AFRICA/SOUTH AFRICA - “Go north young man!”: history of Jesuits in Southern Africa

Friday, 28 April 2006

Pretoria (Fides Service) - The Bishop of Grahamstown in the Cape Province, South Africa, in 1879 asked for Jesuits. He offered them a school in Grahamstown in the hope this would serve as a springboard for the missionary enterprise. “Go north , young man,” was the slogan. And it worked. An international team of Jesuits, led by the Belgian Fr Henri Depelchin SJ, with missionary experience in India, left Grahamstown for the 1000 mile long trek by oxcart to the Zambezi. It was 1879, Catholic missionaries were late in arriving for the evangelisation of Africa also because of the suppression of the Society of Jesus in 1773 which was then reconstituted in 1814. The newly established Congregation with other new missionary institutions for example the Holy Ghost Fathers and the White Fathers or Missionaries of Africa started a programme for the evangelisation of the continent.
The history of the presence of Jesuits in southern Africa was the subject of a lecture “Our First Hundred Missionaries: the Jesuits who came to work and study in Southern Africa before 1890” given by Fr Eddie Murphy SJ, at Arrupe College, Wednesday, 19 April 2006 (see “IN TOUCH WITH CHURCH AND FAITH”, NUMBER 69, 27 APRIL 2006).
That first group of missionaries “started a 1000 mile long trek by oxcart to the Zambezi, covering no more than 15 km on a good day. The priests in the group came from parishes and schools. They were not fit enough for the hardships they had to suffer. Only the tough Brothers survived” said Fr Murphy. “Their greatest enemy was Malaria. They had no Quinine, though Livingstone has advised very strongly never to be without it, and the Jesuits of the “old Society” before 1773 had in fact discovered the “Jesuit bark” in Latin America, as effective remedy for Malaria, but the Jesuits of the 19th century tragically no longer knew about it.” said Fr Murphy.
Despite the many difficulties the Jesuits continued their mission and even led others in Europe to join them. “The letters of the first missionaries published in Europe (Belgium, France, Germany) had tremendous success (as had Francis Xavier’s in the 16th century), and the many who volunteered to join the mission were to be trained in the field.” the Jesuit historian recalled.
But conditions were hard. “Life was very tough. Furniture was made of clay since there was no timber. But the men did not complain, they took the hard (community) life for granted for which they had volunteered. Great emphasis was laid on the study of languages. Torrend learnt Tonga from some Tonga men long before he set foot in Tongaland (today Zambia).” His Superior Fr. Sykes, called him “clever madman”. He really touched the heart of the people of Tonga” said Fr. Murphy. “For us Jesuits these are our ancestors, our “living dead”.” Fr Murphy concluded . (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 28/4/2006 righe 37 parole 463)


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