Date

5-16-2024

Department

School of Music

Degree

Doctor of Worship Studies (DWS)

Chair

Jerry Newman

Keywords

Catholics, Liturgy, Worship, African American, Sacred Music

Disciplines

Music

Abstract

Despite steady progress toward honoring cultural identity in liturgy, the Roman Catholic Church has historically ignored the vast musical contributions of African Americans in the celebration of the Holy Mass. This study explores the historical, theological, and cultural application of music from the African and African American diaspora in urban Catholic churches that employ high liturgy as a practice in corporate worship. While many post-Vatican II documents govern culturally inclusive liturgical practices, little is known about the challenges in implementing and maintaining authentic Catholic African American corporate worship traditions in these spaces. The universality of the Roman Catholic faith is recognized worldwide; African Americans have a rightful place in creating corporate worship experiences that respect the Church and honor their ancestry. This qualitative study will examine Roman Catholic cathedrals’ liturgies in cities with large populations of African American Catholics. It will explore the challenges musicians face implementing music from the diaspora.

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