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Catholic University Names Street in Honor of Sister Thea Bowman

By Currents News and Richard Szczepanowski 

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Officials at The Catholic University of America dedicated and blessed a campus street April 29 named in honor of the late Sister Thea Bowman, a noted educator and evangelist who studied at Catholic University and whose cause for canonization was opened in 2018.

“During her life, Sister Thea was a shining example of religious life, and she worked for social justice, racial equality and harmony among all peoples, especially in the Catholic Church,” said Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory who blessed the new Sister Thea Bowman Drive. “We are pleased to dedicate this street in her honor as a reminder that her life’s work still continues in the church and on this campus today.”

Sister Thea died in 1990 from bone cancer at the age of 52. When she was 15, she entered the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, becoming the first and only African-American member of her order. When she took her vows as a nun, she changed her name from Bertha Bowman to Mary Thea Bowman, and pursued studies at Catholic University where she earned a master’s and doctorate degree in English.

For more than 15 years, Sister Thea was an educator on the high school and college levels. She then began her ministry as an evangelist, traveling the United States to urge priests, bishops and her fellow Catholics to accept her and other African Americans as “fully Black and fully Catholic.”

In addition to her evangelization work, Sister Thea helped found the National Black Sisters Conference to provide support for African-American women in religious life. In 1987, she also helped produce “Lead Me, Guide Me: The African American Catholic Hymnal,” the first such hymnal for African-American Catholics.

“While she went home to God more than 30 years ago, the impact of Sister Thea Bowman’s life is still felt in our own time,” Cardinal Gregory said in blessing the street next to the university’s Columbus School of Law. “By her words and example, she challenged everyone to follow the command of the Lord Jesus to love God with all of our heart and our neighbors as ourselves.”

Among those attending the dedication ceremony was D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who called the late nun “an extraordinary woman of faith.”

Mayor Bowser, who grew up in and continues to attend nearby St. Anthony of Padua Parish said that whenever anyone sees the newly named street, “they will be inspired to do more and to be better.”

The street dedication was recommended by the university’s Sister Thea Bowman Committee, which was formed to promote racial diversity on the campus and the wider community.

“In recognition of Sister Thea’s contributions and lasting impact as a religious sister, as an educator and as the conscience of the church, the university thought it important to honor her in a permanent and visible way by naming a street after her,” said Regina Jefferson, a professor of law at the university’s Columbus School of Law and chairperson of the Sister Thea Bowman Committee.

“We hope that the Sister Thea Bowman Drive will serve not only as a visible tribute to Sister Thea, but also as a constant reminder to each of us to … work together to make positive and meaningful change in our lives, our communities and the world,” she said.

Aaron Dominguez, the university’s provost, praised Sister Thea as “our righteous inspiration.”

“We celebrate Sister Thea by dedicating this road to her, a strong, Black Catholic woman who is in the process of navigating the path toward sainthood in the Catholic Church and whose legacy continues to call us to walk a road of solidarity and unity as one human family,” Dominguez said.

Kelly Woodson, a senior who spoke at the dedication, noted that “the displaying of street names reflects the identification and location of property. Many are aware that Black people were seen as property.” She said Sister Thea’s message was contrary to this emphasizing that no one should be seen as a thing, but instead as “the image and likeness of God’s love.”

“It is imperative that we look to individuals like Sister Thea Bowman to understand that our brothers and sisters — no matter race, creed, religion, ethnicity, etc. — are a part of our lives,” Woodson said.

The motherhouse of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in La Crosse, Wisconsin, sent a letter that was read during the dedication ceremony, that said they hoped that as people “move along Sister Thea Bowman Drive, you move with love and joy.”

“May the love and joy you bring here today by dedicating this street to Sister Thea spread to the next street and the next street and the next,” the sisters wrote. “May the blessing of the Lord be upon you and all who journey on this road and the path to justice.”

Szczepanowski is managing editor of the Catholic Standard, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Washington.

Trigger Laws Could End Abortion Immediately in Some States if Roe v Wade is Overturned

Currents News Staff

If Roe v Wade does end up being overturned, it will be up to individual states to decide if the procedure is legal.

Abortion access will immediately end in 13 states with trigger laws already on the books.

Since some anti-abortion lawmakers have long hoped for this day, the state legislatures have already passed laws that would become enforceable immediately, or soon after, the court overturns the precedent.

In addition, there’s speculation that as many as twenty-six states could ban abortion in the days after the anticipated ruling.

 

A Gift from The Great Wizard: Catholic University to Auction Off Dorothy’s Dress

Currents News Staff

One of Dorothy’s dresses from The Wizard of Oz will be on the auction block later this month.

The dress has been on display at an auction house in New York City all this week.

For decades, it was assumed lost at Catholic University of America, only to be re-discovered by chance last year.

According to experts, the dress is worth at least 800-thousand dollars. Pair that with Dorothy’s ruby slippers and you could literally look like a million bucks.

 

How a Korean War Veteran Got His Class Ring Back After 70 Years

Currents News Staff

It’s a meeting of 70 years and three continents later – one ring in the making found its original owner.

“It feels like Lord of the Rings!” said Lt. Col. Jos Groen. “You know, I have to give it away, but it’s so precious.”

The precious class ring belonged to Melissa Jenkins’ great-uncle, Joseph Sullivan, a 1946 graduate of St. James Catholic High School who fought in the Korean War.

“How the ring ended up in the Netherlands is,” Lt. Groen said, “that’s something we will never know, unfortunately..

What we do know that during the war, a Dutch soldier somehow got ahold of Sullivan’s class ring. He then gave it to a different Dutch soldier, who shared that story a few years ago to Dutch Lieutenant Colonel Jos Groen. He made it his mission to return the ring using its markings as a guide. He discovered it came from Chester’s St. James Catholic H.S.

The alumni association posted a photo fo it on Facebook, which Jenkins immediately recognized as her great uncle’s class ring.

“And I’m happy that I can bring it back to the family,” Lt. Groen said.

The end of a ring’s journey was only the beginning of a lifelong friendship.

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday, 05/03/22

The rumors are true. A majority of Supreme Court Justices are ready to overturn Roe v Wade. Chief Justice John Roberts is ordering an investigation into the source of that leaked draft opinion.

Hundreds of Haitian migrants are at the border with Mexico, hoping to seek asylum in the U.S.

A recent baby formula recall is making a supply chain shortage, even worse.

Chief Justice Roberts Admits SCOTUS Leak on Roe V Wade

By Currents News Staff and Carol Zimmermann

WASHINGTON (CNS) — The Supreme Court appears set to overturn its Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion for nearly 50 years, according to a leaked initial draft of a court opinion obtained by Politico and published online late Monday, May 2.

Just minutes after the leak was published, reactions were fast and furious on social media, and barricades were erected around the Supreme Court building. Many people gathered at the court in protest and some, including students from The Catholic University of America, were there to pray the rosary.

The draft opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, said Roe “was egregiously wrong from the start” and that “Roe and Casey must be overruled.” Casey v. Planned Parenthood is the 1992 decision that affirmed Roe.

Alito’s opinion said the court’s 1973 Roe decision had exceptionally weak reasoning “and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division,” he wrote.

He also said abortion policies should be determined at the state level.

Politico’s report says Alito’s opinion is supported by Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett and that Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan were working on dissents. It was not clear how Chief Justice John Roberts planned to vote.

A May 3 statement by the Supreme Court verified that the draft opinion reported on “is authentic” but that it “does not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case.”

Roberts, in his own statement, emphasized the significance of the leaked document, which he said was a “singular and egregious breach of that trust that is an affront to the Court and the community of public servants who work here.”

He also said that if this action was “intended to undermine the integrity of our operations, it will not succeed. The work of the Court will not be affected in any way.” He said he has directed the Marshal of the Court to launch an investigation into the source of the leak.

The 98-page draft, which includes a 31-page appendix of historical state abortion laws, is an opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization — a case about Mississippi’s ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy with the potential to also overturn Roe.

The fact that the opinion was leaked also prompted significant reaction, because this is unprecedented in the court’s recent history, especially with such a big case.

Politico acknowledged that “deliberations on controversial cases have in the past been fluid. Justices can and sometimes do change their votes as draft opinions circulate and major decisions can be subject to multiple drafts and vote-trading, sometimes until just days before a decision is unveiled.”

“The court’s holding will not be final until it is published, likely in the next two months,” it added.

But that won’t stop the firestorm of speculation and discussion.

“The leaking of an internal draft opinion of the Supreme Court is an egregious breach of trust and an attack on the integrity of the Judicial Branch of government,” Dennis Poust, executive director of the New York State Catholic Conference told The Tablet. “While we fervently pray for legal protections of unborn children, we will not dignify the goals of the leaker by commenting on the contents of the draft document.”

Some pro-life groups praised the court’s potential decision, but some also questioned the motivation behind the leak and wondered if the court was being manipulated by this action.

A May 2 tweet by Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund, said her organization would “not be providing comment on an official decision of #scotus possible leak until a decision is officially announced.”

“We also believe that given the leak the court should issue a ruling as soon as possible. This leak was meant to corrupt the process. It is heartbreaking that some abortion advocates will stoop to any level to intimidate the court no matter what the consequences,” she added.

“This leak is an act of desperation from rabid abortion supporters,” said Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life, in an email to Catholic News Service. She noted that although she didn’t know if rumors about ending Roe were accurate, she stressed that “ending Roe is the right decision.”

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas and former Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said his initial reaction to the leak was when he heard that the majority of the court wanted to overturn Roe v. Wade, he “hoped it was true.”

“This would be a great human rights advancement for our nation; there is no right to abortion in our constitution, abortion was certainly not in the minds of our founders,” Archbishop Naumann said.

“The pro-life community now needs to renew our efforts to pass legislation that protects children and mothers from the tragedy of abortion, but we also have to be equally determined to increase the resources to assist those with difficult pregnancies.”

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, also expressed some skepticism, but also praise, for the potential decision.

“If the draft opinion made public tonight is the final opinion of the court, we wholeheartedly applaud the decision,” she said in a statement, adding: “If Roe is indeed overturned, our job will be to build consensus for the strongest protections possible for unborn children and women in every legislature.”

Those on the other side of the issue were similarly taken aback by the leak but also by the potential impact of the decision if it ultimately echoes the draft opinion.

American Civil Liberties Union tweeted: “If the Supreme Court does indeed issue a majority opinion along the lines of the leaked draft authored by Justice Alito, the shift in the tectonic plates of abortion rights will be as significant as any opinion the Court has ever issued.”

And Planned Parenthood said in a May 2 tweet: “Let’s be clear: This is a draft opinion. It’s outrageous, it’s unprecedented, but it is not final.”

During oral arguments in this case last December, a majority of the justices indicate that they would uphold Mississippi’s abortion ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which was struck down by a federal District Court in Mississippi in 2018 and upheld a year later by the New Orleans-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.

A 15-week ban is not a “dramatic departure from viability,” Justice Roberts said.

The point of viability — when a baby is said to be able to survive on its own — was key to the discussion because the Supreme Court has consistently ruled that states cannot restrict abortion before 24 weeks or when a baby is said to be able to survive on its own.

In the draft opinion, Alito said Roe’s viability distinction “makes no sense.”

If this draft is adopted by the court, it means a ruling in favor of the Mississippi abortion ban. If it goes further to overturn Roe, there would be stricter limits to abortion in parts of the U.S., particularly the South and Midwest, with several states set to immediately impose broad abortion bans.

Pope Francis Speaks on Ukraine War and Requested Meeting With Putin

Currents News Staff and Inés San Martín

ROME (Crux) — In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Pope Francis said he has reached out to Russian President Vladimir Putin about meeting him in Moscow, warned Russian Patriarch Kirill against becoming an “altar boy” for the Kremlin, and compared the ongoing war in Ukraine to Rwanda’s genocide.

“On the first day of the war I called Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on the phone,” Pope Francis said. “Instead, I did not call Putin. I had heard from him in December for my birthday but this time no, I did not call.”

However, he wanted to make “a clear gesture” for the world to see, which is the reason he went to the Russian embassy to the Holy See. 

”I asked them to explain. I said, ‘please stop’,” Pope Francis disclosed, before acknowledging that, “I asked Cardinal [Pietro] Parolin, after 20 days of war, to send Putin the message that I was willing to go to Moscow.”

Despite the Vatican’s diplomatic efforts, Pope Francis said they have not yet had an answer, and he fears Putin can’t, rather than won’t, meet with him at this time. 

“But such brutality, how can you not stop it?” he said. “Twenty-five years ago with Rwanda we experienced the same thing.”

According to the Italian newspaper, there was a vein of pessimism in Pope Francis as he recalled the efforts that the Vatican has been making to try to secure a ceasefire.

Pope Francis is also quoted as saying that he has attempted to think about the roots of Putin’s seemingly unstoppable behavior, acknowledging it might have been “NATO’s barking at Russia’s door.”

“I cannot say if this anger was provoked,” he said. “But perhaps facilitated.”

On the question of NATO countries supplying weapons to Ukraine to try to fend off Russian aggression, the Italian newspaper said Pope Francis expressed his doubts.

On the one hand, his doctrine on peace has been centered on condemning the arms race and calling for the de-escalation of weapons production, but he understands the need for Ukrainians to defend themselves.

“I can’t answer, I’m too far away, the question of whether it’s right to supply the Ukrainians,” Pope Francis said. “The clear thing is that weapons are being tested in that land. The Russians now know that tanks are of little use and are thinking of other things. Wars are made for this: to test the weapons we have produced. This is what happened in the Spanish Civil War before the Second World War.” 

“The arms trade is a scandal, few fight it,” he said. “Two or three years ago in [the Italian port of] Genoa, a ship arrived loaded with weapons that were to be transferred on a large cargo ship to transport them to Yemen. The port workers didn’t want to do that. They said, let’s think about the children in Yemen. It’s a small thing, but a nice gesture. There should be many like that.”

Pointing out that he has sent two cardinals to Ukraine — Cardinal Michael Czerny and Cardinal Konrad Krajewski — since the war began, he said, “I feel that I must not go. I have to go to Moscow first, I have to meet Putin first. But I am also a priest, what can I do? I do what I can. If Putin would open the door…”

Pope Francis also shared more about his conversation with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill and why he thinks he won’t try and convince Putin to back down.

“I spoke with Kirill for 40 minutes via Zoom. During the first 20, with a card in his hand, he read me all the justifications for the war,” Pope Francis recalled. “I listened and told him: I don’t understand anything about this. Brother, we are not state clerics, we cannot use the language of politics, but the language of Jesus. We are pastors of the same holy people of God. That is why we have to look for ways of peace, to stop the fire of weapons.”

Pope Francis also said that “the Patriarch cannot become Putin’s altar boy,” and that the second meeting between the two, which had been scheduled for June 14 in Jerusalem, has been canceled.

Discussing his alarm of a third world war being fought piecemeal — something he has been saying since the beginning of his pontificate in 2013 — Pope Francis said that it was an observation of reality, looking at the fact that Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and many African places had one war after the other.

“There are international interests in every bit of it,” he said. 

“One cannot think that a free state can wage war on another free state,” Pope Francis said in the interview.

He also acknowledged that, after the reaction from Ukraine over a woman from Ukraine and another from Russia carrying the cross during the papal-led Way of the Cross on Good Friday, Cardinal Krajewski insisted that the prepared meditation not be read.

“They were right, even if we could not fully understand,” Pope Francis said. “They have a susceptibility; they feel defeated or enslaved because in the Second World War they paid so much. So many men died, it is a martyred people.”

Pope Francis also regretted that there is not enough “will” for peace and that he is “pessimistic” about the war after seeing Russia’s escalation and attempt to take all of Ukraine’s Black Sea port.

 

Cardinal Dolan Visits Ukraine After Crossing Poland Border

Currents News Staff and John Lavenburg

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York made a surprise visit to the Ukrainian city of Lviv Sunday night to meet with Ukrainian refugees and the Catholic agencies helping them. 

“I wanted to go to Ukraine from the beginning,” Cardinal Dolan said in a social media video posted Monday morning. “We just want to do anything we can to show solidarity with these people.” 

The western Ukraine city has taken in hundreds of thousands of internally displaced Ukrainian refugees since the Russian invasion began. The city is also home to the Ukrainian Catholic University, which has been on the front lines of relief efforts, providing housing and supplies to the displaced, as well as support for journalists and relief agencies. 

The visit, part of Cardinal Dolan’s trip to countries bordering Ukraine since he left Rome on April 28, included stops in multiple cities in Poland and Slovakia. 

“I wanted to see the refugees who were in the border countries … We wanted to see them and to thank them and to love them and see what they need so we can continue to be of help,” Cardinal Dolan said in the video. “We wanted to thank them for their sense of hope that they haven’t lost that confidence and that trust in Jesus.” 

Cardinal Dolan posted another video earlier on Monday from Przemyśl, Poland — the closest city to the Ukrainian border, which Cardinal Dolan said is the first stop for many o Ukrainian refugees who fled Russian aggression. He applauded the efforts the city of about 65,000 people took in caring for their Ukrainian neighbors, noting the 600 lunches and 8,000 tons of food that have been served and distributed. 

“You know what gets me, though? There’s a sense of normalcy here,” Cardinal Dolan said. “It’s like people haven’t panicked. They’re not frantic. They’re just coming together in serenity and trust in helping one another. I’ve just been amazed and inspired.” 

In another video posted on Sunday, Cardinal Dolan highlights the efforts by a family near the Ukrainian border to turn their hotel into a depot for food and supplies that get shipped across the border daily by the Knights of Malta. He notes that the supplies go directly to priests, convents, and schools for distribution. 

“The closer to the ground you are the more you’re able to assist people, and there’s nobody closer than the Church,” Cardinal Dolan said. 

Cardinal Dolan’s journey started in Krakow, Poland, where he visited a local parish supported by Aid to the Church in Need that has supported Ukrainian refugees, and another stop at a train station in that Polish city, to visit the Polish Malteser Medical Corps and members of the Polish Order of Malta.

He then traveled to Košice, Slovakia, where he met with representatives of the Ukrainian community and volunteers. 

Before the visit to Lviv on Sunday, Cardinal Dolan traveled from Slovakia to Kombornia, Poland, to a Malteser International Supply facility where food, medicines, and other supplies are kept for distribution to Ukraine. He got to Przemyśl in the afternoon, where he met with more other refugees and Catholic relief workers. 

Today, Cardinal Dolan stopped in Hrebenne, Poland, before going on to Warsaw to visit a Knights of Columbus/Catholic Near East Welfare Association mercy center. He concludes his trip tomorrow with a visit to the Caritas Poland offices. 

Cardinal Dolan wraps up his overseas trip on Tuesday. He’s scheduled to celebrate Mass and then visit Caritas, Poland before flying back to New York.

Catholic News Headlines for Monday, 05/02/22

Cardinal Timothy Dolan is back in Poland today, after crossing the border into Ukraine yesterday.

Pope Francis is urging the faithful to pray a rosary every day for peace in Ukraine.

The “Angels Unawares” sculpture is at its new home on the Catholic University campus.