“Moses of her People” Sister Anita Baird to Honor Her Friend, Sister Thea Bowman, at Holy Cross October 15
The public is invited to attend the celebration of Sister Thea Bowman’s life, Mass in her honor
Sister Anita Baird, DHM, a long-time friend of Sister Thea Bowman, will speak at the Mass honoring her late friend at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Dallas on Saturday, October 15 at 3:30 p.m., followed by Mass at 5:00 p.m. The church is located at 5004 Bonnie View Rd., Dallas, TX 75241.
A Mass setting composed by Dr. Aaron Mathews in Sister Bowman’s honor will be debuted at the Mass. And Sister Roberta Fulton, S.S.M.N., also a friend of Sister Bowman, will present a program to the children of Holy Cross Parish.
Sister Bowman was a nationally known orator, singer, preacher and evangelist until her death in 1990 at the age of 52. She visited Holy Cross Parish and other Dallas area churches several times in the 1980s and so endeared herself to Holy Cross parishioners that they named the parish hall after her. She often enlisted the Holy Cross choir to accompany her at other engagements in the area.
Sister Anita is a native of Chicago, and a member of the society of the Daughters of the Heart of Mary. She entered the order in 1981 and has serve as both the local and regional Superior, Provincial Councilor and currently serves as the United States Provincial.
She is the founding director of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office for Racial Justice and serves as Cardinal George’s liaison for race relations in the city of Chicago.
Sister Anita is past president of the national black sisters’ Conference and has received numerous awards including the National Black Sisters’ Conference Harriet Tubman Award, the NBC Jefferson Award for Outstanding Community Service, and the Dominick’s Fresh Spirit Award in Recognition of her outstanding spiritual and community leadership in the city of Chicago.
In 2002 she gave the opening keynote address at the Ninth Annual Black Catholic Congress in Chicago.
Sister has a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from DePaul University and a Master’s Degree in Religious Studies from Mundelein College of Loyola University Chicago. In 2013 she was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree from Catholic Theological Union in recognition of her outstanding contributions in the work for racial justice in the church and city of Chicago.
Her good friend, Sister Thea Bowman, spoke up at a time when African-American Catholics didn’t have a voice, and Sister Anita will talk about her friend and her legacy on October 15. Like Sister Anita, Sister Bowman’s ministry grew and attracted national attention. She was in demand to speak to congregations of all races and traveled around the United States and to several foreign nations.
She died at home on March 30, 1990. Though she is already considered a saint by those whose lives she touched, there is fervent hope among many Catholics that the Church will begin the formal process of canonizing her.
Holy Cross Catholic Church was ethnically Czech and Irish when the parish was founded in 1956. However, the assignment of a black priest, Father William Lane, in 1961 drew black Catholics from all over Dallas to the Southern Dallas Parish. The parish became active in the civil rights movement and in the betterment of the surrounding community. The Rev. Timothy Gollob has been pastor of Holy Cross since 1969.
For More information, contact: Lari Newman-Williams, 214.374.7614 or theabcelebration@gmail.com
Holy Cross Catholic Church Address: 5004 Bonnieview Road, Dallas, 75241; Phone: (469) 285-1874.
Article by Judy Porter, judy-porter@sbcglobal.net
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