By Michael Gresham
The Texas Catholic
Bishop Edward J. Burns joined parishioners at Holy Cross Catholic Church on Nov. 1 for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, celebrating a Mass that also marked the start of Black Catholic History Month. The celebration honored the memory of the faithful departed while lifting up the contributions of Black Catholics to the life of the Church, including through the presentation of the inaugural Sister Thea Bowman Award to longtime Holy Cross parishioners Vicki and Sherbie Mathews during a reception following the Mass.
“We are now celebrating Black Catholic History Month, and when we do that, we think of all those who have gone before us. We think about Sister Thea Bowman. We think about Father [Augustus] Tolton. We think about so many others,” Bishop Burns said. “Black Catholic history is still being made, and that is why it’s so very important to identify people like Sherbie and Vicki, who have done so many wonderful things for this community of Holy Cross and for the diocese.”
In his homily, Bishop Burns reflected on the legacy of Sister Thea Bowman, a trailblazing African American religious sister whose witness continues to inspire Catholics across the country. Sister Bowman was the first African American to become a member of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration and devoted her life to sharing her rich Black Catholic heritage and spirituality in song, prayer, teaching, and preaching. Her cause for canonization was opened in 2018, and she is honored as a Servant of God.
“As we celebrate Black Catholic History Month, we give thanks to Almighty God for Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, who spent her life helping the Church hear what God had in store for us,” Bishop Burns said, recalling Sister Bowman’s historic address to the U.S. bishops in 1989, where she declared, “I come to my Church fully functioning. I bring myself, my Black self, all that I am, all that I have, and all that I hope to become as gifts to the Church.”
“She wasn’t asking for permission to be a part of the Church,” the bishop said. “She was proclaiming the Gospel truth that the body of Christ needs all its members in order to be whole.”
In his homily, Bishop Burns urged the faithful to embrace diversity as a gift, not a challenge.
“The Church’s endgame is not to uniformity but to communion — a multitude no one can count — from every race, nation, people, and tongue,” he said. “That means our unity is indeed called together by the grace of God. What we see is the gifts — what each community brings — and those gifts are real.”
During the observance of November as Black Catholic History Month, Bishop Burns said that Catholics are called to bring their whole selves to the altar — their history, wounds, wisdom, and culture.
“We don’t check our story at the door when we enter a Catholic church. The body needs your gift,” he said. “It is important that we echo in our lives what Sister Thea Bowman said, ‘I bring my whole self to the Church’ as gifts for this Church. It is important that you bring yours.”
During the reception that followed the Mass, the Mathews accepted the Sister Thea Bowman Award, which honored their decades of service through music and ministry at the parish and throughout the diocese.
Mark Howard, a member of the diocesan Interracial Healing Task Force and the Mathews’ nephew, said the award reflects Sister Bowman’s vision of faith expressed through culture and service.
“Like Sister Thea Bowman, Vicki and Sherbie have lived their faith through song, service, and steadfast devotion to community,” he said. “This award carries the name of Sister Thea Bowman. It is fitting that it be given to two who have lived out her message that faith should be Black, Catholic, and universal, and that music is a means to healing hearts and reconciling God’s people.”
The Mathews met through parish music ministry in the 1980s. Over the years, they led choirs, organized retreats, and fostered unity through song. Their work helped launch the Unity Explosion Conference, which celebrates African American Catholics’ rich liturgical traditions and spiritual gifts within the Church.
“We’ve been making music together for 40 years,” Vicki said, adding that she and her husband were honored to receive the award. “Anything that bears Thea Bowman’s name is an honor beyond measure. I do believe she will become a saint, and we are blessed to have worked with her in the music field and to know her legacy.”
Sherbie agreed, explaining that Sister Bowman’s example shaped their own ministry.
“She always preached bringing your full self to the celebration and giving of yourself and all your gifts,” he said. “We wanted to share those gifts with the youth of our parish and then with other music organizations. It grew over the years.”
For the Mathews, Holy Cross has been more than a parish; it is family.
“We were married here. Our children were baptized here. My mother and brother were buried here,” Vicki said. “The people of this parish are like a second family to us.”
Father Tim Gollob, a retired diocesan priest who served for more than 50 years as pastor at Holy Cross, praised the Mathews for their impact on the parish community.
“When they were here, our music ministry was the talk of the town,” he said. “Music at Holy Cross was a ministry of conversion. People came because they loved the music and stayed because they loved the Church.”
Longtime Holy Cross parishioner Arthur Rodgers credited the Mathews for welcoming him to the parish as a convert to Catholicism and inspiring him to encounter his faith more deeply through his participation in the Union Choir.
“They’re so giving, and it’s not forced,” he said. “They don’t take credit for much, but they do a lot. This was probably a no-brainer to celebrate them today.”
Father Elmer Herrera-Guzman, pastor of Holy Cross, said that when he first arrived at the parish, the Mathews helped him understand the role music ministry has in both culture and faith.
“You explained to me the beauty of music, what it means for people carrying a burden to be able to release that burden through song, and not only song, but song praising God,” Father Herrera-Guzman said. “It’s not about just putting something up there as a show, but so that the liturgy can come alive in us and then we can take it forth. That is your legacy.”
Helen Ta, director of Intercultural Ministries and a member of the diocesan Interracial Healing Task Force, praised the evening as a “beautiful and grace-filled celebration” to begin Black Catholic History Month.
“Witnessing the community come together to honor the legacy of Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman and to present the first-ever Sister Thea Bowman Award was deeply moving,” Ta said. “Vicki and Sherbie Mathews embody Sister Thea’s spirit of faith, joy, and transformative love that uplifts the Church and inspires us all. This celebration reminds us that our diversity is truly a gift, and our unity in Christ is our greatest strength.”
Cutline for featured image: Members of the Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary kneel in prayer during the celebration of a Mass at Holy Cross Catholic Church on Nov. 1, the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, marking the start of Black Catholic History Month. (MICHAEL GRESHAM/The Texas Catholic)
