The arrival of the Spiritan missionaries in Gabon became the springboard for the evangelisation of neighbouring Congo Brazzaville.
English Africa Services – Vatican City
Over the weekend, Adjunct Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, Archbishop Giovanni Pietro Dal Toso, presided over the year-long jubilee celebrations in Libreville, the capital of Gabon.
In his homily, Archbishop Dal Toso recalled how on 29 September 1844, feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, the first Holy Mass was celebrated on Gabonese soil. The Archbishop paid glowing tribute to the courage of the first missionaries.
The point was made that if Gabon’s Catholic faith was thriving today, it was thanks to some Christians, in the past, who responded to their baptismal commitment and thus brought the Good News to the people of Gabon. The people of Gabon were also commended for welcoming the faith in their midst.
