From the Archives
By Mary Woodward
JACKSON – On a crisp November Saturday, a group of 27 pilgrims boarded a bus in front of St. Peter Cathedral bound for Mobile, Alabama to participate in the Archdiocese of Mobile’s annual Black Catholic History Month celebrations. The pilgrims were all charter members of the newly launched Sister Thea Bowman Guild.

Several months ago, archdiocesan officials in Mobile had invited our diocese to participate in their annual celebrations to promote the cause for canonization of Sister Thea and invite collaborative efforts among the two dioceses going forward around her cause. This invitation grew into the formation of the official guild for Sister Thea’s cause, which early next year will be the main point of contact for actively supporting her cause prayerfully and financially.

As we rolled down Highway 49, guild members anticipated a first stop at historic Africatown just outside Mobile. Africatown is the site where descendants of the last ship carrying slaves entered the United States illegally in 1860. The Atlantic slave trade had been banned since 1808, but in 1860, 110 slaves were smuggled into the Mobile Bay and partially up the Mobile River on the Clotilda, which was burned and sunk shortly after its arrival to conceal any evidence of its cargo.

Unfortunately, on the outskirts of Seminary, our bus broke down and the pilgrimage was delayed waiting for repair. Serendipitously, we coasted into the parking lot of the local Ward’s and spent the next two hours getting to know one another over grits, biscuits, burgers and fries. Guild members came from Greenville Sacred Heart Parish, Vicksburg St. Mary Parish, Jackson Holy Ghost and Christ the King Parishes along with a smattering of other locations in the diocese. We even had a communications person come down from LaCrosse, Wisc., to cover the event for the FSPAs, Sister Thea’s religious order.

Soon enough we were back on the road, but the delay caused us to miss Africatown so that we could make it to the hotel and change for the archdiocesan event at Prince of Peace Parish. The celebration included a vibrant program of prayer, music and the sharing of stories about Sister Thea by several who knew her and whose lives were greatly influenced and inspired by her.

Following the program, Archbishop Mark Rivituso of Mobile celebrated Mass with Father Tony Ricard serving as homilist. Father Ricard, a priest from New Orleans, gave an incredible witness in word and song of the journey of African American Catholics throughout history, including Sister Thea’s profound contributions to that journey.

At the very end of the Mass, I was asked to share a few words on Sister Thea’s Cause and the new guild. It was a great honor to be standing before such a vibrant gathering of faith, hope, and love. I assured the congregation that Sister Thea’s cause was in the hands of some incredibly dynamic scholars who were hoping to have everything ready to send off to Rome very soon. We will have more details on that in January.

After Mass, our group enjoyed dinner on the grounds of Prince of Peace listening to a jazz band and mingling among the parishioners and others from around Mobile then headed back to the hotel for some rest.

The next morning, we made a quick visit to the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, a short walk from the hotel in Downtown Mobile. The cathedral parish was founded in 1703 and has been on that spot since then though not the original building. It is a beautiful worship space, and our pilgrims appreciated a chance to offer some prayers of thanksgiving before boarding the bus bound for Montgomery. Fortunately, the ride up to Montgomery did not involve any unexpected stops and we made it to our first stop, the Equal Justice Initiative Legacy Sites, in good time.

The EJI Legacy Sites include the Legacy Museum, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, and the Freedom Monument Sculpture Park. If you have never been, you need to go. It is an outstanding, comprehensive, and heart-wrenching encounter documenting the Black Experience in our country.
One could spend days trying to take in all the interactive exhibits, artifacts, and information. On the EJI website, Forbes Magazine describes it this way: “With each person who visits the Legacy Museum, who faces these wounds of our past and is moved to change, we move one step closer to healing.”

After several hours at the Legacy Sites, we headed to the City of St. Jude Parish in Montgomery. This parish is historic for it becoming a city within the city of Montgomery offering on its grounds educational opportunities, medical and social services to the community, and refuge to Civil Rights workers and those who participated in marches in Selma and Montgomery.

The afternoon program featured music and prayer and witnesses to Sister Thea’s dynamic strength and faith by those who knew her. Once again Father Ricard shared his vibrant message of African American Catholics and Sister Thea’s legacy.

The parish kindly provided us with food for our journey home as we made our way to our bus and the long ride home to Jackson.

Reflecting on the whole weekend, we encountered the rich and deep faith of our church in a unique and profound way. It was an honor to be a part of this journey of hope with such an inspiring group of people from our diocese. We are already thinking of future adventures.

To learn more about Sister Thea’s Cause and the Guild, visit our website at: https://www.jacksondiocese.org/thea-bowman

(Mary Woodward is Chancellor and Archivist for the Diocese of Jackson.)