2013

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Missions in Africa

Africa

Spiritans have been working in Africa for well over 150 years and are serving in nearly 30 countries.  Today, Spiritans of the U.S. Province continue to serve primarily in South Africa and Tanzania.

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AFRICA

 Spiritans have worked in Africa for over 150 years. Today, US Spiritans work in the African countries of Ethiopia, South Africa and Tanzania.

 

Spiritans in Ethiopia

Ethiopia

In 1972 the first Spiritans came to Ethiopia in response to their call as a congregation of missionaries.  This decision followed an expulsion of Irish Spiritans from Nigeria during the civil war in the late 1960s.  At the same time a team of Dutch and American Spiritans working in Tanzania were also interested in expanding their missionary work to another country. They chose Ethiopia as a place where many separate tribes had not yet been evangelized; had not yet heard of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

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Service to South Africa

An International Community

About 21 Spiritans of 10 different nationalities support the Archdioceses of Durban and Johannesburg, and Dioceses of Bethlehem and Dundee.  

In the years from 1945 to 1974, 29 churches, 8 chapels, 5 schools, 11 parish houses, 12 houses for catechists and 3 parish halls were built. The Superior-General of the Spiritans, Fr. Griffin, visited all mission sta­tions in the Diocese in 1952. He recognized the opportunity given to the Spiritans by the establishment of the hierarchy. In addition, he encouraged the Spiritans to foster local vocations and continue the increase of Churches and schools as they had so very well achieved.
 
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Spiritans in South Africa

Spiritans first set foot on South African soil in 1878. That year Fr. Duparquet took over the Prefecture of Cimbebasia which then comprised parts of Angola, Namibia and Botswana. Conflict and communication difficulties forbade further work, and in 1889, the few Spiritans returned to Germany.

It wasn't until 1923 that Spiritans returned to South Africa, to work with the 821 Catholics that had come there, largely from Europe.  The missionaries faced a large scarcely populated territory, a virtually non-existent Catholic Church; a situation that needed courage, ingenuity and faith in order to be overcome.  The first missionaries were pioneers whose work was characterized by intensive practical activity. They had to be jacks of all trades.

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