What’s in a name? Our St. Joe’s community is figuring out what to call our new residence building. Many call it “Sister Thea,” while others call it “Bowman Hall.”
“Sister Thea” is how many addressed the scholar, evangelist and spiritual leader, Sister Thea Bowman, Ph.D., the patron of our newest Hawk Hill residence hall. During her lifetime, students may have called her “Dr. Bowman.” In childhood, many may have called her by her given name, “Bertha.” Those closest to Sister Thea Bowman called her by a version of her chosen religious name,“Sister Mary Thea.” It is likely she chose her religious name because of her devotion to Mary, the Mother of God, and her father, Theon.
As we get accustomed to this new landmark, I suggest we capture the spirit of Sister Thea Bowman.
“Thea” is a Greek word for “the divine.” When Sister Thea Bowman joined the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration to become a Catholic nun, she knew the name’s divine meaning. The name “Sister Thea” became more pronounced in the U.S. Catholic Church and beyond as her ministry grew. As someone who helped people come to understand and relate to God, it made her divinely inspired name all the more relevant. Thus, she was more commonly called just “Sister Thea.”
First names are also important in the African American community due to the complications of a long, ugly slaveholding history. After emancipation in 1865, many families had been given, or adopted, the surname of their former enslavers, making one’s identity with their last name fraught with varying degrees of ownership. For many, first names may be more important than last names.
Sister Thea Bowman is on her way to being declared a saint in the Catholic Church, as her “cause” for sainthood is being investigated by the Catholic Diocese of Jackson. Many already pray to her for intercession with God. Our residence hall may soon be called “St. Thea Bowman Hall.” Until then, we should honor her life, inspiration and example by calling our new building by her chosen name — Sister Thea.
The Rev. Daniel R.J. Joyce ’88, S.J., is the vice president of mission and ministry at St. Joe’s.