authors. We are excited about the acclaimed all-new Lives of the Saints:From Mary and Francis of Assisi to John XXIII and Mother Teresa, by Richard McBrien, the Crowley-O’Brien-Walter Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame. (HarperCollins, June2001. 672 pages, $34.) “In addition to offering a lively, contemporary account of saints, McBrienrecognizes there is a more universal understanding of sanctity: Catholics whose holiness has notyet been formally acclaimed, such as Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, Mother Teresa, TheaBowman, and Oscar Romero. McBrien also addresses the political nature of the canonizationprocess and argues that there is a need to expand the ranks of saints to properly include women,Asians, Africans, married people, and those who identify with the poor and the oppressed.”

African Americans, those in Catholic and Franciscan communities, and many others, remind usthey dream about Thea canonization proceedings. To foster that process, some Friends of Theawant to create a Thea guild. In the future, Thea NNews may serve as a conduit for that guild.

From all over the U.S., our office receives inquiries about our beloved Thea. It is gratifying tohear about prayer services in her honor, about religion textbooks that feature her life as an exam-ple for youth in America, about presentations on her life at church events.

We celebrate, on Dec. 29, 2002, the 65th birth anniversary of this remarkable woman. Friendsof Thea plan to mark the occasion with galas and memorials. Join them.

Looking ahead, the 3rd annual Thea “Flavor of Soul”Commemoration will be on Wednesday, April 2, 2003. “Flavor ofSoul” cuisine will be served for the enjoyment of participants at theFSPA motherhouse and Viterbo University. For the centerpiece ofthe occasion, we are delighted to announce famed Thea artist,Michael O’Neill McGrath, OSFS, www.beestill.com, will present“An Evening with Thea,” in the Fine Arts Center, ViterboUniversity, La Crosse, Wis. Spirited gospel music by the ViterboConcert Choirs under the direction of Daniel Johnson-Wilmotwill give a “Thea” musical background to McGrath. Join us.

And now I want you to meet our new Thea NNews editor, BethErickson. Beth comes with singular qualifications: great writer, excellent communication andcomputer skills, and, best of all, a unique relationship with Thea. (See story p. 1.) Welcome aboard,Beth! In mid summer, Beth spent some days in New Orleans. On the campus of XavierUniversity, she was the guest of the Institute for Black Catholic Studies, www.xula.edu, one ofThea’s most-loved programs. Watch for stories in the March issue about her experiences with theInstitute, its instructors, its students, and Thea’s active “presence” there.

Six thousand copies of the Thea NNews premier issue were circulated in the spring of 2002.This issue and subsequent issues will circulate primarily online at www.fspa.org.

I know that you will read every word of this Thea NNews issue and be transformed by Thea.

— Charlene Smith, FSPA

2 V O L U M E 1 N U M B E R 2 2 0 0 2 T H E A N E W S

Charlene Smith, FSPACoordinatorThea Bowman Legacy912 Market StreetLa Crosse, WI 54601-8800Tel: 608.791.5618Fax: 608.784.7390csmith@fspa.orgwww.fspa.org

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From the TBL CoordinatorSeptember 1, 2002

Charlene Smith, FSPA

Sister Charlene and MichaelMcGrath in March 2001.

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where we mingled with singer Leslie Uggams andthe late actress Jill Ireland (who was receiving acourage award for her battle with breast cancer), andIreland’s husband actor Charles Bronson. We hadlunch with our state representatives. And, since theFirst Lady was also receiving a courage award, wehad an audience with her and President Reagan inthe White House Rose Garden.

The week was a whirlwind of activity and we allfelt a sense of wonder that we were a part of suchan incredible celebration of life. Being with Theamade it even more special. She told us about Cantonand her busy schedule of appearances. We talkedabout Viterbo and the changes that had taken placethere since she last visited. She encouraged me toattend Viterbo University and sang the praises of itsEnglish department.

Being with Thea was like being with a friend. Itwas comfortable but at the same time, you knewshe’d help keep you in line if necessary. Just likefamily and friends would. In fact, during that trip,Thea called us her “family away from home.” Wewere lucky to be with her and we knew it.

I never saw Thea again after our time inWashington, D.C., but I did write to her. We struckup a correspondence that spanned the two yearsuntil her death. Because she was so ill, many of herletters were form letters, but there were handwrittennotes on several. In one dated November 1989,Thea thanked me for my strength and courage.Imagine. Thea thanked me for my strength andcourage. Me. This incredible woman who had beenbattling cancer for five years, while maintaining such

an inspirational passion for life, was thanking a girlwho battled cancer for a mere two years—and sur-vived.

I have no idea what I wrote to Thea to inspiresuch encouraging words. I can only imagine them asthe somewhat careless words of a teenager trying todo a little of everything all at once. A teen whowanted so badly to live a normal life that shewanted to wish away the fact that she’d had cancer.Pretend, for even a moment, that it didn’t happen toher. To take those two years back and fill theminstead with laughter, play, friendships, and non-sense.

I didn’t get it then. But Thea knew. She knew thatwhile cancer itself was a battle, survivors have otherbattles to face. She knew that the fear takes a long,long time to leave. She knew that only those that hadbeen there could truly understand. And, in her owninimitable way, Thea was telling me I had strengthand courage. And that would see me through.

Though I knew Thea only briefly—and not at allvery well—I miss her. We all miss her. But we knowshe’s still reaching out to people around the worldwith her legacy of words, songs, and memories thatremain alive in our hearts and minds. And we knowshe’s there, lighting up heaven with her smile, andhelping us “keep on keepin’ on.”

Editor’s Note: This article was reprinted with permis-sion. It originally appeared in the June 2000 issue ofViterbo University’s Strides magazine.

T H E A N E W S V O L U M E 1 N U M B E R 2 2 0 0 2 3

Beth (Jaekel) Ericksonis a 1993 ViterboUniversity graduatewith a Bachelor of

Arts degree inEnglish. Beth wasdiagnosed in 1978

with Ewing’s sarcoma,a type of bone cancer,

and immediatelyunderwent radiation

therapy followed by twoyears of chemotherapy.She has been cancer-free for 22 years. Youcan reach her by emailat berickson@fspa.org.

Beth Erickson

“Celebrating Life” continued from page 1

Comprised of the oldestcolors known tohumankind, the colors ofPan-Africanism are anancient symbol of Blackhope and pride.

The red stands for theland lost by black peoplethrough bloodshed andsuffering. Black repre-sents the black people of

the world and greenstands for the luxurianceand fertility of the blackhomeland—Africa.

According to theKwanzaa InformationCenter Web site, Pan-African colors were “res-urrected by the Hon.Marcus Garvey, father ofAfrican Nationalism, as

the symbol of the strug-gling sons and daughtersof Africa, wherever theymay be.”

Since the AfricanNationalism movementtook root, the colors havebeen adopted by manyAfrican states and as asymbol of Africans inAmerica.

More oon PPan-AAfrican CColors...

Illinois School Models Sister Thea’s Spiby Maria Friedman, FSPA

PP re-school graduation is quite an occasion atSister Thea Bowman Catholic School inEast St. Louis, Ill. The whole school gath-ers, along with parents and grandparents,

siblings and aunts and uncles, all in their best attire,cameras in hand. The church hall buzzes with excite-ment and then hushes as the graduates march downthe aisle in yellow caps and gowns and then,

under the direction of teacher Lynnie Vandiver,demonstrate—according to the letters of the alpha-bet—the songs, stories and knowledge they masteredin the past year.

A visitor is keenly aware she is in an institution thathas an immense energy and pride, a remarkable class,and spirit-appropriate qualities for a school that in1990 became the first school to place itself under thepatronage of Sister Thea Bowman.

As the school—pre-school through eighth grade—begins its 14th year, there are projected to be 200 stu-dents, 11 classrooms, 13 teachers, and eight other staffpersons. (Enrollment is down from last year’s 250 stu-dents because, in the depressed economy, a significantnumber of parents have lost their jobs.)

Alice Gardner has been principal for the past threeyears. She thinks Sister Thea fulfilled a need that noone else had, offering black Catholics the opportun-

ity of worshiping in their style. And, Gardner findsher an ideal model for students. “I like to point outSister Thea’s emphasis on excellence, the idea that youcan become what you want, that we are called tosomething higher and can meet our dreams,” she says.

But meeting those dreams is a challenge. Thetuition for a single child is $270 a month and, for twochildren, $445—a total of $2,430 or $4,005 per fam-

ily per year. All students areAfrican American and, thoughthey come from a wide rangeof socioeconomic back-grounds, that amount ofmoney is daunting for most ofthem. The Diocese ofBelleville provides $190,000per year, but they have notbeen able to increase thisamount for several years andcosts continue to rise. The

only tuition assistanceavailable is a $15,000grant given annually byDaughters of Charity.

But the parents findthe school worth theirefforts. They appreciatea place that offers theirchildren a solid educa-tion, treats them with

respect and calls them to high standards.Gardner has spent a lifetime in Catholic education

at both the elementary and high school level. Only 15students at Thea Bowman are Catholic, but one thingthat strikes Gardner is the centrality of religion in thelives of the students in this school. “The faith life ofthese people is so strong,” she says. “It’s just woveninto their lives.” As a result, she says “Kids love any-thing to do with religion, with gospel music” and“Religion classes are a joy.”

She thinks one of the strengths of the school isoffering students a sense of stability. “We’re a veryfixed thing in their lives, for some the only fixed thing,something they can count on and trust,” she says.

She thinks the school has an important role also inhelping students deal with aggression. “Many havehad to learn to fight for what is theirs. We try to teachthe one who didn’t start the fight how to handle it,”

4 V O L U M E 1 N U M B E R 2 2 0 0 2 T H E A N E W S

Students at the Sister Thea Bowman CatholicSchool (STBCS) portray the saintly folks con-nected to their school during the All Saints Dayliturgy each year. Above: Carolyn Ross (left) andGrace Robinson (right) play the part of SisterThea. Above right: Pre-school students enjoy theplay area at STBCS. At right: Principal AliceGardner meets wtih Tywana Young, mother ofsixth-grader Lesley Moore.

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rit and Spreads Her Messageshe says, and then adds, “However, we don’t wantto take away their spirit. They will need it out in theworld.”

One feature that contributes toward stability isthe school’s “6:30 to 6” program. Students can gethelp with their homework at school. Last year, 12students took advantage of the early morning time.Over 100 students werepresent from 3 to 5 p.m.each day and 13 remaineduntil 6 o’clock, with bothhomework and sports partof the after-school pro-grams.

Teri Garner, who operatesone of the dining rooms at anearby casino, appreciatesthis feature. “I’m a workingmother. I need that,” shesays. But she appreciatesother things as well. “Theytreat you like family,” shesays, noting how importantthis is because both her chil-dren have asthma. She ispleased, too, that her sonDarryl, now going into theseventh grade, is reading andthat he loves math.

Parents are an importantpart of the school, wherethey are involved infundraising, field trips, andthe sports program. “I would like to see evenmore,” says Gardner.

Gardner is proud of the improvement in mathskills that students have made in recent years. She islooking forward to the results of the October TerraNova (standardized test) scores to verify the move-ment forward. This coming school year the con-centration will be on writing skills.

Both staff and teachers are important in allowingthe school to achieve its goals. “We do hugs here,”says school secretary Elizabeth Roberts (Ms. Liz) asfirst grader Jesse Beemon reaches up to receive one.

Brandy DeBusk finished her second year askindergarten teacher last year. “I love it here. I havea lot of academic freedom. I’m given guidelines for

what I need to teach but I can do it as I please.” Shealso likes “the cohesiveness of the faculty” andenjoys the occasional nights they clear tables at alocal icec r e a mshop anda pizza

place to receive 20 percent of the profits as a schoolfundraiser.

Students leave eighth grade with a good prepara-tion for high school. Approximately half of themgo on to attend Althoff Catholic High School innearby Belleville, and the remaining students attendvarious public schools.

As a teacher herself, Sister Thea Bowman had agreat concern for African American children, thatthey know their dignity as human beings, experi-ence pride in their African American heritage,become aware of their gifts, and be allowed to maketheir unique contribution to society. Sister TheaBowman Catholic School is making that happen forchildren in East St. Louis, Ill.

T H E A N E W S V O L U M E 1 N U M B E R 2 2 0 0 2 5

Above: Proof that “we dohugs here,” last year’s kinder-garten student Tia Ingramsits on the lap of StormyHunt, who assists in theclassroom each morning aspart of a federally fundedFoster Grandparent Program.

Above: Brianna Hill participates inthe school’s graduation ceremony. Atright: Fourth-grade teacher DeborahScates (standing) instructs studentsin her classroom (left to right)Tamejeia Jackson, Charles Cooper,Ahymber Cox, and ShanieceWilliams.

Maria Friedman is aFranciscan Sister ofPerpetual Adorationand was the editor for

the first issue ofThea NNews .

She lives in La Crosse, Wis. and is the North

AmericanCoordinator for theGlobal Awareness

Through Experience(GATE) Program.

Maria Friedman, FSPA

Thea NNotes...Serving Others With Love

Fifty women were honored duringthe annual Sister Thea BowmanAwardsLuncheonon April 6,2002, at theLexingtonHouse inHickoryHills, Ill.

Thewomen,from thechurch andcivic com-munity, received the Sister TheaBowman Humanitarian Award fortheir work ministering among God’speople.

For the first time this year, hon-orees included non-Catholics.Among those receiving the awardwas M. Roland Lagarde from theSisters of the Blessed Sacrament,one of the founding members ofthe National Black Sister’sConference (NBSC). Sister Lagardemet Thea in August of 1968 at thefirst NBSC at Carlow College inPittsburgh.

“This honor is special to me andI am grateful for having been cho-sen to receive it because I knewThea personally and for many, many

years. It challenges meto keep on servingothers for the love ofGod as Thea did and itaffirms my efforts thusfar,” says Lagarde.

The annual awardsluncheon is sponsoredby the Ladies’ Auxiliaryof the Knights of St.Peter Claver Court#200 of Holy AngelsChurch in Chicago.

2nd Annual “Flavor ofSoul”

With a little bit of that “Old-timeReligion,” some good friends andgood food, more than 350 peoplehonored the memory of Sister TheaBowman on the 12th anniversary ofher death during the annual “Flavorof Soul” celebration held at St.Rose Convent in La Crosse, Wis.

The event on Wednesday,April 10, kicked off with several ofThea’s favorite spirituals sung by herlongtime friend Daniel Johnson-Wilmot, a music professor atViterbo University. Then, MaryamGossling, FSPA, unveiled andexplained the iconshe wrote of SisterThea. Guests weretreated to a soul-food meal in theconvent’s diningroom. Students atneighboringViterbo alsoenjoyed a “Flavor ofSoul” lunch. Menus included: pra-line chicken, baked catfish, collardgreens, sweet potato fries, andpecan pie. For information on“Flavor of Soul” 2003, see page 2of this issue.

Thea in PrintSister Thea Bowman: A Child of God

is a new 4-page pamphlet thatdetails the life and work of Thea.

Part of the “Celebrating WomenWitnesses” series by FutureChurchand Call to Action, the essays andprayer services celebrate the livesand works of 12 holy womenincluding Thea, Clare of Assisi,Dorothy Day, Mary of Nazareth,and Therese of Lisieux.

Reprints are available for $1 each.Contact FutureChurch at 15800

Montrose Avenue, Cleveland, OH44111; 216.228.0869;info@futurechurch.org;www.futurechurch.org.

Recent books that feature SisterThea Bowman include:

All Saints by Robert Ellsberg.Crossroads Publishing Company,1999.

Leading Ladies: TransformativeBiblical Images for Women’s Leadershipby Jeanne Porter, Innisfree Press,2000.

Lives of the Saints: From Mary andFrancis of Assisi to John XXIII andMother Teresa by Richard McBrien.HarperCollins, 2001.

Prayer with Searchers and Saints byEdward F. Gabriele. St. Mary’sPress, 1998.

Praying with Visionary Women byBridget Mary Meehan. Sheed andWard, 1999.

Remarkable Women RemarkableWisdom by Mary Frances Gangloff,OSF. St. Anthony Messenger Press,2001.

Twentieth Century Apostle by PhyllisZagano. Liturgical Press, 1999.

Why Not Become Fire by EvelynMattern and Helen Brancato. AveMaria Press, 1999.

Women Shaping Church History byLynn Figueroa. Harcourt ReligionPublishers, 2001.

Other books about Thea you mayfind interesting are:

Leaning on the Lord: A Retreat withThea Bowman and Bede Abram byJoseph A. Brown, SJ. St. AnthonyMessenger Press, 1991.

Sister Thea Bowman, Shooting Star:Selected Writings and Speeches, CelestineCepress, FSPA, editor. St. Mary’sPress, 1993.

Thea Bowman Handing on Her Legacyby Christian Koontz, RSM. Sheedand Ward, 1991.

6 V O L U M E 1 N U M B E R 2 2 0 0 2 T H E A N E W S

If you have informa-tion for TheaNews , we wouldappreciate your tak-ing the time to let usknow. Drop us anote at TheaNews , 912 MarketStreet, La Crosse, WI54601-8800 or emailtheanews@fspa.org.

Sister Thea icon

TT he majority of people do not expect awoman of color to be a Catholic sister.Whoopi Goldberg and Sister Act aside, itsimply isn’t a part of their real-life expe-

rience. I’ve actually had people give me looks ofdisbelief and say, “I’ve never heard of a black sis-ter,” out loud in my presence. There are only twoAfrican American sisters in my community.

I had the great grace of meeting Sister TheaBowman twice. On the second occasion, we wereattending a liturgy workshop in New York. I toldher that I was entering a predominantly white com-munity. She said, “You go, girl! You’ll have strug-gles, but you can do it!” To Thea, being a womanof color and becoming a part of a community ofwomen religious was something worth doing. Shewas such a role model for reaching out beyond herculture. She was always teaching others aboutAfrican American culture and learning about theircultures.

In my third grade classroom, I make an effort tolet my mostly African American students learnabout other traditions.

My hope and dream is to see more women andmen of color becoming sisters, brothers, andpriests. Until very recently, people of color weren’taccepted in religious life. I think my father mighthave become priest if conditions had been differ-ent in his younger years.

Racism is everywhere in the United States, andthat includes religious communities. When she firstmet me, one of our sisters said, “When I was achild, we lived next door to a colored family. Theywere very clean.” On another occasion, I encoun-tered a visitor in a private hallway of our mother-house. She stepped away from me in obvious fear.“Are you one of the sisters?” she asked in ashocked tone. I nodded, and she prattled on, “Ithink all black people are God’s children.” Towhich I quickly replied, “That’s wonderful becauseI think all white people are God’s children.” I thinkshe then understood her mistake and became flus-tered. I smiled and gently helped her to find the sis-ter she wanted to visit.

We all know how subtle racism can be. I some-times experience racism in the rejection of mycooking. The food and seasonings I grew up with

are not acceptable to many of my white sisters. Fora while, I wore my hair in braids. I was told that it“wasn’t professional.” My roots are AfricanAmerican and Hispanic on my father’s side andAfrican American, Scotch, and Cherokee on mymother’s side. I wish I knew more about myScottish and Cherokee ancestors, but we knownext to nothing about them.

It irritates me when I am expected to be theexpert on black people. Do I ask any of my sistersto tell me what Irish or Italian people think aboutthis or that issue? Sometimes even words ofencouragement bother me because I wonder if thesister really thinks I am falling short of some goalor ideal. Then I feel the need to prove to myselfthat I am as good as the other sisters. It is a painful,self-defeating cycle.

There are constant reminders that I am different.Even going to the grocery store is a challenge. Atthe checkout one day, I picked up several of thegrocery bags as another sister was paying for them.A woman said to me, “Those aren’t yours!” in amanner that suggested I was stealing them. “We’retogether,” I told her.

And, finally, that is the truth of it. Despite ourdifferences, we are together. I am a Sister of St.Joseph. For some unknown reason, God called mehere. Right before my first vows, I remember look-ing out at the sisters while proclaiming the Wordduring the liturgy. Suddenly, it struck me: “I lovethese women!”

Then I had an insight: “None of them wants tocause me pain.” Not too long after that, SisterClemmie (Clement Marie), who was in her nineties,came up to me with tears in her eyes and said, “Iam so sorry I hurt you.” And I said, “Clemmie,when did you hurt me?”

“They told me I hurt you by calling you colored.I didn’t know that was wrong.”

I replied, “Clemmie, you didn’t hurt me. I loveyou. From now on, just call me Maria.”

Editor’s Note: This article, originally printed in GivingVoice, a newsletter by women religious under 50, wasreprinted with permission. Maria Harden, CSJ, is a teacherat St. Benedict the Moor School in Pittsburgh.

T H E A N E W S V O L U M E 1 N U M B E R 2 2 0 0 2 7

Just Call Me Mariaby Maria Harden, CSJ

TheaBowman1937-11990

Sister Thea (neeBertha Bowman) wasa native of Canton,Miss., and the grand-daughter of a slave.At age 9 she chose tobecome Catholic andthen attended a newmission school taughtby the FranciscanSisters of PerpetualAdoration. At 15, shewent to La Crosse,Wis., to become aFranciscan Sister.

She is known forhelping bring the rich-ness of Black cultureand spirituality, as wellas the message ofcommunity and equal-ity, to the CatholicChurch and to society.

A scholar, teacher,singer, poet, story-teller, preacher, andperformer, Thea trav-eled the country,spreading her messagein hundreds of ven-ues. She developedbreast cancer at 46,but continued herpublic appearanceschoosing, as she said,“to live until I die.”She died in 1990at 52.

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SPA

Thea Bowman Legacy912 Market StreetLa Crosse, WI 54601-8800

Non-Profit Org.U.S.Postage

PaidPermit No. 535La Crosse, WI

TThheeaa NNeewwssis a publication of the Thea Bowman Legacy Officeand is published by theFranciscan Sisters of PerpetualAdoration, the community ofwhich Thea was a member.Each issue is printed onrecycled paper.

TThheeaa NNeewwss912 Market StreetLa Crosse, WI 54601-8800Tel: 608.791.5299 Fax: 608.784.7390theanews@fspa.orgwww.fspa.orgExecutive editor:Charlene Smith, FSPAManaging editor:Beth Ericksonberickson@fspa.org

To subscribe, send us a note with your address.Donations are accepted to cover costs of printing and mailing.

WWaanntt ttoorreeaadd TThheeaaNNeewwss oonntthhee WWeebb??You’ll find it at:www.fspa.org/whoweare andclicking on “FSPANews.”

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What YYou’re SSaying aabout TThea NNews:

“Thea NNews is great. Beautiful inappearance, newsy, and up-to-the-minute. Justwhat the movement needs!”

—Mary Walter Heires, FSPAStaff

Villa St. Joseph, La Crosse

“Words cannot fully express my joy in receivingand reading the first issue of your newsletterdedicated to the memory of Sister TheaBowman...your newsletter keeps her legacy ofevangelization and spirituality alive for us.”

—Deacon Ken GreeneDirector

Family Life, Diocese of Kansas City

“We are happy when an acknowledgement ofthe marvelous epic memory of Thea is givenhonor and purpose. At the Institute for BlackCatholic Studies, we will always cherish thename of Sister Thea Bowman. Thea gaveBlack Catholics defining moments and ultimate

credence by her voice. Thea’s stories, songs, anddance compelled the Catholic Church to look atBlack Catholics with new attitudes and lenses.”

—Eva Regina Martin, SSFDirector

Institute for Black Catholic StudiesNew Orleans

“When I read each page of Thea NNews,I talked with her.”

—Leila Spaulding, SADiocese of Salt Lake City

“Quite by chance but certainly by the will ofGod (I have no doubt my dear friend Thea hada heavenly hand in it!), I somehow came acrossa copy of the brochure on Thea. I could havedanced for joy!!! Thank you for bringing herholiness and timely message to the attention ofmany.”

—Mary Dolorine Pires, SSCCSisters of the Sacred Hearts, Honolulu