The Sip and Paint on Saturday, February 17th—offered by The Thea Bowman Ministry of Christ the King and St.Vincent Churches— was a fun time.  This event honoring Black History Month helped to promote the candidacy of the “6 African Americans for Sainthood”. All in attendance not only learned more about the Servant of God Fr. Augustus Tolton but were also able to leave with their own portrait of him that they created themselves! The smiles and animated conversation coupled with sips of wine and nibbles of snacks made for a lovely afternoon.  Funds raised from this event will go towards the joint Juneteenth picnic coming in June of this year.  If you missed this event, be on the lookout for some other educational and fun activities and projects sponsored by the Thea Bowman Ministry.

The Thea Bowman Ministry  is a volunteer-led ministry of both Christ the King Catholic Church and St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church meant to create opportunities for mutual fellowship, formation, and service in our parishes, especially in the context of the Church's complicated relationship with racial justice.
This group meets monthly. All are welcome!
For more information and/or to sign up for this ministry contact:

Cheryl Guess at SVP           St.VincentChurchFamily
                  or
Brittany Meriwether at CTK
ChristTheKingChurch

God is present in everything. In the universe in creation, in me and all that happens to me, in my brothers and sisters, in the church - everywhere.

Thea Bowman

Follow The Thea Bowman Ministry on Instagram to view photos of past events and announcements of upcoming events.  theabowmanministry

It Started with the “Black Lives Matter Educational Series”
In June 2020, after the murder of George Floyd by four Minneapolis police officers, Christ the King Catholic Church parishioners met on Zoom for a three week series entitled “Why Black Lives Matter.” In this series,  attendees began the discussions on the differences between individual and systemic racism in order to better understand the death of George Floyd, the ongoing prevalence of white supremacy, and the protests erupting around the country. 
Following these educational sessions, CTK parishioners collaborated in two forum sessions designed to create opportunities for concrete involvement in racial justice.

In the first of these sessions, participants brainstormed a list of possible projects that might advance anti-racism within the parish or in the wider Nashville community. In the second forum, participants evaluated this list and prioritized the projects that were feasible and relevant. Six of these projects generated enough immediate interest and commitment that small working groups of parishioners were formed around them. The other priorities were designated for future review.

Building a Relationship with St. Vincent de Paul Parish
 

One of the six projects the working group wanted to develop was building a relationship between Christ the King and St. Vincent de Paul.   Their first step was to find out how CTK might participate in ongoing efforts at St. Vincent to support the parish and the projects that are already in place.
St. Vincent’s Outreach Program welcomed assistance in providing enough items for the Thanksgiving baskets that would be distributed to in-need families. Every year, the parish raised money to provide boxes of food from Second Harvest Food Bank, supplemented with other donations, and purchased food goods.  Christ the King parishioners offered to help.  After some fruitful conversations with St. Vincent’s Outreach Director and staff, this working group created three opportunities for CTK parishioners to join in the annual Thanksgiving food drive.

First:  thanks to the generosity of those involved in the initiative, the working group raised $5,195.00 to contribute to the cost of the food boxes and supplemental items. Given that this fundraiser was internal to CTK's anti-racism group and not circulated to the wider parish community, this was a very successful fundraiser. 

Second:   CTK provided two teams of volunteers to assist with the drive:  one to help pack the boxes, and the other to distribute them. Both the funds and the volunteers were very happily received, and we think these efforts have contributed to the growing relationship between St. Vincent and CTK.

Third:   one very positive outcome of these efforts is that Christ the King’s annual Angel Tree ministry works with the St. Vincent de Paul Angel Tree Project and  continues to provide Christmas gifts  for kids in  the neighboring community.

Ongoing Efforts
 

In June of 2022, CTK hosted a celebration of Juneteenth with members of the St. Vincent de Paul.  This was the 1^st Juneteenth Celebration Picnic, and attendees greatly exceeded expectations, as parishioners from both parishes gathered on the CTK school field over BBQ, potluck food, and live music.

In July 2022, the CTK working group collaborated with SVP  to host a joint "meet and eat" entitled “Six for Sainthood”. This evening offered members from both parishes a chance to share a meal and learn from Deacon Harry and Cheryl Guess about the six Black Catholics on the road to canonization.  The group also sponsored the screening of the documentary film on the life of Sister Thea Bowman who was a tireless advocate for racial justice and unity.

The Formation of the Thea Bowman Ministry

After mutual and fruitful collaboration between Christ the King and St. Vincent de Paul, members of both parishes agreed for formalize their commitment to ongoing fellowship and service by creating the Thea Bowman Ministry.

With the blessing of Fr. Dexter from Christ the King Catholic Church, and Fr. Francis from St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, the significant steps were taken to name the  group the Thea Bowman Ministry with the primary mission of fellowship, education, and service between our parishes.

On June, 19, 2023, the Thea Bowman Ministry sponsored its 2nd Annual Juneteenth Celebration Picnic to commemorate Juneteenth and honor Sr. Thea’s vision. Food and live music were enjoyed by all.  The  Knights of Peter Claver, and the Ladies Auxiliary  answered the call for volunteers.  And Dr. Sabrina Shelton added her expertise as physician for the  first aid station.