SOCIAL NETWORK THEORY AND PREDICTORS OF RELIGIOSITY FOR BLACK-AND-WHITE CATHOLICS - EVIDENCE OF A BLACK SACRED COSMOS

Data drawn Rom a well-known survey of 2,667 registered U.S. Catholic p arishioners (part of the Notre Dame Study of Catholic Pariah Life) wer e used to examine the ways in which black Catholics differ from white Catholics in the patterns - and predictors - of religious devotionalis m and spirituality. Black Catholics were found to display higher level s of the more private styles of religious devotion and report a greate r frequency of spiritual experiences than white Catholics. Especially interesting are the high rates of participation by black Catholics in a variety of traditional, uniquely Catholic styles of devotion. Contra ry to expectations, the correlates of religiosity for black and white Catholics tend to be similar. For both groups, social network variable s are the strongest net predictors of every measure of religiosity.