Obituaries

Sr. Mary Theresa Bowman, CDP died peacefully at Holy Family Home on December 14, 2025.

She was a professed member of the Congregation of Divine Providence for 68 years.

Born in Covington, KY in 1939 to Carl and Mary Catherine Simon Bowman, she made her first profession of vows in 1957 and professed her final vows in 1962.

Sr. Mary Theresa began her ministry as an elementary teacher at Christ the King School, Lexington, KY in 1957. After four years there, she continued teaching primary grades at St. Bartholomew, Bethesda, MD, St. Leo School, Versailles, KY, and St. Thomas School, Ft. Thomas, KY until 1973 when she was asked to be directress of junior sisters. In 1975 she studied at St. Louis University and received certification in spirituality to enhance her ministry with the junior sisters and to offer spiritual direction. In 1980 she studied at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and received certification in pastoral studies and in 1981 she served at St. Francis Xavier Parish, Falmouth, KY until 1983 as director of religious education as well as pastoral ministry. In 1983 she moved to St. Pius Parish, Edgewood, KY until she was elected as the Provincial Superior in 1984. She served two terms as provincial until 1994 when she took some sabbatical time to discern a call to be a missionary.

In 1995 she left for Ghana, West Africa and served as the director of St. Joseph Retreat Center in Sunyani, Ghana until 2005 when she returned to the United States. After some time of rest and sabbatical she returned to pastoral ministry at St. Paul Parih in McKee, KY in 2006, followed by ministry at St. Clare Parish in Berea and Mt. Vernon, KY until 2010. In 2010 she served at Jeanne d’Arc Residence in New York as director of spiritual and social activities until the facility closed in 2021 and she moved back to Kentucky.

Sr. Mary Theresa was a woman of deep faith, devoted to liturgical prayer and creatively preparing many services which helped others to worship. She was a kind but determined person who laughed easily and generously shared her time with others. She was close to her family and despite the distance kept in contact with all of them over the years.

She was a faithful letter writer and shared easily the various stories of her involvement with students, parishioners or the people of Ghana or the women at Jeanne d’Arc.

She will be missed by her religious community, the Sisters of Divine Providence, her brothers Tom and Denny Bowman and her sisters, Teresa Bowman, Rose Bowman-Jones and Mary Courtney and her nieces and nephews.

Her brothers, Joseph Bowman and Carl Douglas Bowman and her sister, Mary Carol Bishop all preceded her in death.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in Immaculate Conception Chapel, Melbourne on Saturday, December 20, 2025. Gathering and Sharing of Memories Service - 10:00. Mass at 11:00 followed by interment in convent cemetery following Mass.

Memorials can be made to the Congregation of Divine Providence, 5300 Saint Anne Drive, Melbourne, KY 41059.