The Vatican Library has added to its collection a South Carolina State University professor's study on the inculturation of voodoo in a Catholic Mass. Associate Professor Dr Robert Grenier was recently informed that his article, "Werner Jaegerhuber's Messe sur les airs Vodouesques: The Inculturation of Vodou (Voodoo) in a Catholic Mass," will be included in the historical collection of the Vatican Library, the Times and Democrat reports.
In 2008, Grenier's article was published in the Black Music Research Journal.
Grenier later submitted copies to the Vatican Library and was informed later that his article would be included in the library's collection.
"You can imagine my surprise upon receiving the letter postmarked Vatican City," Grenier said.
"The letter informed me of the reception of my article. It was signed by Cardinal Raffaele Farina, chief archivist and librarian at the Vatican Library."
Grenier's article, which took a number of years to complete due to his extensive research and the necessity of reconstructing the musical score of the Mass from the surviving manuscripts, describes how Werner Jaegerhuber, a Haitian born composer of German extraction, selected elements of Haitian vodou, or voodoo, and blended them with music inspired by Gregorian chant to achieve an unprecedented coupling of two opposing faith traditions.
This odd pairing was inspired by the fact that the Mass was commissioned to celebrate the sesquicentennial of the founding of Haiti, the first black republic, in 1804, the Times and Democrat says.
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