By Mary Woodward
JACKSON – What began as a seed planted in 2007, became a reality in 2024. On a crisp Saturday morning in December, Catholics from several dioceses descended upon the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson to celebrate the installation and blessing of a life-size bronze statue of Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA. Among those attending the celebration were Mary Ott Tremmel Davidson, the sculptor, and parishioners from several churches in the Montgomery and Mobile areas.
Led by Rev. Victor Ingalls, Director of Multicultural Ministry for the Archdiocese of Mobile and Rev. Manuel Williams, CR, Director of Resurrection Catholic Missions of the South in Montgomery, the two buses arrived in Jackson with more than 50 joyful pilgrims excited to mark the occasion honoring Sister Thea on her path to beatification and canonization.
The festivities included Mass followed by the blessing of the statue located on the Cathedral grounds then a reception at the Two Mississippi Museums.
In his homily at the Mass, Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz welcomed as pilgrims those filling the cathedral to near capacity. He remarked that as Pope Francis prepares to open the Jubilee Year of Hope in a few days in Rome, today’s celebration was also filled with hope and that all present had come to honor a Servant of God who was as a beacon of light and hope in her time and who continues to inspire and challenge us to bring that light and hope to a world so in need of it.
Students from Sister Thea Bowman School in Jackson delighted the congregation when they sang “This Little Light of Mine” as the hymn of praise after Communion. Following this, the congregation processed out of the Cathedral to the statue where Bishop Kopacz blessed it with prayer and holy water.
Sister Thea is one of six African American Catholics currently on this path and many present at the celebration had known her prior to her death in 1990. Bishop Kopacz officially opened Sister Thea’s cause in November 2018.
The canonical process is in the middle of the diocesan phase which involves gathering and all her writings, interviewing witnesses, and compiling a historical and theological report on her virtues and piety. This detailed process is expected to be completed by the end of this year and then be sent to the Holy See for further examination.
The idea for the bronze statue was first planted in Mary Davidson’s mind back in 2007 when she was in Camden for the dedication of a large altar crucifix she had designed for Sacred Heart Church. A parishioner came up to Davidson during the dedication and remarked that she hoped she would create a statue of Sister Thea Bowman one day. The seed was planted.
When she heard about Sister Thea’s cause, Davidson contacted the diocese in the late summer of 2022 offering to sculpt the Servant of God if the diocese would cover the cost of materials and the foundry.
Davidson enlisted the support of her former eighth grade student at Our Lady of Lourdes in New Orleans, Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi of Mobile, who offered a generous donation to the project. Soon, Bishop Louis Kihneman of Biloxi and Bishop Stephen Raica of Birmingham committed funds to help complete the statue. These donations together with proceeds from the estate of Bishop Joseph Latino, Bishop Kopacz’s predecessor, made the statue a reality and a gift from the bishops of Alabama and Mississippi.
Bishop Kopacz commissioned Davidson to create the work of art in March of 2023. Over the next year, Davidson worked on the design. During that time, she lost her beloved husband, Kenneth, in August. It was a very difficult time but working on the project helped Davidson through some of her grief.
Davidson completed the clay mold for the statue in October 2023, from which a second mold was made by Inferno Art Foundry in Atlanta. The life-size bronze creation took a few more months to complete in the early spring of 2024.
Developing an appropriate space and pedestal for the statue on the Cathedral grounds in Jackson took several months due to the summer heat and availability of materials. Sister Thea in bronze arrived from the foundry on Dec. 12 and was installed in her new home.
Nine days later, on that crisp Saturday morning of Dec. 21, the Cathedral was filled with the spirit of Sister Thea as hymns from the Lead Me, Guide Me hymnal rang out – a hymnal she helped develop for African American Catholics. Voices young and old gave witness to her inspiration as a true servant of God.
“We are grateful to all those who have assisted in this wonderful project, especially Mrs. Davidson, who despite her personal tragedy has created an amazing work of art to honor the legacy and spirit of Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman,” Bishop Kopacz said. “Many have come together to contribute to making this a statue a reality and today’s beautiful liturgy and dedication of this work of art are a testament to Sister Thea’s ministry in the church and the world,” he concluded.
(Mary Woodward is Chancellor and Archivist for the Diocese of Jackson.)
