In 1970, Mississippi's Catholic schools began to actively desegregate. The decision to integrate came sixteen years after the Brown v. Board of Education federal mandate that American schools desegregate with all deliberate speed. The following thesis will examine why it took the Catholic Church in Mississippi so long to adhere to the Supreme Court's decision.
This thesis will argue that Mississippi's two bishops during the Civil Rights era were enlightened, socially-progressive bishops who desired integration. Yet, swift change requires a strong grassroots movement. No such movement existed in Mississippi. Mississippi Catholics were not ready to follow their bishops for two reasons: they feared the consequences of violating a rigid caste system, and they enjoyed the benefits of cultural assimilation with their white, Protestant, and often racist, brethren.
Despite the lack of grassroots support, the two bishops could have used their ecclesial authority to demand integration. Why did they not use their authority and insist on immediate integration? This thesis provides two answers, both centering on the second Vatican Council. The pre-Vatican II Church was primarily concerned with the soteriological Gospel. The Church emphasized the salvation of individual souls, not the transformation of unjust societies. The Post-Vatican ll Church declared herself to be a member of the world community. She accepted her role as an institution in the world, and the responsibility that would entail. Henceforth, Mississippi's bishops would take stronger and stronger stances on civil rights, specifically when it came to school integration. Nevertheless, Vatican II made it clear that a bishop was the shepherd of his entire flock-including those Catholics who supported segregation. Mississippi's bishops would have to find ways to persuade rather than dictate to their socially conservative flock who accepted Jim Crow as the Mississippi Way.
