By Terry Dickson for the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration website

Servant of God Thea Bowman’s journey to sainthood reached a major milestone recently as the diocesan phase of her canonization cause came to an end. Bishop Joseph Kopacz was principal celebrant and homilist of a Feb. 9 Mass at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson, which was followed by the closing session. Concelebrants included Archbishop Mark Rivituso and retired Archbishop Thomas Rodi of Mobile, Alabama, and Bishop Steven Raica and retired Bishop Robert Baker of Birmingham, Alabama, as well as priests from the Diocese of Jackson and neighboring dioceses.

Sister Thea (1937–1990) was an African American Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration, educator, evangelist and dynamic witness to the Catholic faith. Born Bertha Elizabeth Bowman in Canton, Mississippi, she converted to Catholicism at age nine and later joined the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in 1953, becoming the only African American member of her community at the time.