The Missionaries of Africa (Latin: Missionarii Africae), commonly known as the White Fathers is a Roman Catholic society of apostolic life. Founded in 1868 by then Archbishop of Algiers Charles-Martial Allemand-Lavigerie.[9] The society focuses on evangelism and education, mostly in Africa. In 2021, there were 1428 members of the Missionnaires of Africa, of 36 Nationalities, working in 42 Countries, in 217 communities.[10]Its members add the nominal letters M.Afr. after their names to indicate that they are members of the congregation.
| Missionarii Africae (latine)[1] | |
 | |
| Abbreviation | Post-nominal letters: M. Afr.[2] |
|---|---|
| Nickname | White Fathers |
| Formation | 1868[3] |
| Founder | Charles Cardinal Lavigerie[4] |
| Founded at | Algiers, Algeria |
| Type | Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right (for Men)[5] |
| Headquarters | Generalate Via Aurelia, 269, 00165 Rome, Italy[6] |
Membership | 1,428 members (1,073 priests) as of 2018[7] |
Superior General | Fr. Stanley Lubungo, M. Afr.[8] |
Apostolate | Missionary work in Africa |
Main organ | Petit Echo |
| Affiliations | Roman Catholic Church |
| Website | mafrome |
History
This section needs additional citations for verification. (March 2020) |
The cholera epidemic 1867 left a large number of Algerian orphans, and the education and Christian instruction of these children was the occasion of the founding of the society in Maison-Carrée (now El-Harrach) near Algiers; but from its inception the founder had in mind the conversion of the Arabs and the peoples of Central Africa. Lavigerie instructed his missionaries to speak the language of the people, eat the same food, and wear the same clothing. They therefore adopted the North African dress: the gandoura, the Arab cloak and the chechia, with as a religious sign a rosary worn around the neck like necklace.[10] The nickname "White Fathers" derives from their garb.
A novitiate was established in 1868. Missionary posts were established in Kabylie and in the Sahara. In 1876 three missionaries on their way to Timbuktu were killed by desert nomads.[10] In 1878 ten missionaries left Algiers to establish posts at Lakes Victoria, Nyassa and Tanganyika.[11] In 1878, a caravan of several missionaries arrived at the port of Mombasa, and after a three month trek reach Lake Victoria.
White Father missionaries in Algeria ransomed a young slave, Adrien Atiman, and arranged for his education.[12] Atiman subsequently became a medical catechist with the White Fathers at Karema, and was responsible for a significant autobiographical account of his enslavement, subsequent freedom and integration into the White Fathers' mission.[13]
In 1880, at the request of the Holy See, the White Fathers established at Jerusalem a Greek Melchite seminary for the formation of clergy of that rite. In 1894 a mission in French Sudan (now Mali) was founded.[11]
Present day
These now form the present Lakes Archdioceses of Kampala, Gitega, Tabora, and the dioceses of Kigoma, Lilongwe, and Kalemie-Kirungu.
The society is composed of missionary priests and brothers. The members are bound by an oath engaging them to labour for the conversion of Africa according to the constitutions of their society. The missionaries are not, strictly speaking, a religious institute, whether "order" or "congregation". Instead, they are a society of apostolic life. They may retain their own property; but they may expend it in the society only at the direction of the superiors.
The White Fathers, meaning the members of the international Missionary Society of priest and brothers, were:
At present, in 2021, the Society is reparted as follows:
-1144 Missionaries of Africa – fully professed priests, deacons and brothers:
-467 are living and working in Europe
-120 in the Americas
-510 in Africa
-15 in Asia
-31 in the Generalate in Rome
Although there are 460 students now at various stages of preparation, many of these White Fathers are retired because of age or ill health. It raises the question of the future of the Society which is disappearing in Europe[14].
Formation:
Becoming a White Father in the present is much longer than before. To complete the process of preparation, the candidates must first spend one year in a preparatory centre. Then comes the study of Philosophy for 3 or 4 years. The next step is the Spiritual Year which takes place in one of 3 centres in Africa. Two are English-speaking, one is French-speaking. The final period of study of 4 years takes place in Africa or Jerusalem[15].
Aims
One of the chief points in the rule is in regard to community life in the missions, each house being obliged to contain at least three members. At the head of the society is a General-Superior, elected every six years by the chapter. He resides in Rome at the Generalate house on Via Aurelia. Those desiring to become priests or brothers are admitted to the novitiate after their philosophical studies. After the novitiate they spent two years of missionary training on the field and four years of theology. This training can be slightly different for brother candidates. The theological studies are spent in scholasticate presently located in Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Nairobi (Kenya), Merrivale (Devon), South Africa and Jerusalem. The society admits persons of all nationalities.
Dress and membership
The habit of the missionaries resembles the white robes of the Algerian Arabs and consists of a cassock or gandoura, and a mantle or burnous. A rosary and cross are worn around the neck in imitation of the mesbaha of the marabouts.
In January 2006, the society numbered; 9 bishops, 1,498 priests, 156 brothers; 16 clerics with perpetual oath, and 5 associates. There were 354 students preparing to enter the society.
Leadership
From 1874 under the leadership of Archbishop (later Cardinal) Charles-Martial Allemand-Lavigerie, General Superiors served the role of being in overall charge of the Society. After the death of Charles-Martial Allemand-Lavigerie in 1892, the Superior General’s position changed to one of ultimate leadership as their work was no longer overseen by a Cardinal or Archbishop.[16]
Today the leader of the General Council is the Superior General, Father Stanley Lubungo from Zambia, and he has four assistant councillors: Didier Sawadogo (Burkina Faso), Francis Barnes (British), Martin Grenier (Canadian), and Ignatius Anipu (Ghanaian).[17] These individuals have specific areas of responsibility such as which countries they interact with which allows them to travel visiting various regions before returning to Rome. Everyone who serves in the Council and gains leadership is elected, with the next election due in 2022.[18]
The table below lists all the General Superiors from 1874 until the present day: [19]
| Years in Role | General Superiors |
|---|---|
| 1874-1880 | Fr. Francisque Deguerry |
| 1880-1885 | Fr. Jean-Baptiste-Frézal Charbonnier (later Bishop) |
| 1885-1886 | Fr. Léonce Bridoux (later Bishop) |
| 1886-1889 | Fr. Francisque Deguerry |
| 1889-1894 | Bishop Léon Livinhac (later Archbishop) |
| 1894-11 November 1922 | Archbishop Léon Livinhac |
| 1922-1936 | Fr. Paul Voillard |
| 22 April 1936-30 April 1947 | Bishop Joseph-Marie Birraux |
| 05 May 1947-1957 | Bishop Louis-Marie-Joseph Durrieu |
| 1957-1967 | Fr. Léon Volker |
| 1967-1974 | Fr. Théoz Van Asten |
| 1974-1980 | Fr. Jean-Marie Vasseur |
| 1980-1986 | Fr. Robert Marie Gay (later Bishop) |
| 1986-1992 | Fr. Etienne Renaud |
| 1992-1998 | Fr. Gothard Rosner |
| 1998-02 June 2004 | Fr. François Richard |
| 02 June 2004-31 May 2010 | Fr. Gérard Chabanon |
| 31 May 2010- 17 February 2016 | Fr. Richard Baawobr (became Bishop of Wa, Ghana, earlier in 2016) |
| 27 May 2016-Present | Fr. Stanley Lubungo |
Zambia
The White fathers were once the largest missionary society in Zambia. In 1891, the White Fathers established their first station among the Mambwe, an ethnic group from northeastern Zambia, in the Tanganyika-Malawi corridor. This establishment makes them the earliest to settle in the country, even before the effective inception of British rule after the Berlin Conference in 1885 which gave the Zambia territory to the British power [20].
In 1895 Joseph Dupont took over the Mambwe mission. He directed his effort toward the dominant ethnic group in Northern Zambia, the Bemba.
Joseph Dupont then contacted the Bemba royalty. This action was in line with Lavigerie’s instructions. The founding Cardinal believed in the ‘Clovis Model’: this model was a strategy of conversion in order to Christianise the indigenous people from Zambia. The strategy consisted of the idea that you needed to persuade the King to convert first and then the population will follow and convert to Christianism as well [21].
The White Fathers claimed to be successful in converting at least some of the Bemba to Christianity. However, Britain, which wanted to exercise indirect colonial power in this area, refused to allow the French White Fathers to set up missions before 1900 [22]. But, by the 1930s, the White Fathers oversaw twenty missions located in the eastern provinces of Zambia [23].
Following the request of Zambia authorities for the bones of Joseph Dupont, the bishop’s bones were reburied at Chilubula mission on the 15th of December 2000. This event was, rather unusual, in that it happened 88 years after the members of the ‘White Fathers’ had left Zambia. It shows the influence the White Fathers had at the time and still have in Zambia to this day [24].
Even today, Lusaka, is home to the ‘White Fathers’ headquarters, where the archivale collection remains, and was updated in 2001 by Father Hugo Hinfelaar[25].
Dress and Membership
Africa is a continent with high levels of Islamic worship which meant that the White Fathers would wear robes that resembled those of Algerian Arabs. Algerian Arab robes were ones filled with colours and patterns which were known as Kaftans, while the White Father missionaries were purely all white and, in some cases, black. The design was also different as it resembled more of a cassock, which is a coat that is a piece of Christian Clerical clothing and is worn mainly in the Catholic Church. The climate across Africa meant however that wearing the Cassock would not be suitable, so robes were designed with inspiration from a Gandoura, which is a popular article of clothing in Africa made from cotton and a light material, which suits the weather conditions. To accompany this was a long white cloak known as Burnous. These men would wear a rosary around their neck to show that they were men of religion and prayer, and the rosary resembled the Misbaha of the Marabouts.
Archives
The official archives of the Missionaries of Africa (‘The White Fathers’) are in Rome, Italy.[26] This archival collection is deemed private. However, researchers can gain access on request. They are currently managed by the General Secretariat of the Society, and their archivist is Father Dominique Arnauld.[27]
Whilst today the official languages of the society are French and English, most records and the limited electronic collection are organised in the French language. The archives hold a variety of materials ranging from correspondence, reports, general administration and publications from their founder Cardinal Lavigerie.[28]
This centralised archive is deemed essential to those researching Sub-Saharan African history as it contains a wide availability of resources. [29] However, many are unaware of the regional ‘White Fathers’ archives that exist within Africa itself.
The archive at the ‘White Fathers’ headquarters in Lusaka, Zambia, was most recently updated in 2001, overseen by Father Hugo Hinfelaar. The collections had been held until 1996 at the Ilondola missions ‘Language Learning Centre’, which had been an open facility for researchers since 1960. The collections were mainly created and catalogued by Father Louis Oger until he died in 1996. These included materials detailing the society’s administration, history and personnel. By moving the collections to Lusaka, Zambia, the archive has become much more accessible, and they are actively seeking to expand their collections. [30]
A similar regional archive exists in Mwanza, Tanzania and details the activities of the ‘White Fathers’ who worked in this area. Although small, it provides a valuable insight into the societies missions and contains documents such as the ‘Reports Annuels’. The latter compiles statistics related to the ‘White Fathers’ work, ranging from the number of Sisters to baptisms. Records such as this are not available in Rome, demonstrating the importance of seeking various archival sources and not solely those from the central archive. [31]
Photographic archives related to the ‘White Fathers missionary work from throughout the 20th century can be found in various archives such as in the Smithsonian, which provide images of the missions and the Africans living near them in Rwanda and Burundi. Similar photographs exist in the University of Birmingham archives and detail a variety of missionary work in several African countries. [32]
See also
References
- ^ "Missionaries of Africa (M. Afr.)".
- ^ "Missionaries of Africa (M. Afr.)".
- ^ "Missionaries of Africa (M. Afr.)".
- ^ "Missionaries of Africa (M. Afr.)".
- ^ "Missionaries of Africa (M. Afr.)".
- ^ "Missionaries of Africa (M. Afr.)".
- ^ "Missionaries of Africa (M. Afr.)".
- ^ "Missionaries of Africa (M. Afr.)".
- ^ Gcatholic, Missionaries of Africa (M.AFR) White Fathers (2021) <http://www.gcatholic.org/orders/030.htm >[accessed 15 November 2021].
- ^ a b c Ceillier, Jean-Claude Ceillier. "The origins and Presentation of Our Society", Peres Blanc
- ^ a b Forbes, John. "White Fathers." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 3 March 2020
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Rockel, Stephen (16 April 2013). "The Remarkable Story of Adrian Atiman: Freed Slave to Medical Missionary". SSRN. SSRN 2252267.
- ^ "African history specialist discusses Adrien Atiman, freed slave to medical missionary". 14 March 2014. York University. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
- ^ "Preparation". Missionaries of Africa. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ^ "Preparation". Missionaries of Africa. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ^ Missionaries of Africa, Generalate (2021) < https://www.missionariesofafrica.org.uk/generalate > [accessed 17 November 2021].
- ^ The Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers), After the “Chapter 2016”: The General Council (2021), < http://peresblancs.org/conseilggb.htm > [accessed 17 November 2021].
- ^ Missionaries of Africa, Generalate (2021) < https://www.missionariesofafrica.org.uk/generalate > [accessed 17 November 2021].
- ^ Gcatholic, Missionaries of Africa (M.AFR) White Fathers (2021) < http://www.gcatholic.org/orders/030.htm >[accessed 15 November 2021].
- ^ Hinfelaar, Marja (2003). "The White Fathers' Archive in Zambia". History in Africa. 30: 439–445. doi:10.1017/S0361541300003314. ISSN 0361-5413.
- ^ Hinfelaar, Marja (2003). "Remembering Bishop Joseph Dupont (1850-1930) in Present-Day Zambia". Journal of Religion in Africa. 33 (4): 365–376. ISSN 0022-4200.
- ^ Carey, Margret (2003). "Missionaries in Zambia". Journal of Museum Ethnography (15): 1–7. ISSN 0954-7169.
- ^ Hinfelaar, Marja (2003). "The White Fathers' Archive in Zambia". History in Africa. 30: 439–445. doi:10.1017/S0361541300003314. ISSN 0361-5413.
- ^ Hinfelaar, Marja (2003). "Remembering Bishop Joseph Dupont (1850-1930) in Present-Day Zambia". Journal of Religion in Africa. 33 (4): 365–376. ISSN 0022-4200.
- ^ Hinfelaar, Marja (2003). "The White Fathers' Archive in Zambia". History in Africa. 30: 439–445. doi:10.1017/S0361541300003314. ISSN 0361-5413.
- ^ University of Birmingham, Photographs of the Society of Missionaries of Africa- [20th Century] (2016) <https://calmview.bham.ac.uk/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=XMS898> [accessed 15 November 2021].
- ^ Missionaries of Africa White Fathers, Archives and Library of the Missionaries of Africa (2017) <https://mafrome.org/archives-of-the-mafr/> [accessed 15 November 2021].
- ^ Missionaries of Africa White Fathers, Archives and Library of the Missionaries of Africa (2017) <https://mafrome.org/archives-of-the-mafr/> [accessed 15 November 2021].
- ^ Missionaries of Africa White Fathers, Archives and Library of the Missionaries of Africa (2017) <https://mafrome.org/archives-of-the-mafr/> [accessed 15 November 2021].
- ^ Marja Hinfelaar and Giacomo Macola, 'The White Fathers' Archive in Zambia', History in Africa, 30 (2003), 439-445 (p.440) <https://www.jstor.org/stable/3172099?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents> [accessed 15 November 2021].
- ^ Kathleen R.Smythe, 'The White Father Archives at Mwanza, Tanzania', History in Africa, 24 (1997), 431-432 (p.431) <https://www.jstor.org/stable/3172043?sid=primo&origin=crossref&seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents> [accessed 15 November 2021].
- ^ University of Birmingham, Photographs of the Society of Missionaries of Africa- [20th Century] (2016) <https://calmview.bham.ac.uk/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=XMS898> [accessed 15 November 2021].
Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.