List of venerated persons from Africa

Josephine Bakhita, Sudan-born saint

This is a list of saints, blesseds, venerables, and Servants of God from Africa, as recognized by the Catholic Church or other Christian denominations.[1] These people were born, died, or lived their religious life in any of the states or territories of Africa.

Before the Arab Conquest

In the first centuries of the Catholic Church, Africa produced many of her leading lights. The Catholic presence in Africa was weakened by the schism following the Council of Chalcedon which resulted in the separation between the Catholic and Coptic Orthodox Church, and even more so by the rise of Islam. Following the Arab conquest of northern Africa, the Catholic Church was largely absent from the continent before modern times, although the Coptic, and later Ethiopic, Orthodox Churches remained. The following are some of the notable saints from the first to seventh centuries, though it is a very incomplete list.

Popes

Three of the early popes were either from Africa themselves or children of African immigrants to Rome. All three were from this time period and are traditionally considered saints. They are:

Doctors

Three of the thirty-five Doctors of the Church were from Africa, all of them from this time period. They are:

Writers and theologians

Many of the early writers and theologians had connections with Africa. A partial list would include:

Others

Modern times

It would be difficult to say who the first saint to be associated with Africa after the Arab conquest would be. Francis of Assisi famously went on a mission to Egypt in 1219. Berardo, Ottone, Pietro, Accursio, Adiuto, martyrs in Morocco (1220). Daniel Fasanella, Samuele, Angelo, Leone, Niccolò, Ugolino, Domno, martyrs in Morocco (1227). Louis IX of France died in Tunisia en route from the Holy Land in 1270. But after the canonization of saints came to be reserved to the papacy around AD 1000, and especially after the establishment of the Congregation of Rites in 1588, the list of official saints with African connections is more clear.

List of saints

The following is the list of saints, including the year in which they were canonized and the country or countries with which they are associated.

List of blesseds

List of venerables

List of Servants of God

  • John Bradburne, layperson of the Archdiocese of Harare; member of the Secular Franciscans; martyr (Zimbabwe)
  • Andrés de Oviedo and 8 companions from the Jesuits of Ethiopia (Ethiopia)
    • Andrés de Oviedo
    • François Abraham de Georgiis
    • Gaspar Paes
    • João Pereira
    • Apolinar de Almeida
    • Giacinto Franceschi
    • Francisco Rodrigues
    • Luis Cardeira
    • Bruno Bruni
  • Teresa Chikaba, West African nun
  • Peter Porekuu Dery, Archbishop of Tamale (Ghana)
  • Stéphanos II Ghattas, cardinal (Egypt)
  • Mariano Gichohi and 20 Companions, martyrs under the Mau Mau (Kenya)
  • Marianno Wachira and 26 Companions (d. 1952–1955), laypeople from the Archdioceses of Nyeri and Nairobi along with the Dioceses of Murang’a and Meru; Catechumens; professed religious of the Consolata Missionary Sisters and the Sisters of Mary Immaculate of Nyeri; martyrs (Kenya)
  • Daniel George Hyams and Domitilla Maria Rota Hyams, married laypersons of the Archdiocese of Johannesburg (South Africa)
  • Michel Kayoya and 43 Companions, martyrs (Burundi)
  • Bernardo de Monroy, John de Avila, and John de Palacio, Trinitarian priests and martyrs (Algeria)[6]
  • Vivian Uchechi Ogu, child of the Diocese of Mbaise; martyr (Nigeria)
  • Maurice Michael Otunga, cardinal (Kenya)
  • Cyprien and Daphrose Rugamba and six companions, martyrs (Rwanda)
  • Bernadeta Mbawala, nun (Tanzania)
  • Julius Kambarage Nyerere, first president of Tanzania
  • Mario Bortoletto, priest of the Diocese of Treviso; Fidei Donum Missionary in the Diocese of Ebolowa; associate of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (Cameroon)
  • Luisa Mabalane Mafo and 22 Lay Companions from the Catechetical Center of Guiua, married catechists, catechumens, young laypersons and children of the Diocese of Imhanbane; martyrs (Mozambique)
  • Sergio Sorgon (Sergio of Saint Joseph) (1938–1985), professed priest of the Discalced Carmelites (Madagascar)
  • Teresa Kearney (Mary Kevin) (1875–1957), founder of the Little Sisters of Saint Francis and the Franciscan Missionary Sisters for Africa (Uganda)
  • Manuel Costa de los Ríos (prob. 1604–1686), layperson of the Archdiocese of Mercedes-Luján, custodian of Our Lady of Luján (Angola)
  • Christophe Munzihirwa Mwene Ngabo (1926–1996), professed priest of the Jesuits; Archbishop of Bukavu (Democratic Republic of Congo)
  • Jeremy Joyner White, layperson of the Personal Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei (Nigeria)
  • Aloÿs Kobès, professed priest of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritians); apostolic vicar of Senegambia; founder of the Daughters of the Holy Heart of Mary and the Brothers of Saint Joseph (Senegal)
  • Floribert Bwana Chui bin Kositi (1981–2007), layperson of the Archdiocese of Goma; member of the Saint Egidio Community; martyr (Democratic Republic of Congo)
  • Declan O'Toole (1971–2002), priest of the Mill Hill Missionaries; martyr (Uganda)
  • Giosuè dei Cas (1880–1932), professed religious of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus (South Sudan)
  • Manuel Armindo de Lima and 3 Companions (Maria Adriano Abílio, Maria do Carmo Bartolomeu Simões, Joveta Paulino) (d. 1982), priest of the Missionary Society of the Good News; laypersons of the Diocese of Viana; postulant of the Mercedarian Sisters of Charity; catechist (Angola)
  • Gabriel Gonsum Ganaka (1937–1999), Archbishop of Jos (Nigeria)
  • Göbou Yaza (d. 1928?), young layperson of the Diocese of N’Zérékoré; catechumen; martyr (Guinea)
  • Franziska May (Reinolda) (1901–1981), professed religious of the Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing (South Africa)
  • Robert Naoussi (ca. 1940–1970), layperson of the Archdiocese of Douala (Cameroon)
  • Alexandre Toé (1967–1996), professed priest of the Camillians (Burkina Faso)
  • Aloysius Ngobya (1896-1986), priest of the Masaka Diocese (Uganda)
  • Amedeo Byabali (1908-1979), nun of the Daughters of Mary, Masaka. (Uganda)
  • Julia Greeley, philanthropist and Secular Franciscan
  • Thea Bowman, famed liturgist and Black nun from Mississippi
  • Mary Elizabeth Lange, first known African-American nun and founder of the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the first order of Black nuns in the United States
  • Angelo Graziani, professed priest, Capuchin Franciscans (Angola)
  • Henri de Solages, priest and apostolic prefect of Bourbon (Madagascar)
  • Eugenio Mazzini (Ethiopia)
  • Camillo Scarpa (Ethiopia)
  • Pietro Griso (Ethiopia)
  • Quinto Gardetto (Ethiopia)
  • Eliodora Zottig (Ethiopia)
  • Alfredo de Lai (Ethiopia)
  • Giovanni Prato (Ethiopia)
  • Weldemariam Tesfaghiorghis (Ethiopia)
  • Andeberhan Ghebreamlak (Ethiopia)
  • Franco Ricci (Ethiopia)

Other proposed causes

Others have been proposed for beatification, and may have active groups supporting their causes. These include:

  • Anna Ali, religious in the order of The Most Holy Eucharist and reported mystic. (Kenya) The bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Eldoret has appointed a task force to investigate the life of Anna Ali. Hundreds of pilgrims visit her burial place every year to commemorate the nun who is reported to have received messages from Jesus for 25 years and to have photographed him.


See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ For a more comprehensive list, see: sw:Orodha ya Watakatifu wa Afrika
  2. ^ "Pope Francis adds 21 Coptic Orthodox martyrs to Catholic list of saints - Vatican News". www.vaticannews.va. 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  3. ^ "Bienheureux Agathange de Vendôme et Cassien de Nantes". Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  4. ^ "BLESSED LIDUINA MENEGUZZI :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  5. ^ "Ghebre Michael - Vincentian Encyclopedia". Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  6. ^ Index ac status causarum beatificationis servorum dei et canonizationis beatorum (in Latin). Typis polyglottis vaticanis. January 1953. p. 36.

Sources

  • "Hagiography Circle"
  • O'Malley, Vincent J. (2001). Saints of Africa. Our Sunday Visitor. ISBN 0-87973-373-X.
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