Africa

The Oblate missions in Africa also date back to the time of St Eugene. In 1852, only 15 years after the first Catholic priests were allowed into South Africa, five Oblates arrived in Durban to establish the Church in Natal. The following year, the renowned Blessed Joseph Gerard OMI, arrived to minister amongst the Zulu people. This mission was extremely hard and did not yield fruit for many years. Joseph Gerard ventured inland to the mountain kingdom of Lesotho and lived the rest of his life as a witness to faith and charity among the people there.

Southern Africa, for a long time, was a hotbed of Oblate missions extending across South Africa and Lesotho. In 1892, German Oblates arrived in Namibia, then Belgian Oblates arrived in the Congo in 1931 and French Oblates in Cameroon in 1946. Many African provinces sprang from the beginnings of missionaries coming from Europe and North America, but it did not take long for local vocations to come forward and these missions to inculturate in their own African style.

Today, Oblates are present in South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau and the Western Sahara. These missions are diverse with some operating in well-established churches among Christian majorities, whilst others are pioneers, establishing new churches and working among small Christian minorities.

“We will always be close to the people with whom we work…To seek out new ways for the Word of God to reach their hearts often calls for daring; to present Gospel demands in all clarity should never intimidate us…We will let our lives be enriched by the poor and the marginalized as we work with them, for they can make us hear in new ways the Gospel we proclaim.” - OMI Constitutions & Rules, C. 8 and R. 8a

The Missionary Oblates in Africa find themselves in some of the poorest, most remote and disadvantaged areas. Their work for evangelization takes on many different guises from working in parishes, preaching popular missions, working amongst youth and families. They run two universities in Africa and are dedicated to the formation of seminarians and religious. They offer healing ministry in hospitals, aged care homes and retreat centres. They work to help the Church grow in the local culture and heavily involved in interreligious dialogue where needed.

The Oblates in South Africa administer the Ngome Shrine - a place of peace founded by the Virgin Mary

In the Western Sahara, the missionary Oblates offer a peaceful presence among the Muslim population

In Cameroon, the Oblates work in parish ministry helping the inculturation of the liturgy in local culture