Theocratic Governance and the Divergent Catholic Cultural Groups in the USA Charles L
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Eastern Michigan University DigitalCommons@EMU Master's Theses, and Doctoral Dissertations, and Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations Graduate Capstone Projects 3-19-2012 Theocratic governance and the divergent Catholic cultural groups in the USA Charles L. Muwonge Follow this and additional works at: http://commons.emich.edu/theses Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Muwonge, Charles L., "Theocratic governance and the divergent Catholic cultural groups in the USA" (2012). Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations. 406. http://commons.emich.edu/theses/406 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Master's Theses, and Doctoral Dissertations, and Graduate Capstone Projects at DigitalCommons@EMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@EMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Theocratic Governance and the Divergent Catholic Cultural Groups in the USA by Charles L. Muwonge Dissertation Submitted to the Department of Leadership and Counseling Eastern Michigan University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION Dissertation Committee: James Barott, PhD, Chair Jaclynn Tracy, PhD Ronald Flowers, EdD John Palladino, PhD Ypsilanti, Michigan March 19, 2012 Dedication My mother Anastanzia ii Acknowledgments To all those who supported and guided me in this reflective journey: Dr. Barott, my Chair, who allowed me to learn by apprenticeship; committee members Dr. Jaclynn Tracy, Dr. Ronald Flowers, and Dr. John Palladino; Faculty, staff, and graduate assistants in the Department of Leadership and Counseling at EMU – my home away from home for the last ten years; Donna Echeverria and Norma Ross, my editors; my sponsors, the Roberts family, Horvath family, Diane Nowakowski; and Jenkins-Tracy Scholarship program as well as family members, I extend my heartfelt gratitude. March 29, 2012 Ypsilanti, Michigan iii Abstract This study investigated how the Roman Catholic Church, as a bureaucratic organization, governs the widespread and divergent Catholic cultural groups in the United States. The purposes of this research were (a) to examine the nature of the ecclesiastical governance structure in the Vatican, (b) to explore the nature of the American Catholic cultural environment, (c) to analyze the types of relationships between the divergent American Catholic subcultures, and (d) to establish ways in which ecclesiastical authorities in the Vatican govern the American Catholic cultural environment. This study was historical in nature and longitudinal in scope. This study examined the relationship between the ecclesiastical authorities in the Vatican and various Catholic subcultures (Spanish, French, Irish, German, Polish, Italians, and others) as they emerged within the American Catholic community and the American society as a whole. In addition to data gathered from literary sources, ethnographic observations were conducted during visits made by the researcher to more than 300 churches in 40 states in the U.S. Whereas prior studies emphasized the top-down bureaucratic dimension of ecclesiastical governance, this study explored the multi-dimensional (vertical and horizontal, intra and inter) processes that shaped the relationship of subcultures in America with the centralized governance system of the Catholic Church in Rome. Culture and governance were key concepts in the conceptual framework for this study. Six cultural categories were used to examine the Catholic cultural environment in America: (a) demographics; (b) tasks; (c) ideology; (d) cultural values expressed through symbols, heroes and heroines, sacred space, ceremonies, and activities; (e) education iv structure; and (f) ecclesiastical leadership. Political theory was used to examine major conflicts and other governance issues as subcultures forged new relationships between the Church in Rome and American Catholicism. The results from this longitudinal study showed that the nature of the governance relationship that evolved between ecclesiastical authorities in Rome and the divergent American Catholic subcultures was not entirely bureaucratic but of a negotiated order. Governance varied depending on circumstances of the divergent subcultures in America. The study also showed that, by nature, the Church, a global government, is a confluence of cultural, socio-political, and theological ideologies of the loosely coupled subcultures that subscribe to the Catholic value system. An implication for those holding hierarchical clerical positions in the church is that leadership is a process of learning how to negotiate one’s status and cultural affiliation and membership because, whereas the church controls the production of clerics, the subculture will only accept a cleric who is cognizant of its cultural peculiarities. v Table of Contents Dedication……………………………………………………..………….………….....II Acknowledgments………………………………………….……………….....…….....III Abstract………………………………………….………………………..……….…....IV List of Tables………………………………………………………………..….……….IX List of Figures…………………….…………………………………...……................XIII Chapter 1: Introduction……………………………………………………………………1 Purpose of Study ..................................................................................................... 2 Definitions of Relevant Terms ................................................................................ 5 Organization of the Document ................................................................................ 7 Chapter 2: Research Methods and Literature Review………………………………….…8 Research Methods and Design Of The Study ......................................................... 8 Philosophical Foundation...................................................................................... 10 Research Tradition .................................................................................................11 Theoretical and Conceptual Framework ............................................................... 12 Research Questions ............................................................................................... 16 Unit of Analysis .................................................................................................... 17 Literature Review.................................................................................................. 19 Sampling Procedure in a Field Study.................................................................... 48 Attending To Moral, Ethical, and Legal Issues ..................................................... 51 Instrumentation ..................................................................................................... 52 Data Content ......................................................................................................... 54 Data Analysis Procedures ..................................................................................... 58 vi Validity, Dependability, and Credibility ............................................................... 59 Limitations ............................................................................................................ 64 Chapter 3: Historical Background……………………………………………………….66 Jesus Era to The Middle Ages ............................................................................... 67 Middle Ages to the Protestant Reformation .......................................................... 77 Cross-Atlantic European Immigration .................................................................. 94 Era of Politicization (1763 -1820) ...................................................................... 127 Chapter 4: Immigration Period 1820-1920……………………………………………..157 Organizational Culture ........................................................................................ 158 Irish Immigration ................................................................................................ 159 German Immigration ........................................................................................... 198 French Immigration ............................................................................................ 230 Italian Immigration ............................................................................................. 282 Chapter 5: Summary……………………………………………………………………304 Purposes of the Study.......................................................................................... 304 Research Tradition .............................................................................................. 304 Conceptual Framework ....................................................................................... 305 Unit of Analysis .................................................................................................. 308 Attending to Moral, Ethical, and Legal Issues .................................................... 308 Research Instrumentation.................................................................................... 308 Data Needed ........................................................................................................ 309 Data Analysis Procedures ....................................................................................311 Validity, Dependability, and Credibility ............................................................. 312 vii Historical Background .......................................................................................