This April, the Sister Thea Bowman Black Catholic Education Foundation will gather at one of our Catholic university partners, Duquesne, in Pittsburgh for its Annual Dinner, an evening dedicated to faith, education, and hope. We are honored to welcome Wilton Cardinal Gregory as our honored guest to inspire our Scholars and encourage our guests to support them.
Cardinal Gregory has been a strong and prophetic voice in the U.S. Catholic Church. Ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago and later appointed Bishop of Belleville and Archbishop of Atlanta, his episcopacy has been defined by humility, dialogue, and a deep concern for human dignity. In 2020, he made history when Pope Francis named him Archbishop of Washington and then to the College of Cardinals. He is the first African American cardinal in the Church’s history. His historic service to the Church coincides with a time when we pray for the canonization of the first African American Saint in the cause of Sister Thea.
Cardinal Gregory is renowned for his commitment to racial justice, care for the poor, and the formation of young people in their faith. These are the same values we instill in our Scholars during their undergraduate journey. His leadership embodies the values of Sister Thea Bowman: faith grounded in joy, a love of education, and a belief in the transformative power of the Gospel lived authentically.
We are grateful that Cardinal Gregory will join us in support of the Foundation’s mission to expand access to Catholic education for Black students. I hope you will join us, too. The Annual Dinner in Pittsburgh is more than a celebration. It is a real investment in the next generation of leaders, scholars, and servants who carry forward Sister Thea’s legacy of faith, academic excellence, cultural pride, and joyful perseverance.
Tickets and sponsorships for the 2026 Annual Dinner are available here. Please join us in Pittsburgh this April for an inspiring evening of fellowship, reflection, and commitment to the future of our Scholars.
I look forward to seeing you in Pittsburgh.
(If you know of any organizations that would like to sponsor the dinner, please let us know!)
Joe Barker II
Executive Director