Mr. Dorsett’s Journey to Catholic Education
- Katie Parks
- Jan 4
- 2 min read
Mr. Dorsett has taught at Charlotte Catholic for five years and always manages to keep faith and music as two of his top priorities. Not only does he teach students about God in the classroom, but he also spreads God’s love when he sings at Mass. Mr. Dorsett helps everyone be more connected to the Catholic faith, which is his main goal as a religion teacher.
Even before working at Charlotte Catholic, Mr. Dorsett has always loved singing. He sings each Sunday at St. Ann’s Catholic Church and each Wednesday at school masses because he feels participating in the chorus is his own, special way to devote himself to God and give back to the Church. Mr. Dorsett felt inspired to work at Charlotte Catholic after becoming close friends with Mr. Mathews in the choir loft at St. Ann’s.
Mr. Dorsett and Mr. Mathews kicked it off, realizing they share very similar backgrounds. They both sing in the Carolina Catholic Chorale, a choir started in 2013 that performs liturgical music from the Roman Catholic tradition. They also both attended the Southern Evangelical Seminary, a Protestant college in Matthews, North Carolina. There, both teachers studied apologetics, which is the reasoned defense of religious faith. After attending this school and learning about God’s infallible teachings, Mr. Dorsett and Mr. Mathews converted from Baptist to Catholic.
They also share a similar childhood as their parents were Church musicians. Growing up around liturgical music, Mr. Dorsett remains very passionate about singing today.
As their friendship grew, Mr. Mathews, as the head of the Theology department, urged Mr. Dorsett to come teach at Charlotte Catholic. So one day after Mass, Father Reid, who was the chaplain at Charlotte Catholic at the time and the pastor at St. Ann’s, came up to Mr. Dorsett and offered him a teaching position at Charlotte Catholic. Mr. Dorsett at the time was working remotely due to Covid, so he decided to take the job.
After three years of working at Charlotte Catholic, choir director Mr. Correy discovered Mr. Dorsett and Mr. Mathews sang liturgical music and asked them to help out occasionally at all-school Mass. The two also collaborate with senior Pia Deeluca, who comes from a musical family as well.
Mr. Dorsett believes that music is very spiritual. He feels that liturgical chanting music helps people pray and focus more on God. He states that music in church is not about the beat and praise, but it instead should help others focus their minds on God. Because of this, his favorite songs are classical and liturgical, with his top artist being Kevin Allan, a contemporary liturgical music composer. He enjoys the modern choral structure combined with old tradition.
Thankful for their opportunities, Mr. Dorsett and Mr. Mathews enjoy singing at St. Ann’s and especially school Mass. Mr. Dorsett loves being able to teach those around him about God and share his gift with others.
Link to Mr. Dorsett singing if anybody is interested -
