In the Shadow of Ebenezer : A Black Catholic Parish in the Age of Civil Rights and Vatican II

**Uncovers how the Civil Rights Movement and Vatican II affected African American Catholics in Atlanta** The history and practices of African American Catholics has been vastly understudied, and Black Catholics are often written off as a fringe sector of the religious population. Yet, Catholics of African descent have been a part of Catholicism since the early days of European exploration into the New World. __In the Shadow of Ebenezer__ examines how the Civil Rights Movement and the Second Vatican Council affected African American Catholics in Atlanta, Georgia, focusing on the historic Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in the Old Fourth Ward. Our Lady of Lourdes is a neighbor of major historic Black Protestant churches in the city, including Ebenezer Baptist Church, a block away, which during the Civil Rights era was the pulpit of Martin Luther King Jr. Featuring archival and oral history sources, the book examines the religious and cultural life of the parishioners of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, showing how this Black Catholic congregation fit into the overall religious ecology of the neighborhood. Examining Our Lady of Lourdes in relation to these larger Black Protestant congregations helps to illuminate whether and how they were shaped by their place at a center of the civil rights struggle, and how religious change and social change intersect. Contents Introduction 1 Race and the Catholic Church, in Theory and Practice 2 Atlanta’s Religious and Political Ecology and the Establishment of Our Lady of Lourdes 3 Our Lady of Lourdes, the Civil Rights Movement, and School Desegregation 4 Liturgical Renewal and the Second Vatican Council in Atlanta 5 The Withdrawal of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament from Our Lady of Lourdes 6 Reviving Our Lady of Lourdes through Liturgical Renewal and Liturgical Justice Conclusion Acknowledgments Notes Index About the Author "This book focuses on the religious and cultural life of the parishioners of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Atlanta, Georgia during the Civil Rights Movement and the implementation of radical religious change resulting from the Second Vatican Council"-- Provided by publisher