BVM Associate Anne Klejment (second from r.) and Commission members with the dozens of documented material sent to Rome in the Cause of Thea Bowman, FSPA.
by Anne Klejment
I never expected to play an official role in a sainthood cause. But when I was approached in December 2023, I said “Yes” to serving on the Historical Commission for the Cause of Sr. Thea Bowman, FSPA.
Thea Bowman, the granddaughter of slaves, was a Black Catholic religious sister who brought the spirituality, music, and witness of the Black church into the heart of U.S. Catholicism. She became a nationally beloved teacher and evangelizer whose joy, courage, and call for racial justice still reverberate in the church today.
Advancing Thea’s Cause to Rome
Our goal was to move Thea’s cause from the diocesan phase to the Roman phase. In discussion with the other historian tasked with writing about Thea, we decided that she would write a short biography of Thea, and that I would write about her heroic virtues, including the theological, cardinal, and related virtues.
We read Thea’s digitized writings and, since members of the commission all lived in different American cities and her postulator was in Rome, we met via Zoom every other month. Two of us were writing papers, the diocesan chancellor was coordinating efforts, and the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration archivists were providing us with most of the documents. The postulator explained expectations and formatting.
My work specializing in American Catholic social history had prepared me for this unexpected commission. My doctoral work focused on the social and religious views of Daniel and Philip Berrigan, Catholic priests who were prominent figures in the anti-Vietnam War movement. While studying the Berrigans, I encountered the writings of journalist Dorothy Day, another well-known social activist.
I had the good fortune to audit Christine Athans, BVM’s graduate course on American Catholic Spirituality before her retirement. Her course broadened and deepened my knowledge of these figures in the Church and gave me the confidence to undertake projects focused on spirituality.
A life-sized bronze statue of Servant of God Thea Bowman, FSPA is located in Jackson, Miss. at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle. The sculpture was a gift to the Diocese of Jackson from the Diocese of Mobile, Ala.
Understanding Thea Through History and Context
Since I taught African American history, my knowledge helped me to contextualize Thea’s life as a Black child growing up during the late 1930s through the early 1950s in Canton, Miss., as well as that of the only Black woman to join an all-White religious congregation in Wisconsin.
She was raised Methodist, but converted at age nine. Unlike many Catholics of her generation, she knew the Bible. She loved to sing the spirituals as an active participant. And she developed an intimate personal relationship with God.
She blended her experiences in the Black church into her Catholicism. She cherished the Eucharist and honored the Communion of Saints. The teachings of Francis of Assisi and Thomas More shaped her values.
A reflection on how Thea lived with an aggressive cancer, a conclusion, and a bibliographic essay rounded out my work.
Sending the work to Rome
The commission finished its work just in time for a special Mass on Feb. 9, 2026, during which all the boxes of records pertaining to Thea’s life were sealed in preparation for shipment to Rome.
The commission had complete freedom in what was written. My paper amounted to 37 pages with 172 footnotes. Each member of the commission sealed one box.
What Happens Next?
Now that Thea’s papers have reached Rome, there will be five to six years of work to be done by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. We hope this will result in Thea’s promotion from Servant of God to Venerable. After that, a theologically and medically verified miracle will be required for beatification, followed by another verified miracle for canonization.
The causes of Thea Bowman and other well-known activists are of great interest to the BVM and Associate Community. BVM core values of freedom, education, charity, and justice illustrate the lives of exceptional American Catholics, who can inspire and guide our own efforts in sharing these gifts.
If you are interested in Thea Bowman’s cause, visit https://jacksondiocese.org/thea-bowman, which contains a link to the video biography, “Going Home Like a Shooting Star.”
About the author: Anne Klejment, of St. Paul, Minn., is a BVM Associate.
A Witness to a Sainthood Cause
In 2012, Joan Mueller, BVM, was appointed chair of the Theological Commission for the Canonization Cause of Father Edward Flanagan, founder of Boys Town, in the Archdiocese of Omaha, Neb.
For Joan, the cause is deeply personal.
“I grew up with Boys Town as part of our family’s life,” she says. “My mother supported it faithfully, and my father would read to his grandsons, always repeating Father Flanagan’s conviction: ‘There’s no such thing as a bad boy.’”
Years later, Joan found herself drawn deeper into that legacy during her tenure as a theology professor at Creighton University in Omaha. She recalls her initial hesitation.
“I didn’t expect to be chosen let alone asked to serve as chair,” she says. “It felt both humbling and daunting.”
Joan led a team tasked with examining archival materials to assess Fr. Flanagan’s doctrinal integrity and moral character. It was painstaking work.
“We spent long hours reading, analyzing, and discerning how his life and writings reflected the faith of the church,” says Joan.
Declared Venerable in March 2026, Fr. Flanagan has moved one step closer to sainthood. For Joan, the experience has been both professionally significant and spiritually meaningful.
“It has been an honor,” she says. “But more than that, it has been a profound experience of faith.”
This article and sidebar originally appeared in the Summer 2026 issue of SALT Magazine.
Summer Salt 2026: Hands, Heart, Ministry
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