“On those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned”. These words of the prophet Isaiah spoken eight hundred years before the birth of Christ today bring to mind the rapid propagation of the faith in Africa. Known for centuries by Europeans, perhaps pejoratively, as the ‘dark continent’ – an image reinforced by Joseph Conrad’s 1899 novel ‘The Heart of Darkness’ – Africa today is experiencing the highest rate of growth in Catholicism in the world.
Its identity as the dark continent obscures Africa’s role in the early Church. Alexandria was one of the original four Patriarchates. Origen, Tertullian, Clement and Athanasius of Alexandria, three of the early Popes, to say nothing of St. Augustine of Hippo, were all North Africans. The rise of Islam in the seventh century led to the disappearance of most of Christianity. Not until the fifteenth century did the Portuguese begin exploring sub-Saharan Africa. In subsequent centuries they were followed by the French, Italian, German and Irish. In spite of the evangelizing of the European missionaries, it wasn’t until the year 1913 when the first African priests were ordained. In 1960, Archbishop Rugambwa from Tanzania was made the first native African cardinal. Today there are twenty-nine. The number of priests and religious sisters exceeds fifty thousand and eighty thousand, respectively. Catholicism is now growing rapidly.
The growth, however, is not without its challenges. Across the continent the laity lack adequate theological formation, a condition which undermines the vitality of the growth of the faith – especially in the faith of the Moslem incursion in parts of the continent. Organizations which address this challenge include one recently formed called Church Life Africa (Churchlifeafrica.org)
Founded in 2022 in Indiana, Church Life Africa is responding to this need by training and mobilizing lay Catholics in Africa as theologians, catechists and mission leaders. Its programs entail on-site formation conferences and post-graduate certifications in theology. One of its annual formation conferences was held in Nigeria this summer, the spirit of which is captured on the video linked here.
As CLA’s website states: “As the fastest-growing Catholic population in the world, Africa continues to inspire hope for the future of the Church both in terms of numbers and commitment to the faith……However, this enthusiasm for the faith is not matched by intentional catechesis and ongoing formation of the laity. To survive the complex challenges of todays world, the Church in Africa must be supported to consolidate its Catholic intellectual and moral foundation, so that the message of the Gospel can be better understood, preserved, and proclaimed with ‘new ardor, new method, and new expression. Church Life Africa exists to respond to this call for a New Evangelization”.
Members of the NCCF community are impressed and encouraged by the vibrancy of the Church in Africa where the good news of the Gospel is enlightening the lives of millions. Isaiah, too, must be pleased by this demonstration of the advance of the Kingdom. What must he think, though, of those parts of the world where the light has shone through the darkness for generations but where the denizens are blind. Those who ‘have eyes but do not see’?
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