Another missed opportunity lies with understanding aspects of the African American Catholic parish.

Therefore, declarations of uncommon faithfulness are probably better suited as a description of the African American Catholic experience than specific tenets of religiosity.

Perseverance is a multifaceted concept, requiring three components: struggle, anxiety, and hope.

We believe that this analysis has helped to advance the discourse on African American Catholics in the Church, perceptions of racial intolerance within institutions, and the challenges faced by White Catholics.

We are skeptical that the contemporary African American Catholic experience is characterized by a struggle against racial marginalization and intolerance in the Church and within their parishes.

Blacks in their study did not seek to resolve discrimination through confrontational means or by leaving the institution. Instead, they turned inward possibly to understand and correct the problem, or to insulate themselves from future racial occurrences.

African American Catholics who have recently left the Church are in many respects the most disaffected and disenchanted, and they are likely to provide an interesting test of our results.

As in any study involving racial groups, these questions cannot be examined in a vacuum.

Religiosity is heightened by interfaith marriage.