List of saints from Africa
This is a list of saints, blesseds, venerables, and Servants of God from Africa, as recognized by the Roman Catholic Church or other Christian denominations[1]. These people were born, died, or lived their religious life in any of the states or territories of Africa.
Before the Arab Conquest
In the first centuries of the Church, Africa produced many of her leading lights. The Catholic presence in Africa was weakened by the schism following the Council of Chalcedon which resulted in the separation between the Catholic and Coptic Orthodox Church, and even more so by the rise of Islam. Following the Arab conquest of northern Africa, the Catholic Church was largely absent from the continent before modern times, although the Coptic, and later Ethiopic, Orthodox Churches remained. The following are some of the notable saints from the first to seventh centuries, though it is a very incomplete list.
Popes
Three of the early popes were either from Africa themselves or children of African immigrants to Rome. All three were from this time period and are traditionally considered saints. They are:
- Pope Saint Victor I (r. 189-199)
- Pope Saint Miltiades (r. 311-314)
- Pope Saint Gelasius I (r. 492-496)
Doctors
Three of the thirty-five Doctors of the Church were from Africa, all of them from this time period. They are:
- Saint Augustine of Hippo, from present-day Algeria
- Saint Athanasius of Alexandria, from present-day Egypt
- Saint Cyril of Alexandria, from present-day Egypt
Writers and theologians
Many of the early writers and theologians had connections with Africa. A partial list would include:
- Saint Mark the Evangelist, author of the Gospel that bears his name and founder of the Patriarchate of Alexandria
- Saint Apollos, may be author of the Epistle to Hebrews
- Saint Ammon the Abbot
- Saint Anatolius of Laodicea, of Egypt
- Saint Aurelius, of Tunisia
- Saint Clement of Alexandria, author of several works, whose cult in the Latin Rite has been suppressed
- Saint Cyprian of Carthage, author of several works
- Saint Didymus the Blind
- Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe, of Tunisia
- Saint Isidore of Pelusium, author of several letters
- Saint Optatus, author against Donatism
- Saint Pierius
- Saint Possidius, author of a life of St. Augustine
- Saint Quodvultdeus
Others
In addition to the categories above, these first centuries gave the Church many other saints, among them:
- Saint Abraham the Poor, of Egypt
- Saint Abraham of Alexandria, of Egypt
- Saint Achillas of Alexandria, of Egypt
- Saint Adrian of Canterbury, of North Africa
- Saints Aizan and Sazan, of Ethiopia
- Saint Alexander of Alexandria, of Egypt
- Saint Alypius of Thagaste, of Algeria
- Saints Ammon the Martyr and companions, of Egypt
- Saint Anastasius Sinaita, of Egypt
- Saint Anthony the Great, of Egypt
- Saints Apollonia of Alexandria and companions, of Egypt
- Saint Arcadius of Mauretania, of Algeria
- Saints Arethas, Ruma and companions, of Ethiopia
- Saints Armogastes and Saturus, of Tunisia
- Saints Athanasia and Andronicus, of Egypt
- Saint Bessarion of Egypt
- Saint Caecilius, spiritual father to Saint Cyprian of Carthage, of Tunisia
- Saint Cassian of Tangier, of Morocco
- Saint Catherine of Alexandria, of Egypt
- Saint Cerbonius, of North Africa
- Saint Crispina, of Algeria
- Saint Cucuphas, of Tunisia
- Saint Damian of Alexandria, of Egypt
- Saint Demetrius of Alexandria, of Egypt
- Saint Deogratias of Carthage, of Tunisia
- Saints Denise, Dativa, Leontia, Tertius, Emilianus, Boniface, Majoricus, and Servus, of Tunisia
- Saint Dionysius of Alexandria, of Egypt
- Saints Donatian and companions, of North Africa
- Saint Epenetus of Carthage, of Tunisia
- Saint Eugenius of Carthage, of Tunisia
- Saint Fabius, of Algeria
- Saints Felix of Abbir, Cyprian of Unizzibir, and companions, of Libya
- Saint Felix of Hadrumetum, of Tunisia
- Saint Felix of Thibiuca, of Tunisia
- Saint Frumentius, of Ethiopia
- Saint Gaudiosus of Naples, of Tunisia
- Saint Isidore of Alexandria, of Egypt
- Saint Isidore of Chios, of Egypt
- Saint John of Egypt, of Egypt
- Saint Julia of Corsica, of Tunisia
- Saint Kaleb of Axum (Elesbaan), of Ethiopia
- Saint Lucius of Cyrene, of Libya
- Saint Marciana of Mauretania, of Algeria
- Saint Macarius of Alexandria, of Egypt
- Saint Macarius of Egypt, of Egypt
- Saint Marcellinus of Carthage, of Tunisia
- Saints Marcellinus, Vincent, and Domninus, of North Africa
- Saint Marcellus of Tangier, of Morocco
- Saints Marianus, James, and companions, of Algeria
- The Martyrs of the Plague of Cyprian in Alexandria, Egypt
- The Martyrs of Utica, of Tunisia
- Saint Mary of Egypt, of Egypt
- Saints Maurice and the Theban Legion, of Egypt
- Saint Maximilian of Tebessa, in Algeria
- Saint Matthew I of Alexandria, of Egypt
- Saint Monica of Hippo, of Algeria
- Saint Moses the Black, of Egypt
- Saints Nabor and Felix, of Morocco
- Saints Nemesian and companions, of Algeria
- Saint Onuphrius, of Egypt
- Saint Orsiesius of Tabenna, of Egypt
- Saint Pachomius the Great, founder of monasticism, of Egypt
- Saint Pambo, of Egypt
- Saint Pantaenus, of Egypt
- Saint Paphnutius the Ascetic, of Egypt
- Saint Paphnutius of Thebes, of Egypt
- Saint Paul of Thebes, of Egypt
- Saints Perpetua, Felicity, and companions, in Tunisia
- Saint Peter of Alexandria, of Egypt
- Saint Poemon, of Egypt
- Saint Quintian of Rodez, of Tunisia
- Saint Restituta, of Tunisia
- Saint Saizana, of Ethiopia
- Saint Sarmata, of Egypt
- Saints Saturninus, Dativus, Victoria, and Companions, of Tunisia
- Saint Serapion of Thmuis, of Egypt
- Saint Shenoute, of Egypt
- Saint Simon of Cyrene, of Libya
- Saints Speratus and companions, of Tunisia
- Saint Thaïs, of Egypt
- Saint Theodorus of Tabennese, of Egypt
- Saints Timothy the Reader and his wife Maura, of Egypt
- Saint Typasius, of Algeria
- Saint Valerian of Abbenza, of Tunisia
- Saint Victor Maurus, of Morocco
- Saint Victor of Utica, of Tunisia
- Saints Victorian, Frumentius and Companions, of Tunisia
- Saint Zeno of Verona, of Algeria
Modern times
It would be difficult to say who the first saint to be associated with Africa after the Arab conquest would be. Saint Francis of Assisi famously went on a mission to Egypt in 1219. Saints Berardo, Ottone, Pietro, Accursio, Adiuto, O.F.M., martyrs in Morocco (1220). Saints Daniel Fasanella, Samuele, Angelo, Leone, Niccolò, Ugolino, Domno, O.F.M., martyrs in Morocco (1227). Saint Louis IX of France died in Tunisia en route from the Holy Land in 1270. But after the canonization of saints came to be reserved to the Papacy around AD 1000, and especially after the establishment of the Congregation of Rites in 1588, the list of official saints with African connections is more clear.
List of saints
The following is the list of saints, including the year in which they were canonized and the country or countries with which they are associated.
- St. Serapion of Algiers, Mercedarian religious and martyr (1728, Algeria)
- St. Anthony Mary Claret, Claretian Bishop (1950, Canary Islands)
- The Martyrs of Uganda (1964, Uganda). They include:
• St. Dennis Ssebuggwawo Wasswa
- St. Justin de Jacobis, Lazarist Bishop (1975, Ethiopia and Eritrea)
- St. Josephine Bakhita, Canossian Religious (2000, Sudan)
- St. Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur, layman (2002, Canary Islands)
- St. Daniel Comboni, Bishop (2003, Sudan)
- St. Jacques Berthieu, Jesuit priest and martyr (2012, Madagascar)
- St. José de Anchieta, Jesuit priest (2014, Canary Islands)
List of blesseds
- Bl. Benedict Daswa, layman and martyr (South Africa)
- Bl. Agathange de Vendome, Capuchin priest and martyr (Ethiopia)[2]
- Bl. Isidore Bakanja, layman and martyr (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- Bl. Jan Beyzym, Jesuit priest (Madagascar)
- Bl. Lucien Botovasoa, layman and martyr (Madagascar)
- Bl. Cassien de Nantes, Capuchin priest and martyr (Ethiopia)
- Bl. Charles I of Austria, layman (Madeira)
- Bl. Lorenza Diaz Bolanos, Daughter of Charity martyred in Spain (Canary Islands)[3]
- Bl. Michele Fasoli, Franciscan priest and martyr (Ethiopia)[4]
- Bl. Charles de Foucauld, Religious and martyr (Algeria)
- Bl. Joseph Gérard, priest (Lesotho)
- Bl. Jildo Irwa, layman and martyr (Uganda)
- Bl. Jacques-Désiré Laval, Spiritan priest (Mauritius)
- Bl. Martyrs of Algeria, Trappists and martyrs (Algeria)
- Bl. Samuele Marzorati, Franciscan priest and martyr (Ethiopia)[5]
- Bl. Eliza Liduina Meneguzzi, Salesian sister (Ethiopia)[6]
- Bl. Ghebre Michael, priest and martyr (Ethiopia)[7]
- Bl. Marie-Clémentine Anuarite Nengapeta, Holy Family Sister and martyr (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- Bl. Daudi Okelo, layman and martyr (Uganda)
- Bl. Raphael Rafiringa, De La Salle Brother (Madagascar)
- Bl. Victoire Rasoamanarivo, laywoman (Madagascar)
- Bl. Jean-Bernard Rousseau, De La Salle Brother (Reunion)
- Bl. Francesco Spoto, Missionary Servant of the Poor priest and martyr (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- Bl. Irene Stefani, Consolata Missionary Sister (Kenya)
- Bl. Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi, Cistercian priest (Nigeria)
- Bl. Maria Caterina Troiani, Franciscan sister (Egypt)
- Bl. Liberat Weiss, Franciscan priest and martyr (Ethiopia)
- Bl. Francesco Zirano, Franciscan priest and martyr (Algeria)
List of venerables
- Ven. Zeinab Alif, Poor Clare sister (Sudan)
- Ven. Jerzy Ciesielski, layman (Egypt)
- Ven. Felix Mary Ghebreamlak, Cistercian priest (Eritrea)
- Ven. Edel Quinn, laywoman (Kenya)
- Ven. Maria Teresa Scandola, Comboni sister (South Sudan)
- Ven. Mary Jane Wilson, Franciscan sister (Madeira)
- Ven. Teresa Chikaba, West African nun
List of Servants of God
- Servants of God the Martyrs of Kikwit, Sisters of the Poor and martyrs (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- Servant of God Maurice Michael Cardinal Otunga (Kenya)
- Servants of God Cyprien and Daphrose Rugamba (Rwanda)
Other open causes
Others have been proposed for beatification, and may have active groups supporting their causes. These include:
- Anna Ali, religious in the order of The Most Holy Eucharist and reported mystic. (Kenya) The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Eldoret has appointed a task force to investigate the life of the late Sr. Anna Ali. Hundreds of pilgrims visit her burial place every year to commemorate the nun who received messages from Our Lord for 25 years. The nun is reported to have photographed Jesus. Her story has shocked many believers. Her messages have been approved and published.
- Bernadeta Mbawala, Tanzanian nun
- Julius Kambarage Nyerere, first president of Tanzania.
See also
- Blessed
- Congregation for the Causes of Saints
- List of Central American and Caribbean Saints
- List of American saints and beatified people
- List of Mexican Saints
- List of Saints from Oceania
- Roman Catholic saints of Canada
- Roman Catholicism in Africa
- Saint
- Servant of God
- Venerable
References
Citations
- For a more comprehensive list, see: sw:Orodha ya Watakatifu wa Afrika
- "Bienheureux Agathange de Vendôme et Cassien de Nantes". Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- "Blessed Lorenza Díaz Bolaños". CatholicSaints.Info. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- "Blessed Michele Pío Fasoli". CatholicSaints.Info. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- "Blessed Antonio Francesco Marzorati". CatholicSaints.Info. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- "BLESSED LIDUINA MENEGUZZI :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- "Ghebre Michael - Vincentian Encyclopedia". Retrieved 9 January 2016.
Sources
- "Hagiography Circle"
- O'Malley, Vincent J. (2001). Saints of Africa. Our Sunday Visitor. ISBN 0-87973-373-X.
