AAMEN ESSAY WINNER #3: Yara Kozhaya
The African Ancestry Ministry and Evangelization Network (AAMEN) invites you to join us in celebration of National Black Catholic History Month (NBCHM). In 1990, the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus designated November as NBCHM. The National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus chose Notre Dame University’s Theodore Hesburgh Library to entrust the archives. These historical documents contain information about African-American Catholic priests, sisters, brothers, deacons, seminarians and lay people. November also marks a time, when in loving remembrance, the church prays for all saints and souls, as well as a time to recall the saints and souls of Africa and African diaspora.
To celebrate NBCHM, St. Michael Chapter of AAMEN worked with St. Michael School to introduce the Middle School students to Servant of God Sr. Thea Bowman, an African American convert to Catholicism. She was a Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. The students studied the life of Sr. Thea, her contributions to the Catholic Church, and were invited to write an essay. The winning essays will be featured in the bulletins though-out the month of November. Please take time to reflect on Sr. Thea Bowman as she awaits our church’s recognition as a Saint.
Seventh Grade – Yara Kozhaya
“Sister Thea Bowman is a wonderful role model for all those who don’t believe that everything they do, every statement they make, matters. Still a child, 9 year old Thea asked her parents if she could become Catholic. It may seem like just a petty, little question, but without that question, who knows who might’ve wanted to strengthen their Catholic faith.
Her family moved her from an African-American secondary school to a private school run by the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. It was there that she decided to convert to Catholicism, and even become a Sister. She got her doctoral degree in English. Thea then started teaching in classrooms and religious areas.
Sister Thea Bowman did what many others were afraid to do. She was proud of being black and Catholic, and she strengthened and convinced others that they should be too. “What does it mean to be black and Catholic?,” asked Sr. Thea. “It means that I bring myself, my black self. All that I am. All that I have. All that I hope to become. I bring my whole history, my traditions, my experience, my culture, my African-American song and dance and gesture and movement and teaching and preaching and healing and responsibility as a gift to the church.” It’s safe to say that Thea livened up wherever she went, with singing and bringing her songs with her. Combining her love for music with her love of the Church, she helped create the first hymnal that included Gospel music. One of Sister Thea’s former students, Deborah Pembleton, said this about what Sister Thea was like when she came to teach and talk to them: “Her whole body would embrace the music. Her whole body would embrace education and learning and she would just be this glowing light for us.”
When Sister Thea taught, it didn’t matter what age, you would be looking at a classroom full of listening ears. She made learning fun. She would walk into a classroom with a bright smile, be interested and wanting to help others learn about the Catholic faith, and she would do it while getting everyone to sing and laugh. She knew that she was making a difference in her teachings. “I think the difference between me and some people is that I’m content to do my little bit. Sometimes people think they have to do big things in order to make change. But if each one would light a candle, we’d have a tremendous light.”
Thea got everyone to know who they were, and what part they had to fulfill. She got everyone to light their own candles. Thea knew she wanted to become a Catholic, she knew she wanted to teach others about the Catholic faith through singing and laughing, but what she didn’t know was that she would strengthen and unite everyone. Sister Thea Bowman truly is a role model to all those with dreams of making a change, of knowing what they want, and being able to achieve their goals. When you know you can make a change, take the risk and go for it, because you might just end up as respected, loved, and important as Sister Thea Bowman.
Works Cited
“Biography.” Sister Thea Bowman, https://www.sistertheabowman.com/biography/. Accessed 6 October 2022.
“Home.” YouTube, https://www.fspa.org/uploads/content_files/images/TheaBowmanHappiness-crop.jpg. Accessed 6 October 2022.
“Sister Thea Bowman.” Siena College, https://www.siena.edu/centers-institutes/sr-thea-bowman-center-for-women/sister-thea-bowman/. Accessed 7 October 2022.
“Sister Thea Bowman’s Story.” Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, https://www.fspa.org/content/about/sister-thea-bowman. Accessed 6 October 2022.