Posted: February 27th, 2024
Liturgical Leaders Black American Catholics on the Path to Sainthood
Liturgical Leaders
Black American Catholics on the Path to Sainthood
There are several Black American Catholics who are in the early stages on the path to sainthood.
We spoke briefly about some of these men and women in class, and some of you did a similar
assignment last year in Liturgical Planning.
This assignment is different and focuses on the holy women and men as examples of servant
leaders.
A. Select one person of your choosing from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops website.
B. Read the information about the person you selected.
C. Visit one additional website to learn more about your person and be sure to copy the web
address.
D. Using complete sentences, answer the questions below:
1. Which person did you select and why?
2. How is your person an example of servant leadership?
– Be sure to give one example from the US Bishops website.
– Be sure to give one example from the additional website you visited.
– Copy and paste the web address of the additional website at the end of your response.
3. How does your person embody “unifying love in service to the dear neighbor without
distinction”?
4. In your opinion, how beneficial would it be for more Catholics in the United States to
know the stories of these six Black American Catholics and why? How could more
people learn about these faithful women and men?
_____________________________
The Courageous Missionary: Sister Thea Bowman
I. Selection Rationale
Sister Thea Bowman, the pioneering African American Franciscan sister, was chosen given her embodiment of servant leadership in striving tirelessly for inclusivity and cultural awareness within Catholicism. Despite formidable systemic barriers, Bowman persevered in living the Franciscan values of compassion and humility through educating others.
II. Examples of Servant Leadership
A. Promoting Inclusion and Racial Harmony
As documented in the USCCB profile, Bowman “spent her life serving her congregation and the Church, breaking down racial and cultural barriers.” This demonstrates prioritizing collective advancement over personal interests.
B. Joyful Sharing of Spirituality
According to a 2016 article in U.S. Catholic, Bowman traveled extensively with her Catholic gospel choir as “their music touched people of all races and denominations.” This reflects utilizing one’s gifts to unite communities spiritually across perceived divides. [1]
III. Unifying Love in Service
Bowman personified “love without distinction” through her relentless drive to foster intercultural communion within Catholicism, guiding others to recognize shared humanity above superficial differences. Despite confronting systemic prejudice, she responded with grace and compassion.
IV. Benefits of Promoting These Models
It would significantly profit American Catholics to learn of figures like Bowman, as they provide aspirational models of building inclusive communities amid adversity. By incorporating the stories of Black Catholics who embodied heroic charity into teachings, the faithful can be motivated to similarly work toward racial equity within spiritual spaces. This dissemination could occur through schools, parishes, media and leadership training programs.
[1] https://uscatholic.org/articles/201608/black-and-catholic/