VTS magazine

Born in 1928 in Norfolk, Virginia, the Rev. Dr. Thomas Dix Bowers ’56, (H) ’83, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in 1949 from Virginia Military Institute and fulfilled his duty to his country by serving as a Second Lieutenant in the Korean War. He took a second bachelor’s degree in English from the University of the South. In 1956, Tom completed his Master of Divinity at Virginia Theological Seminary.

Born and raised in the segregated south, Tom in many ways was self-educated. He studied the Bible and learned how to exegete southern culture. He recognized oppression and knew injustice when he saw it. He wrestled with the powers and principalities of this world (Ephesians 6:12).

At his death at age 96, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said Tom “had a heart for serving others. He didn’t just talk about change – he made it happen.” Tom served St. Luke’s in Atlanta from 1971-1978. His dynamic leadership is well remembered because “a simple suggestion to feed homeless people in the parish hall… blossomed into the Atlanta Community Food Bank.” In 2023, Tom’s initiative provided 96 million meals to those in need. “‘In Atlanta, he was an amazing catalyst for the spirit of God,’ said Ann Cramer, a community leader and member of St. Luke’s since 1968. ‘We call it the miracle on Peachtree Street.’”

At St. Luke’s Tom honed his “Welcome Table” theology. He was always willing to set more places at the table. His ministry was all about practicing radical hospitality in the name of Jesus.

This creative entrepreneurial priest left St. Luke’s in 1978 to serve St. Bartholomew’s on Park Avenue in New York City. St. Bartholomew’s was founded in 1835 and had long counted among its parishioners the City’s wealthiest and most influential families – perhaps none more active than the Vanderbilt Family.

Tom found a parish with a storied past but with resources stretched by maintenance, ministry and mission. Tom led the charge to sell and demolish the Community House to raise funds for the church’s mission with the poor and elderly. A proposed 59-story office building would loom over historic St. Bartholomew’s, providing $100 million for the parish’s future. Such resources would have expanded St. Bartholomew’s soup kitchen, food bank, shelter program, AIDS taskforce, and increased ministry to the elderly. With joy, Tom had a vision for an urban ministry like no other.

Tom’s heart for the poor and quest for justice were quickly opposed by “powers and principalities.” The likes of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Brooke Astor and Brendon Gill rose up determined to protect the Bertram Goodhue building which was St. Bartholomew’s.

There ensued what The New York Times called “one of the most important landmarks struggles of the decades.” St. Bartholomew’s battle with the Landmarks Preservation Commission ended up in the Federal Court of Appeals. On September 12, 1990, The New York Times reported “The landmark designation of St. Bartholomew’s Church on Park Avenue was upheld unanimously by the Federal Court of Appeals.” The United States Supreme Court later refused to hear the church’s constitutional challenge to that ruling.

The epic battle waged by Tom and the St. Bartholomew’s Vestry was not the first (nor will it be the last) of its kind. The classic argument over the Church’s architecture versus the Church’s mission took place in 12th century France. Suger, the Abbot of Saint-Denis, gave his life to building with gilded doors an edifice opulent and grand. Attention to architectural detail was the hallmark of Suger’s monumental effort. At the same time there was a Cistercian order under the leadership of Bernard of Clairvaux. Bernard differed from Suger. Put simply, Bernard felt the Church’s life was to be lived with the poor. He famously offered an apology, directed at Suger: “If we aren’t embarrassed by the silliness of it all, shouldn’t we at least be disgusted by the expense?”

With Bernard of Clairvaux as his companion, Tom was disappointed but not undone. He continued to have a fruitful, consequential ministry. He retired from St. Bartholomew’s in 1993 but enjoyed afterwards being the interim rector at St. John’s Lafayette Square, across from the White House, and also St. David’s Austin, Texas. In 2010, Bowers preached and taught at the inaugural program of the Thomas Dix Bowers Preaching Fellowship established at Virginia Theological Seminary to recognize the impact of his preaching over more than 50 years, and to inspire the next generation of preachers.

My last long conversation with Tom was during COVID. He called: “How’s our seminary?” I said: “We are wearing our masks and weathering the storm as best as we can.” There was a pause. Then, Tom offered: “You know VTS was slow when it came to civil rights. We were even slower about the ordination of women. I hope we are doing better by gays and lesbians.” 

Always a warrior in the Lord’s Army, Tom never shied away from a battle worth fighting. He was called. He was a man of courage and conviction, of joy and resolve, of deep faith and abiding love. His restless heart is now with the Jesus of his faith and the Lord of his life.