House votes to protect pro-life pregnancy centers from Biden plan to deny them funding

The opening night of an exhibition of art by Ukrainian refugee children at St. James’ Cathedral in Riga, Latvia, May 8, 2022. / Archdiocese of Riga.

Riga, Latvia, May 10, 2022 / 11:00 am (CNA).

An exhibition of artwork made by Ukrainian refugee children was opened Sunday at the complex of St. James’ Cathedral in Riga. Hosted by Archbishop Zbigņev Stankevičs, the event was attended by several ambassadors to Latvia.

“This initiative of [the] Catholic Church of Latvia managed to unite Latvian society – government bodies, businesses and private citizens in the name of children, love and support for one another,” the Archbishop of Riga told CNA.

“It was amazing that we also hosted an international audience – 14 Ambassadors in Latvia,” Archbishop Stankevičs added.

The archbishop gave an opening speech at the May 8 event. Among those in attendence were his auxiliary, Bishop Andris Kravalis; Father Roman Sapuzhak of the Greek-Catholic parish in Riga; and Olexandr Mischenko, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Latvia.

“In spite of all horrors that those children went through those works have no feeling of revenge, fear or hatred in them. They are full of kindness and hope,” Archbishop Stankevičs said during his opening speech.

Mischenko thanked the Catholic Church in Latvia for its warm welcome and heartfelt support for the children, who had lost so much.

Gabriella Cabiere, an art historian who is curating the exhibition, spoke about Ukraine’s future and the artistic talent of the children.

The opening night included a live concert to give the children and their families “an evening to remember and for a few hours to take their minds off of the horrors happening in their homeland,” the Archdiocese of Riga said.

The exhibit includes art made since March by more than 200 children who have come to Latvia following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The works “show so much pain but also tenacity, spirit and hope. Those works of art are talking to us and bringing real life, unadulterated emotions of children that went through horror,” a representative of the Riga archdiocese said.

The artworks include tanks and experiences of the war, but also homes and pets that were left behind.

“Those families are in a great need of our help not only physical but also emotional. They need to know that they are not alone in this war but that the whole world is behind them and with them. Those children are the future of their country,” the archdiocese reflected.

The opening was a “special moment” for the archdiocese because the Church had extended an invitation to the diplomatic corps in Riga “and received an overwhelming response, now they’re coming together to show unity of support to Ukrainian people.”

The exhibit is being supported by the administration of Latvian president Egils Levits; Latvian National Opera; Latvia Puppet Theatre; Riga Cinema; as well as several local restaurants and shops. These businesses and institutions donated presents given to the artist children.

“Latvian businesses came together to show succour to Ukrainian people and especially most vulnerable – the children. The whole county showed unity in supporting Ukrainian people,” the Riga archdiocese said.

The exhibit has been organized by Caritas Latvija and the Church in the country. It will remain open until May 23 with free admission. Donations will be used to maintain the children’s art studio.

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Thomas (Joey Vahedi) and Ramah (Yasmine Al-Bustami) in Season Four of "The Chosen." / Credit: The Chosen/Mike Kubeisy

CNA Staff, Feb 13, 2024 / 17:00 pm (CNA).
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers about Episodes 1–3 of Season Fo… […]

CNA Staff, Jun 18, 2020 / 03:00 am (CNA).- Sister Thea Bowman was the granddaughter of a slave, an advocate for racial justice, and the first African American woman to address the U.S. bishops’ conference. Two years ago, her sainthood cause was opened.

“She was an outstanding teacher and she was an outstanding speaker. And she had a voice like an opera star and she could sing really beautifully, and people loved to be with her,” said Sister Charlene Smith, a member of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration (FSPA).

“I often say she was a whole lot like Jesus. People love to be around her, and I was one of those people that was lucky enough to be around her.”

Smith, who was friends with Bowman for 35 years, recounted the impact that Bowman made on many of those around her. In 2012, Smith co-authored a biography of her friend, entitled, “Thea’s Song: The Life of Thea Bowman.”

At age 51, Bowman became the first African American woman to address the U.S. bishops’ conference. Wheelchair-bound and fighting cancer, she delivered a memorable address about race and Catholicism before inviting the bishops to join her in singing and swaying to a Negro Spiritual.

That spunk, Smith told CNA, was part of Bowman’s charismatic personality as she traveled and taught and spoke around the country.

Sister Thea was born Bertha Bowman in Yazoo City, Mississippi in 1937 to a lawyer and a teacher.

Although she was raised Protestant, she decided to become a Catholic at the age of nine. Visiting a variety of Christian denominations, she was moved by the kindness and generosity of the Franciscans Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, whose school she subsequently attended.

When she turned 15, she moved to Wisconsin and entered the order’s novitiate. Although her parents tried to persuade their daughter to enter an African-American community, she was determined to enter the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, whose warmth and love had drawn her to the Catholic faith six years prior.

At the time, she was the first and only black sister of the community in La Crosse. Smith said Bowman encountered some instances of racism even within the convent.

“I never saw any example of racism extended to Sister Thea when she was in our community, but there are sisters from other communities, African American sisters, to whom Thea apparently mentioned that once in a while, some of our older sisters, who had never been around anybody who was African American, were not always positive about Sister Thea,” she said.

When she began teaching at a Catholic elementary school in La Crosse, Bowman would teach about racial diversity, and about the importance of love.

“She taught children to use their hand. And the five fingers were the five different colors of skin, black and brown and yellow and red and white,” Smith said.

“And she knew that we were all not a melting pot. She was never very interested in that particular metaphor. She was a whole lot more interested in saying that we are more like a salad,” Smith continued. “So when you are a salad, you don’t lose your characteristics, you remain individuals. And the whole point is to love one another. And that’s what she did.”

As the civil rights movement grew in the years that followed, Bowman worked to advance racial justice. She helped establish the National Black Sisters Conference and advocated for an increased representation of American-American people in Church leadership. She called for more encounters between white and non-white Catholics, and for a welcoming of music from different cultural backgrounds.

Bowman became a noted public speaker, and traveled around the country, talking about race and the Catholic faith. She continued to travel and teach even after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1984, even landing an interview with 60 Minutes.

In 1989, Bowman delivered what would become a famous speech at the spring meeting of the U.S. bishops’ conference.

“What does it mean to be black and Catholic?,” asked Sr. Thea. “It means that I bring myself, my black self.”

“I bring my whole history, my traditions, my experience, my culture, my African-American song and dance and gesture and movement and teaching and preaching and healing and responsibility as gift to the Church.”

Bowman had a profound impact on the bishops, and on many other people who heard her words.

“When that speech was over, they wheeled her off the podium and out into a hall. And one by one, the bishops came to her and knelt before her, in her wheelchair, and asked for her blessing. That’s how much they thought about her,” Smith said.

Bowman died March 30, 1990. Her canonization cause was opened by the Diocese of Jackson in 2018.

Smith said Bowman’s impact lives on after her death, with schools named after the sister, events held in her memory, memorials established in her honor, and at least 40 books mentioning her story and influence.

Smith said Bowman would likely find hope in the recent protests demanding racial equality and justice in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

“Right now this is a time when we’re learning. I think the people in the United States are learning a whole lot more about our history, how we were terrible to the Native Americans and how we were terrible to the African Americans, and so we’re learning history,” she said. “Thea knew all of that and she let it be known that she knew that.”

“I’m sure she’s watching what’s going on in the United States. And I think she’s cheering for the African Americans and all of the people who have been subjected to pain and injustice,” Smith continued. “She was very much concerned that people be treated fairly, be treated as children of God. So she’d be happy with what’s going on.”

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