African American Sacred Music in Catholic Worship
By Kevin P. Johnson D.M.A.
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Music must be a top priority for pastors seeking to create dynamic African American worship
experiences. In his book Soulful Worship, Father Clarence Joseph Rivers, a pioneer in
the development of African American music in Catholic worship, also points out that: Worship
is of primary importance for the Church, not only for the sake of the Church, in the narrow
sense, but also for the sake of humanity itself. A very necessary ingredient in human progress
is what I call a sense of transcendence – a sense of being able to go, to reach, beyond
the boundaries and the limitations of the here and now…. not because God needs our worship,
but because we need it.4
Liturgy, the core of the church's mission and existence, will remain vital in the
twenty-first century when it is executed well by those ministers who know the power
of liturgy. Fr. Rivers also notes, “The church must devote to worship all that
it needs to become consistently, as it should be, a moving experience in which the
Spirit of God can soften up the hearts of stone and make them hearts of flesh, in
which by the breath of God’s Spirit we may be new born again.”
Church Growth
One church that provides proof of the power of meaningful liturgy is the
predominately African American Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Los Angeles.
As with many churches, the late 1970"s marked the end of the guitar mass at
Holy Name. But unlike most churches, Holy Name replaced the guitar mass with a
contemporary gospel choir complete with a full rhythm section of drums, bass,
guitar and piano. This change marked a natural evolution of the African American Catholic
experience in many cities. As the black Catholics in this parish began to
embrace their own culture"s music in worship, the liturgy began to
attract more and more people. Young people --- who had been testing the waters
at nearby Protestant churches in order to get “fed” -- began to
come back to the Catholic church where they could feel connected in a way
they"d never felt before. Evangelization efforts began to flourish,
and membership grew, with many ministries sprouting up as young people
began to experience the excitement of their faith and their church. As the
African-American liturgical style became better known to the people in the
neighborhood and the city, people would both visit and join the church in
numbers not seen before in this black community. Other churches in Los Angeles
such as St. Brigid's Catholic Church also experienced remarkable growth as
gospel music integrated into the worship service.
The growing faith communities
that have blossomed in dying African American Catholic parishes
evidence the reality that quality African American worship
increases church attendance and membership. Churches that
were once near empty and on the verge of financial collapse
and eminent closure have become bustling centers of spiritual
connectedness and financial solvency. Church memberships have
doubled, tripled and even quadrupled in some parishes where
African American sacred music is done well in Catholic worship.
In his The Emergence of a Black Catholic Community Morris J. MacGregor wrote:
Music has played an essential role in
the history of St. Augustine"s, (an African American Catholic
parish in Washington D.C.) Across the decades scores of talented
parishioners have raised their voices in praise to God, fully conscious
that their art served other causes as well. From the first the
quality of sacred music in the church not only enhanced the meaning
of the liturgy, but also attracted a large audience of visitors,
black and white, Catholic and non-Catholic.
The noted composer of
African American Sacred Music for Catholic worship,
Leon Roberts, argues that: “ the growing popularity
of the liturgy at 12:30 mass revived St. Augustine"s.
As for developments during the time I was there, only God
could have achieved something like that. It was not the
gospel choir itself that deserved the praise,
rather it was the spirit of the people and the power
of God working through the people.”
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