Turn Mourning to Jubilation

Quote from Sr Thea Bowman
Sr Thea Bowman

Sr. Thea Bowman would have turned 88 years old on December 29 of this year. A convert and the first African American in the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, Sr. Thea worked tirelessly for social justice. When talking with her students about their identity, she would ask them, “Where are you right now? Where do you want to be?”

“Maybe I’m not making big changes in the world, but if I have somehow helped or encouraged somebody along the journey, then I’ve done what I’m called to do.” – Servant of God Sr. Thea Bowman

Walk Together

In this Jubilee Year of Hope, these are important questions to revisit. They take us on a journey – where are you now and where do you want to be? Sr. Thea says we’re called to walk together in a new way; to celebrate who we are and whose we are. If we, as the Church, walk together—if we walk, talk, work, play, and stand together in Jesus’ name—we’ll be who we say we are, truly Catholic. That’s where I want to be! What a beautiful vision of the universal Church.

So, where are we now? Only about 3% of Catholics are using NFP and over 65% of US women ages 15-49 are on hormonal birth control. There’s some work to do there. Where do we want to be? We want to proclaim the good news about how God created us; for women and couples to truly embrace the beauty of their fertility; to restore the wholeness of our self-image that has been fractured in our culture. To understand and appreciate whose we are.

Stepping Out

In a recent Poco a Poco podcast interview, Dr. John Bergsma said that, in a Jubilee Year, graces and mercies are made more available. We need to believe big and pray big. Like Sr Thea, we need to step out in faith and count on God because this is a sacred time. This is our wheelhouse at CCL – stepping out and believing big is what we do. In this Year of Hope, we’re

  • creating new Teaching Couple materials and training formats;
  • offering more (and updated!) classes in ways that best meet the needs of students;
  • reaching out to mothers and daughters, young adults, and pregnancy centers; and
  • exploring exciting partnerships and collaborative opportunities.

Sr Thea’s Vision

Sr. Thea wanted to turn watchers into doers, and we love that vision. What will you “do” with us this year? Our impact depends on how you respond to the invitation. We can’t do it alone. Thus, we invite you to share the message with your friends, family, and parish community. Become a Promoter or Teaching Couple. Give generously so we can keep giving generously. This is a time of jubilation! We don’t need to mourn where we are; we can celebrate where we want to be. God is doing big things in and through each one of us. We’re stepping out in faith, trusting that you’ll join us. The journey is a lot easier when we’re walking together.

Find CCL’s 2024 Impact Video here.