Date of Award
12-2016
Document Type
Thesis
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree Program
History
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Thesis Advisor
Joseph Edward Lee
Committee Member
Joseph Edward Lee
Committee Member
Donald A. Rakestraw
Keywords
Oratorians, Rock Hill, Boone, Catholic, Jim Crow
Committee Member
Peter Joseph Judge
Abstract
The Roman Catholic Oratorians came to Rock Hill, South Carolina in 1935 with the mission to minister to the poor, underprivileged, and disadvantaged of all races and creeds, and to spread the good news of Catholicism. During the past eighty-one years, the Catholic Church has had a tremendous effect on where the community stands today. It was, and remains, significant because it improves economic, social, educational, and vocational conditions for the black community in particular. The church is ever changing, growing, and evolving to meet the needs of its congregation and community, and is quite different from the Catholic Church of the twentieth century. This thesis shows the transformational impact of the Catholic Church upon the community, as it converted from a segregated one to an integrated whole, from the post-World War II years to 2016. It is the story of the Roman Catholic Church in Rock Hill, South Carolina, its people, and the Oratorians who are its inspirational religious leaders. The focus is upon St. Mary's Church which was founded as a black Catholic Church in 1946.
Recommended Citation
Ludwa, Sandra, "The Catholic Church, Catalyst For Change: Taking the Black Community of Rock Hill, SC From the Twentieth to the Twenty-First Century, 1946-2016" (2016). Graduate Theses. 45.
https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/graduatetheses/45
Included in
African American Studies Commons, History of Religion Commons, Public History Commons, Social History Commons
