Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Freetown (Agenzia Fides) – July 8 will mark the 60th anniversary of the arrival of the Xaverian Missionaries in Sierra Leone. Four men - left the port of Liverpool aboard the “Apapa” on June 29, 1950 – and reached the port of Freetown the morning of July 8. The Fathers were Azzolini Augustus (who was guiding them) with Peter Serafino Calza, Attilio Stefani, and Camillo Olivana. They were the first missionaries of a great number of others who would take care of the northern part of Sierra Leone, hitherto never evangelized. This is how they earned the name of the “Four Pioneers.” With them came a new and exciting chapter in the history of Sierra Leone and the life of the Catholic Church. Sixty years may seem few in the long African history, but it can also be a lot for what it meant to this particular African nation and for the truly miraculous changes brought about by the Four Pioneers and the many brothers who promptly followed them to Sierra Leone. We can let history speak for itself.
After a long negotiation with the Holy Ghost Fathers, present in the south of the country since 1864, and the Apostolic See (particularly with the Congregation of Propaganda Fide), the missionary field in the Colony and British Protectorate of Sierra Leone was finally opened to the Xaverian Missionaries. A large portion was taken from the territories entrusted to the Holy Ghost Fathers and given over to the Xaverian Missionaries. A territory that was called "impenetrable to the Gospel, because it was – as they said back then - mainly inhabited by Mohammedans."
The truth was probably different and the facts prove it. Statistically speaking, the Muslims forces were certainly a minority compared with the followers of traditional African religions, but their influence certainly dominated the majority of the population. And the Christian presence seemed insignificant and of little value. Several Protestant groups were trying, with little success, to try a biblical approach with these people, however...an intelligently coordinated and systematic approach, as was that of the Msgr. Azzolini and the Xaverians, had never been attempted before.
I will not tell the entire history of evangelization and the presence of the Xaverians in the past 60 years, but I do want to highlight here some elements that characterized their evangelizing and missionary work. According to some clichés and previous Xaverian practices, there were moments of misunderstanding and opposition to the method used by the Pioneers at the start of their work in Africa. The point of comparison was the mission in China and the ways of working previously experienced. The school was considered a waste of time and precious energy, not only economically but also humanly speaking. And the superiors did not always understand the value of this human instrument of evangelization. But it was with the school, even inside the school, from whence the first Christians and the first churches came. It was from the classrooms, at the appropriate time turned into churches, that the first members of the faith and the seed of what is now the flourishing Christian communities in the north of Sierra Leone. It took Vatican II - and a new generation of Xaverians - to understand that those were the means of the Gospel for integral evangelization. Those were also the instruments for the encounter with Islam and Muslims. Without the school, we never would have been able to affect the Muslim world and the many followers of traditional religions.
Writing home to the Superiors, Msgr. Azzolini says: "... I've had the chance, I do not know whether it is for better or for worse, to start a mission and a diocese out of nowhere, and I had to use the systems and methods previously unknown by our missions. I had to adapt to the methods already present in this land of Africa, and I had to suffer and struggle to understand that those were the forms of the apostolate and work that were used here in Africa. Now, we are still on that line. And, of course, things are developing and bringing new requirements and adaptations ... It should be noted that no Catholic or non-Catholic mission without scholastic commitments in Africa. It would ;ose all its prestige and its entire workforce, with the threat of even being closed. With our schools, we have truly created a Christian atmosphere in this Province, where no one even knew the meaning of the word Catholic."
This speech given by the Minister of the Interior - delivered in 1987 on behalf of President of the Republic, for the installation of Bishop George Biguzzi - confirms it: "The dedication to work [of Msgr. Azzolini], his ability to love and understand the people of his diocese, the support he received from the Catholic Mission has resulted in a rapid expansion of education in an area of our nation which until then had been neglected. Before his arrival, the Northern Province had no secondary school. ... When the bishop arrived in our country, he was in a region that was not yet open to the opportunities of education. Now that he leaves this land, I would like to assure him that his deeds will never be forgotten. It is with a deep sense of personal gratitude, mixed with a deep sorrow that we bid farewell today to one who was not only a missionary, but a brother, a friend, and a father to many Sierra Leoneans ... On behalf of the Government and the people of Sierra Leone, we express our thanks to Msgr. Azzolini and we wish him well wherever he goes. But, I want to express my sincere esteem for the Catholic Mission that gave a wonderful contribution to our development efforts, and express this to all those who, like Mgr. Azzolini, have played a major role in the activities of the Mission in Sierra Leone."
In the official speech delivered in Makeni during the proclamation of independence of Sierra Leone (1961) Mr. Blake, Provincial Commissioner, said: "For you [people of Sierra Leone], the Government has done much, but in many ways the missions have done more: Protestants - in over a hundred years - have worked hard, but at slow pace, following your course. The pace has been set by the Catholics in the ten years since their arrival among you. Today, the new government gives thanks and gives you the encouragement to follow them in their efforts." Speaking here of Bishop Azzolini means to speak of the Xaverians and the Catholic Church in Sierra Leone; it means remembering their presence in the Northern Province in these past 60 years. (By Fr. Gerardo Caglioni, SX) (Agenzia Fides 07/07/2010)
