When Pete Bowen walked the halls of Servite in the late 1970s and early 1980s, he did not expect to serve as its first lay president. However, God’s call leads us to unexpected places and Peter S. Bowen ’82 succeeded Fr. Gerald Horan ’73 to become the third president of Servite in 2004. As Bowen shared the stage with the Class of 2018 at their recent commencement ceremony, he marked the end of a journey as he steps down as president the end of June.
As a Servite student, Bowen earned excellent grades and was recognized as a National Merit Finalist and then obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame. Bowen served eleven years on active duty as an officer in the United States Marine Corps where he was an AV-8B Harrier pilot and instructor. He obtained a master’s degree from Duke University, where he was a visiting assistant professor as well as director of undergraduate studies and Officer-in-Charge for the Department of Naval Science. He retired from the Marine Corps Reserves after 24 years of service.
“It never occurred to me to get into Catholic education or to serve at Servite,” said Bowen. “The opportunity to serve has been a great blessing to me and my family in all sorts of dimensions. I will carry the lessons learned, the experiences and relationships into the rest of my life.”
When asked about his proudest accomplishments, Bowen cited four items. “The formation and leadership programs. Re-connecting alumni into the Servite community. Building up our advancement program,” he said. “Most of all, I am proud of our graduates.”
One of those graduates is Wyatt Bui ’18, who served as Prior General this past school year. “We are forever grateful for Mr. Bowen’s vision of Priory and his leadership that helped develop the program into what it is today,” said Bui, who will attend Duke University. “Mr. Bowen served our school as a model of servant leadership who embodies our Catholic faith and ideals, and he demonstrated what it means to live the formation themes.”
Bowen and his wife Angie are members of the Secular Order Servants of Mary, a Catholic organization of lay men and women plus diocesan priests living their Christian faith in the context of the world. They were also fixtures at Servite games, plays, Masses and were regular volunteers at Her Servants’ Kitchen. They were often accompanied by their daughters, Mallory, Katie and Bailey, all of whom are Rosary graduates.
Following his departure from Servite, Bowen will expand his consulting and public speaking work in leadership, with a focus on business, law enforcement and education. He had advice for the Class of 2018. “The only things that really matter are relationships, and how you are formed by loving other people and being loved by other people–and God. Be worthy of high-trust, love-based relationships so you can lead a good life, lead a great family, lead in your profession and lead people to Christ by your example.”
In recognition of their service, Servite established the Pete and Angie Bowen Endowment Fund for Leadership. Contact Steve Beaird, VP of Advancement, at [email protected] or (714) 774-7575, ext. 1168.
