Africa rise, take up your pallet and walk is the phrase that punctuated the second synod for Africa. It’s about awakening and encouraging Africa not to waste time mourning its past but rather work for better future.

Rise and walk, end of synod

At the end of the African Synod II the reaction of the participants was like, “were our hearts not burning?” There was a feeling not just of relief for having finally reached the end but there was also a remarkable sense of satisfaction for the job done. They didn’t hesitate to describe it as a “new Pentecost.” Pentecost? Really? Was it because they were still in Rome enjoying the fraternity, good ambiance, buoyed up by the idealism of the proposals while still far from the reality of their dioceses? Pentecost, was it what they experienced there and then or as hoped fruit after applying those propositions? Was it not therefore too early to speak of Pentecost?

Anyway, whatever the case, we cannot take away from them the joy and the satisfaction they experienced. It was a marvel in Rome. Yet the bishops had no intention of building tents in Rome. They were determined to come down the mountain to their churches.  And so what they experienced was only a foretaste. The real Pentecost would come when the fire of the spirit with which they descended would burn and transform into itself the hopes and pains of their flock in Africa.

Africa that walks, true measure of synod

Hence, the true measure of the Pentecost is when the entire African Church welcomes the fruit of the Synod and begins living it. The descent of the spirit happened at a certain morning but the transformation is on-going in the church. So, what the Synod participants proclaimed as Pentecost was but just the beginning of such magnanimously long and huge work that demands more than a good feeling. It calls for a persevering effort to keep walking even when the weather is unfavourable.

This transforming power of the spirit will take effect with a change of mentality. Africa has suffered great wounds in history, slave trade, colonialism, injustice at international trade, the on-going wars fanned often multinationals that profit from such human misery. Yet, Africa is not a passive victim.

The injustice and oppression is not just something from without to which Africa is forced to submit. Many are Africans who are oppressors of their own people. They earn their bread by making victims their own people. In order to move forward for a change the African society needs a very serious introspection.

Accusing finger is not a solution

A change for development in Africa will not come by crying over what others have done against her. In fact, every individual country has a story to tell of the oppression it has endured. Some western countries flourishing though they may be today have known wars, dictatorial and repressive regimes, not for decades, but for centuries of years. Nevertheless, they have moved forward without having to disown their true, sad history. Africa can do the same. It’s not perpetual sulking that will develop Africa.

In the interventions of Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako, Archbishop of Khartoum, and of his auxiliary bishop Daniel Marco Kur Adwok, we have what it takes to transform the mentality of the African society in general and the church in particular. They observed that the most important thing for us Africans is not to surrender to the ills we suffered in the past. Our focus should rather be to stand up with full force to re-construct our society. It’s a project which demands us to believe in ourselves first.

Donc, rise and walk!

This is kairos. At the pool of Bethesda, the paralysed man had Jesus just in front of him, that is, the opportune time for recovering his well being. But this man nearly squandered it all in accusing others. “Do you want to be well again?” Jesus asked him. “Sir,” replied the sick man, “I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is disturbed; and while I am still on the way, someone else gets down there before me.” Jesus said, “Get up, pick up your sleeping-mat and walk around” (Jn 5:6-8).

Are we not squandering our kairos? Undeniably, we have a history to tell, a sad one surely. It’s part of our heritage. However, the solution to our situation today lies not in accusing others but rather in our determination to rise above our history. We need to rise and walk. Africa has a job to work for better future.

Small Christian Communities (SCCs) are one way through which the Church is trying to give an African face to Christian life. Although this pastoral initiative is undoubtedly efficient in managing the parish it’s a pity that it is drifting. This is what I refer to as hijacking SCCs.  Let’s see how this happens.

What are small Christian Communities?

This is the grouping of Catholics in a neighbourhood. They meet in their houses on the fixed time to pray, share and support one another as a way of living and witnessing their faith. It’s impressive to see how this is working so well.

In some parishes SCCs have turns to animate the Sunday mass: readings, singing, and the offering. When there is need to raise money for some parish project, or work to be done, the best way is through Small Christian Communities. And since they like competing, each SCC striving to be the best, it becomes the motor that gets things done quickly. For the Parish Priest and his council have no better way to have a sure clench on parishioners. Besides, the SCCs are also invested with some power that enables them to have almost an inescapable hold on the members. Here are some exemples.

To have marriage blessed in Church or to have a funeral mass one has to pass through the SCC. One depends on the SCC for recommendation for number of things. But the SCC will not recommend a person if he has not fulfilled a number of obligations, especially a chain of contributions asked. Expediency obliges people to bow to Small Christian Communities as key to any service. There are devoted people who don’t bargain but take this as simply a pastoral discipline that motivates. For others, it’s a system that constraints them. They settle on mediocrity. What do you find?

The SCC runs the shop

In response to such constraining system some people end up being good Catholics but only their SCC.  They don’t go to mass at the parish church. Others still, especially men, may not even be present physically at the gathering of the SCC , they delegate their wife and children. Often such people are good benefactors who not only give their contributions timely but also generously. As they become important financial motor what they give is more important their presence. They are honorary members.  They will have any recommendation they seek and the SCC will have the money it needs to fulfil it’s obligations at the parish. Hence, everyone is satisfied, why disturb each other?

What may be strange is that in the midst of apparently effective Small Christian Communities, in the neighbourhood you may have needy people left practically to themselves. Once in a while they may receive some help but they are really the centre of attention of this neighbourhood church. The priority is to gain good image at the parish of an efficient SCC.

SCCs operate differently in different places.  And each place may have pastoral realities that will influence the pastoral disciplines in place. At the same time, if that is going to compromise the essence of the Small Christian Communities there is something wrong.  It’s not wrong to use SCCs for better and effective management of a parish however that should not be at the detriment of their initial vision.

It’s here, I think, the African Church needs to rise, take up her pallet and walk. She needs to evaluate those initiatives of inculturation which externally may be glaring, effective and productive. The question is, are they really serving their primary purpose.

 

 

 

Some years ago, I was talking to a friend who was running a project. When he told me that the money came from local people and business houses of the country I didn’t believe. I was still in the old, traditional school. Money for church projects should come from the West.  Later I saw a prophet in this friend of mine. Conversion was taking place in me. Perhaps the entire African Church needs conversion. Unless she turns to the local people and local institutions to finance her charity works she will certainly continue running big projects on foreign aid but devoid of prophetic voice. She will have little to nourish the people by her manner of doing.

Tradition of projects

As part of the legacy of missionaries, the Church in Africa runs various projects in the service of the people.  Cost of most of such projects are beyond what local people can sustain. Missionaries from the West sourced funds from their connections at home. It becomes a problem when a local priest takes over the charge over such an expensive project but without connection to the funding.

Besides those costly institutions, some missionaries have been helping people with money for school fees or for medical care. It is a genuine help given, and mostly for really deserving cases. The concern is the image of a rich church and rich priest remains. So, a priest who says he has no money when people approach him for help is liar. How is  it that in the time of Father $ money was there enough to go round? And  now there comes Father N, he can’t afford even simple uniform for the choir? He is stingy! They call him all names of a bad priest. In people’s eyes Father N will is not a good priest. The talk is about old, good days of Father $.

Temptation to keep the image

It is easy for a priest to fall prisoner to such reaction in order to maintain the expected image of a priest. In the end he abandons himself to asking for money around the globe. True, some priests are working in needy situations so it’s only normal that they do something to relieve people. And if there are people ready to help, solidarity is recommendable. At the same time, if we are going to respond to every local problem with money from outside so as to put up a structure to impress every one, perhaps it will be miraculous but little prophetic. It makes a priest a kind of administrator who is there to receive money from outside in order to create a big miracle. It confirms the people’s thinking that a priest has some inexhaustible source where he draws money at his command. Unfair! The struggle and even the humiliation he may have to undergo in sourcing such funds are simply not known. Worse still, the generosity of those who offer the money is not appreciated as it should be.

The truth is, behind the money running big projects in Africa there are often simple people. They have their own preoccupations and yet make a little sacrifice. They may have to cut down even their own expenses in order to help.  So it’s un fair if the beneficiaries do not appreciate such sacrificing generosity. All they remain with is the false image of rich Europeans who don’t know what to do with their money. So they can afford sending some to Africa. Indeed rich people there are, apparently with more money than expenses. Yet, they may not be the most generous. That is why it’s not only unfair that the sacrifice of humble, generous people is not appreciated but also the lesson is not grasped.

It’s more than money, it’s the mentality

Out of such engraved mentality of receiving, it’s not surprising that when someone prepares the budget it’s done in dollars or euros no matter the place of execution. The Church by its own conversion has a big role to re-educate the people. This is not just about money –it’s the whole mentality.

Have a look at charitable organisations. What do you see? You find European students who come to help as volunteers. Where are our African young people? They may be there many months doing nothing when they are not studying.  Why wouldn’t they spend that time a little more usefully doing some charity work?

In one of the propositions (17) of the Second African Synod, the Church is called upon to emulate the Early Christian community to renew her engagement in the service of the poor. And the African Church  is encouraged to create an internal system that takes care of those needs.

Projects for mature African Church

As mature church we need to respond to the needs around us with our own means no matter how modest. We shouldn’t be thinking  so much of big structure, but big heart. If a priest thinks of doing something more structured, still, let the parish community take that responsibility. If the people can see a priest in this exercise asking for money from local people, with all the humiliation and the labour it involves that will accomplish a lot. Perhaps not so much in terms of reaping millions but rather the change of mentality. People will learn by seeing how the church is making an effort to share from limited resources. In that way projects will be a place where not only needs met but also a place of transformation of mentality. That is evangelizing.

Let’s read the Bible as African Church

Do I have a problem with money coming from outside? Not at all! I’m just trying to re-read the Gospel as an African. The disciples asked Jesus to send people away to buy themselves food. “Give them something to eat yourselves” (Mt 14:15-16) Jesus challenged them. How can I help others while my struggling with my own needs? Right remark. But where is the African solidarity we always sing about? Indeed, unless we re-read and apply to our reality the message of Christ, as an African Church, the whole fuss about inculturated and mature church will remain a nice talk.

It is here the African Church should rise, take up her pallet and walk. She needs to grow in charity that goes beyond pushing a coin into Sunday collection box. That demands putting heads together to discern and act on how to take care of the needy persons in the community, and not to be simple dispensers of other people’s charity.

It was a missionary vision of St Daniel Comboni, founder of the Comboni Missionaries, that Africa will be evangelised by Africans. This vision shaped his missionary activity: to found and sustain local churches so that they can give birth to their own evangelizers. Other missionaries would be inspired by this vision.

Evangelisation among Africans

Cardinal Lavigerie, founder of the Society of Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers), adopted the same view. And he would not wait till Africans would be able to evangelise themselves. He recommended his missionaries to have an in-depth knowledge of the people by learning their language and adopting their usage. That would facilitate communicating the Gospel in the very fabric of their life. Writing to his missionaries Lavigerie exhorted them to apply methods of evangelisation that would help people become authentic Christians, and not some little Europeans. The fruits are evident.

When we look around in Africa where Comboni Missionaries and Missionaries of Africa have been working we see, touch and smell the traces of this vision put in practice.  Firstly, both founders engaged themselves in buying back slaves to freedom, whom they catechised and trained in different professions through which they rendered service to their own people. It was a vision of evangelisation to be carried out not only by priests or religious but also by lay people. Nevertheless promotion of local clergy as a way of building up the local church remained important. The flourishing of the African church owes a lot also to the many other missionaries who shared this vision. But how is Africa making use or squandering this approach?

Evangelisation of Africa by Africans today

Let’s reflect a bit on history. Liberation from foreign colonial rule to indigenous rule was a revolutionary experience. That coinciding with some local priests becoming bishops, to some people, that may have been seen as achieving self-rule in the Church. On that basis, you would want to have more African bishops. Hence, instead of appreciating this development as sign of growing Church which is able to evangelise and govern itself came to be seen more in terms of liberation. It’s was some kind of African church becoming independent. This beautiful vision came to be seen as taking over power. But it doesn’t end there.

The tribalism is influential in determining who is elected in many African governments. Unfortunately that plays a role important also in appointing and receiving a bishop in a diocese. A person from a different tribe, especially the minority, is perceived as an intruder who comes to take the power away.  With such mentality, not only do we abuse this vision of having a pastor among the local people, worse enough, we lose also the sense of the universal Church. That’s why in some places people would receive it as an insult to have a foreign missionary appointed as their bishop. It’s like power is given to someone deemed to be foreign –foreign not in the church but to the tribe or race. It’s my tribe or race that counts. It’s power at play and nothing  else. Where then is our belonging to one, universal Church of Christ?

From tribe to universal family mentality

This is where I think the African Church needs to rise, take up her mat and walk. She needs to grow into this spirit of the Church as universal family of followers of Christ. Transformed by his word, they rise above tribal confines and will not lend themselves to tearing one another just because of tribal differences. Besides, more than just the question of power, Africa will be evangelised by Africans poses a challenge to African pastoral workers: lay people, religious and clergy. They should ask themselves, what is our African touch to evangelisation?

 

 

 

In this article I would like to reflect on the socio-developmental engagements of the Church. Here’s the question of the matter:  in what does the church’s prophetic action consist today?

Let’s look back

Over a century ago, missionaries arrived in different parts of Africa. They found no hospitals or schools as they had known them in their own countries. In some places such facilities existed but not for all.  They were for foreign colonial masters and nothing for native people. Missionaries, despite unfavourable political climate, tried to pass the message, in action, quite different from that of colonialists.  They pioneered in providing services to Africans which governments of the time didn’t find it necessary to do. In so doing, missionaries took a stance which was defiant to the regimes judged as being unfair. In fact, many countries owe it to missionary schools for educating young people who later took up leadership of the independent countries. Missionaries continued to sustain the young nations even long after independence. In such missionary activities there was much more than providing services. It was a prophetic way of announcing the Gospel.

What’s our prophetic language today?

Here we are as African church. What is our prophetic language in-action to the African society today? Is it necessarily keeping mission hospitals and schools running? Where is the creativity, the originality of the maturing African Church?

Many mission schools or hospitals have passed to the diocesan bishops. They continue to provide quality service which people appreciate. While governments have somehow come in to share the cost, all the same, there is still an important financial burden that weighs heavily on the dioceses especially in countries where the government’s contribution is minimal. Such institutions run on budgets that a diocese just can’t bear. Bishops or priests in charge of those institutions run around, write left and right to source funds. My question is, what are we doing? Why are we doing that? I think, no matter how stupid it might look to pose questions like these, and perhaps a waste of time to answer them, I feel that these are questions we always need to refer back to in order keep direction and sense of what we are doing. Or we end up continuing with institutions that we can no longer bear simply because this is our training that the church has to do that. And when we no longer do so we feel weakened. It’s as if the Church’s identity depended on them.

Is it fear to let go?

We fear to lose our grip when we detach ourselves from the tradition in which we have grown. In any case, whether we like it or not, the changing picture of the Church in the West on which we depended for funding such institutions may just force us to reconsider what we do. How then does the African church, with her limited resources, continue her witness creatively? Or do we let our witness bow to natural death following the diminishing foreign financial resources?

Today, in many places, we have plenty of parallel institutions of education or health run by either the government and the church. Does our prophetic mission still necessarily require us to continue the same way just because our institutions are better appreciated? Couldn’t there be another way we can relevantly give the same witness but in a different way? We are supposed to be, as Scripture and the Synod tell us, “Salt” and “Light” of the world. In such way, our mission should consist less in the separateness of Church institutions manned by the religious, which are lauded in contrast to those of the government. Perhaps, we must already be changing the picture so that more religious who are qualified are employed in government institutions and be “leaven” there.

Areas of prophetic witness

A lot of funds pumped in the government institutions are often badly managed. Besides, the quality of service and dedication of some workers leave a lot to be desired.  These are challenges of many countries in Africa, hence, surely areas in need of prophetic witness.  The point is that the religious should not only be prophetic but also creative. Fidelity to religious vocation is not necessarily perpetuating the past but rather creativity that enables such vocation to respond to the concerns of our society today. The Synod observed that in Africa people are poor and live in misery not for lack of resources but poor management. In this case, the witness that will transform society is not by building parallel Church institutions alongside government ones. Let the church be present in corrupt institutions.

Tribalism is another area of concern. Some countries are in perpetual leadership crisis not because they are short of leaders. But a capable person from a minority group stands little chance of elected. The reasoning is not competency but whether one belongs to us or not. It’s unfortunate, as the Synod observed, this is an affair not only for civil society. The Church too wades in the same mud.  Is n’t this another area where religious life can propose to society an alternative? The church can be a model of openness and mutual acceptance in tribal diversity and differences.

Here is where I feel the African church should rise and take up her pallet and walk. To open her eyes to the challenges of today’s society and be creative enough to propose an alternative.