Founded in 1868 by Cardinal Lavigerie, the Society of the Missionaries of Africa has always sought to proclaim the Gospel to the African world. All our commitments, in their great diversity, have always been directed towards this goal: to bear witness to the Kingdom of God and to share the grace of the Good News with those who welcome it.
Saint Francis said: “To evangelise a man is to tell him: you too are loved by God in the Lord Jesus. And not only to tell him so, but to truly believe it. And not only to believe it, but to behave towards that man in such a way that he feels and discovers that there is something within him that is saved, something greater and nobler than he thought. That is what it means to proclaim the Good News to him.”
To evangelise is to step out of the sacristies, meet people where they are, and proclaim Jesus Christ, through him, to restore hope and life to all who have lost them, but a concrete hope, responding to people’s needs as well as social, economic and pastoral needs. This has been achieved over the years through the teaching of the catechism and theological formation in major seminaries, the establishment of rural schools and health centres, the study of local languages and the compilation of their first dictionaries, and the planting of trees and the construction of roads and dams.
Following Pope Francis’s constant call to the Church, the Missionaries of Africa adopted the existential periphery as the criterion for their current apostolic engagement. This means proclaiming the Gospel today by engaging with victims of human trafficking and modern slavery, migrants, refugees, the marginalised, street children, and all those most distant from Christ, those who do not know him or have lost touch with him. Their apostolic priorities today lie within this dynamic movement: the proclamation of the Gospel in close connection with interreligious dialogue and the pursuit of justice, peace and the care of creation.
To proclaim the Good News to them, the Missionaries of Africa have always sought to live as closely as possible with the people to whom they are sent, sharing their way of life, respecting their culture in all matters not contrary to the Gospel, learning their language in particular, and enriching the liturgy with elements of their culture.
The New Evangelisation followed Primary Evangelisation in societies that are now far removed from the Gospel. Given that the mission is not confined to a specific geographical area, the Missionaries of Africa have thus been called to bring the Good News to the African world outside Africa, in Europe, Asia, America, and wherever their charism is needed. This new evangelisation sometimes feels like primary evangelisation.
