The Saints of Africa

The other night, I was reading a story about St. Vincent de Paul to my sons.  St. Vincent de Paul is well known for his acts of charity and for inspiring others to be charitable, especially to the poor.  St. Vincent de Paul and his colleague St. Louise de Marillac are one of the dynamic duos of our faith.   

 
While reading this story, my youngest son asked, “Are there any saints from Africa?”  At that very moment, I could only think of St. Josephine Bakhita but I knew there are others.  Thus, my youngest son is the inspiration for this article. 

 
Our Christian faith has a very long association with Africa dating far back into Old Testament times.  Joseph was sold into slavery and ended up in Egypt where he rose to a prominent position in the Pharaoh’s government.  His family later joined him there to escape a devastating famine.  Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt after several centuries of enslavement.  St. Joseph brought Baby Jesus and Our Blessed Mother into Egypt to escape from Herod (see Matthew  2:13-15).    St. Philip evangelized the Ethiopian official (see Acts of the Apostles 8:26-40).   Alexandria, Egypt was one of the great centers of Christianity in its early centuries and was home to St. Mark the Evangelist later in his life.   The North African desert became the home of Christian hermits like Saint Antony of the Desert (251 - 356 A.D.) and St. Paul of Thebes (227 - 341 A.D.) who left civilization to focus completely on God through prayer and austere living.  Some of the greatest defenders of the faith like St. Augustine and St. Athanasius lived in Christian North Africa.  

 
Unfortunately, Christian North Africa was one of the first areas victimized and conquered by Muslim expansion in the 7th Century A.D.  and today, Christians in other areas of the African continent are being violently persecuted by Muslim militants as well.

 
There are many African saints, including St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Monica, St. Mark, St. Antony of the Desert, St. Athanasius, St. Charles Lwanga and St. Josephine Bakhita.  

 
St. Mark was a companion of St. Peter and learned the Good News about Jesus from him.  He wrote the Gospel that bears his name and spent the later years of his life in Alexandria.  Today, his mortal remains are resting in a magnificent basilica bearing his name in Venice, Italy.  

 
St. Antony of the Desert (251 - 356 A.D.) came from a family of wealth in Egypt.  He left behind his wealth and the world and went into the desert to live a life of seclusion to prayer and focus on God.  In time, many others were attracted to his way of life and a community of hermits grew up around him.  Thus, St. Antony may be considered to be a founder of monasticism.  

 
St. Athanasius (328-373 A.D.) was a courageous bishop and defender of the faith against the heretical Arianism movement.  Arianism denied the divinity of Jesus Christ and thus, denied the Trinitarian nature of God.  He not only knew of St. Antony but also studied under St. Antony for a time in his youth.  His mortal remains are resting in Venice in the Church of St. Zechariah.  He is recognized as a Doctor of the Church.  

St. Augustine (354 - 430 A.D.) was a later convert to Christianity, having spent his early life in worldly living.  His father was a pagan and his mother was St. Monica (331 - 387 A.D.) whose tireless prayers and example no doubt helped bring him to the faith.  St. Augustine converted to the faith with her prayers and the assistance of St. Ambrose of Milan.  After his conversion, St. Augustine became a powerful force for the Church.  His wrote many inspired writings, including Confessions and The City of God which are among the most important works in Christian theology.  Accordingly the Church promoted him to Bishop during his earthly life and recognized him as a Doctor of the Church after his earthly life.

St. Josephine Bakhita (1869 - 1947 A.D.) was born in the Sudan, kidnapped at age seven and sold into slavery.  In 1883, she was purchased by an Italian Consul, Callisto Legnani, and became a Christian after he brought her to Italy.  With the assistance of the Canossian Sisters of the Institute of the Catechumens and the Patriarch of Venice, she won her freedom in an Italian court of law.  She entered the Canossian order and spent the rest of her life in prayer and humble and pious service to others.

St. Charles Lwanga (1860 - 1886) was a Ugandan convert to Catholicism and he died a martyr’s death at age 26.  Charles was a page for King Mwanga, who was a non-believer and a pedophile.  When Charles attempted to protect the other pages from the King’s predations, he was burned to death.  St. Charles was one of 24 Ugandan martyrs canonized by Pope St. Paul VI in 1964.

 
Today, the Catholic Church in Africa is very important for several reasons.  The Catholic Church in Sub-Saharan Africa is suffering great persecution at the hands of Muslim militants with priests, members of religious orders and the faithful being frequently kidnapped, tortured, murdered, forced to convert to Islam, and enslaved.  In Egypt, Coptic Christians suffer periodic waves of persecution and violence from the Muslim majority.   African Church leaders are faithfully remaining true to the Gospel and the Magisterium by resisting the corrupting influences of modernity and Woke-ism that has infected many in our Church, including some prominent leaders in the Vatican.  

 
So in further answer to my son’s question, there are many African saints and there are many in Africa who someday may become saints.  Both groups should serve as an inspiration to us in our daily endeavors to live Christ’s Gospel.