Robert Ray's faith journey was complex. He wrote Gospel Mass while he was working for the Catholic Church, but was a long stalwart member of an AME congregation where the Black Gospel tradition was central.

The piece was born out of a program that the church sponsored in the mid 70s to grapple with how to present the structures of catholic liturgy and music into a language that was accessible to people who were more familiar with Gospel traditions.

It's helpful in understanding the piece to understand the purpose of the Catholic Mass. This simple explanation provides some insight. http://www.togetheratonealtar.catholic.edu.au/explore/purpose-of-the-mass/

Robert Ray considered these elements as he was setting Gospel Mass and beautifully addresses these purposes throughout his setting.