The Catholic Church in Africa Today
This first of three parts of the Church in Africa will examine the Catholic Church in Africa today. Given the growth of Christianity in Africa, Catholicism in particular, it will begin with the profound demographic changes in the distribution of Christians globally, focusing on Africa. Then it will turn to depict some of the dynamism within the Catholic Church in Africa today, highlighting, via a description of Holy Cross parish in Dandora, Nairobi, Kenya, the energy discernible in worship and liturgy as well as the services provided by the Catholic Church, especially in education and healthcare. Finally, the devotion of African Catholics is remarkable, and I will explain some of the reverence accorded to African saints, efforts at social reconciliation carried out by the Church, as well as activities of small Christian communities in Catholic parishes across the continent.
Meet the Faculty Host
Presented by Paul Kollman
Rev. Paul Kollman, C.S.C. ’84, ’90 M.Div.
Associate Professor, Theology
Rev. Paul Kollman, C.S.C., ’84, ’90 M.Div., is associate professor of theology and has been on the faculty at Notre Dame since 2001. Before that, he taught at the Queen of Apostles Philosophy Seminary in Jinja, Uganda, and Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Since being at Notre Dame he has also taught at Tangaza College in Nairobi, Kenya. His scholarship focuses on African Christianity, mission history, and world Christianity, and he has taught and carried out research in Africa and in archives around the world. Kollman earned his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago Divinity School in 2001, and his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Notre Dame. He is the author of “The Evangelization of Slaves and Catholic Origins in Eastern Africa,” co-author of “Understanding World Christianity: Eastern Africa,” and has written for numerous other professional journals. He has served as executive director of Notre Dame’s Center for Social Concerns, as president of the American Society of Missiology, and is currently president of the International Association of Mission Studies. Kollman is also a fellow of the Kellogg, Kroc, and Nanovic Institutes at Notre Dame. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Kollman currently lives in O’Neill Hall at Notre Dame.
Demographics and Perspectives
Presented by Paul Kollman
The first presentation will share some of the demographic changes in the distribution of Christians in the world, with particular reference to the growth of Christianity — and the Catholic Church — in Africa.
Learn more in the article Shifting Southward: Global Christianity Since 1945 by Dana L. Robert.
African Catholic Dynamism
Presented by Paul Kollman
The second presentation will highlight aspects of African Catholic dynamism, especially in liturgy and social services. A parish run by Holy Cross in Dandora, a neighborhood in Nairobi, Kenya, will be used to highlight this dynamism.
For more resources on the topic, visit “Catholics and Cultures” and look at the following resources:
- Under Uganda, examine links to “social welfare” and “worship and liturgy.”
- Under Tanzania, examine links to “social services” and “music.”
African Catholic Devotion
Presented by Paul Kollman
This third presentation will emphasize aspects of Catholic devotion in Africa, especially the veneration of saints, Catholic efforts on behalf of social reconciliation, and structure of small Christian communities in many parishes.
For more resources on the topic, visit “Catholics and Cultures” and look at the following resources:
- Under Uganda, examine links to “Martyrs’ Feast” and “church guilds.”
- Under Tanzania, examine links to “Julius Nyerere” and “jumuiyas” (which means “communities”).
View the Event
Presented by Paul Kollman
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Featured Speakers:
- Rev. Paul Kollman, C.S.C. ’84, ’90 M.Div., Associate Professor, Theology
Additional Resources
Presented by Paul Kollman
- Catholicsandcultures.org has many resources that might be of interest, though the African countries that they have developed are few (Ethiopia, Uganda, and Kenya). Still, there is much to learn at that site, and I will make further references to it in future weeks.