A portion of "Going Home Like a Shooting Star" was filmed in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Several of Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual of Adoration were interviewed, including Sister Mary Ann Gschwind, pictured above.
According to the Sister Thea Bowman Guild, "The documentary, from NewGroup Media and the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, presents the life of Sister Thea Bowman who used her powerful gifts to educate and challenge the church and society to grow in racial inclusivity. Her skills of preaching, music, and teaching moved many Catholics to begin to confront their own racism while she urged her African American brothers and sisters to claim their gifts and share their “fully functioning” personhood. Thea worked tirelessly to proclaim this message until her untimely death from breast cancer in 1990."
The film, part of the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission’s fall documentary season, begins airing on ABC stations nationwide in October. In the La Crosse, Wisconsin, viewing area, WXOW will air the film Sundays Oct. 2 and 30 at 2 p.m. Everyone is encouraged to contact their local ABC affiliate to air this program. Streaming opportunities will be announced soon by the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi (and we'll share these at fspa.org/theabowman).
"Going Home Like a Shooting Star" includes extensive use of Bowman family photos, FSPA archival material, and footage of Thea from varied public appearances, including her famous interview with Mike Wallace on CBS’ 60 Minutes. The film makes a strong connection between Thea’s Gospel call for justice, love and unity and the current effort of Black Lives Matter activists and efforts to combat systemic racism. Many in the film cite Thea’s voice as an influence on their ongoing efforts to achieve social and racial justice.
Production of Going Home Like a Shooting Star: Thea Bowman’s Journey to Sainthood was made possible with funding from the Catholic Communications Campaign of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops as well as support from various foundations and congregations of US men and women religious.
We hope you can join us for the screening on Sept. 26!
