WASHINGTON (OSV News) — The Church in the United States and the Church in Africa “are two lungs of the same Body, breathing the same Spirit,” a Nigerian bishop told Massgoers in Washington, emphasizing how the Church in both countries are united in Christ.
“When African bishops speak courageously about war, poverty, corruption or threats to human dignity, their voices echo in American dioceses,” Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza of of Yola, Nigeria, said in his homily at a “Mass for Solidarity with the Bishops and Faithful of Africa.”
The Mass was celebrated Feb. 4 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.
‘Co-workers in the vineyard’
“When American bishops defend the sanctity of life, advocate for migrants, or confront the culture of individualism, their witness strengthens the Church in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Congo, and beyond,” Bishop Mamza said. “We are, in truth, co-workers in the vineyard of the Lord.”
Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, Illinois, was the main celebrant of the Mass. The concelebrants included Bishop Mamza as well as Bishop A. Elias Zaidan of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon in Los Angeles and Washington Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala.
Two days before the Mass, Bishop Mamza and Bishop Zaidan signed a joint statement, titled “Brothers and Sisters in Hope,” that was released by the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Justice, Peace and Development Commission of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, or SECAM.
‘Call to renewed fraternity’
Bishop Zaidan is chairman and Bishop Malloy is a member, respectively, of the U.S. bishops’ of the U.S. bishops’ international policy committee and Bishop Mamza is SECAM’s first vice president and chair of its Justice, Peace and Development Commission. The statement is “a call to renewed fraternity and mutual solidarity between our peoples.”
In his homily, Bishop Mamza noted that his Yola Diocese was one of the main areas overrun by Boko Haram militants between 2014 and 2017.
“The Boko Haram insurgency led to my deep involvement in taking care of the internally displaced persons who ran for their lives to Yola, the state capital, looking for shelter,” he said, adding, “I want to use this opportunity to thank the universal Church for the show of solidarity we enjoyed from different parts of the world at the peak of the Boko Haram insurgency.”
Critical humanitarian assistance
Bishop Mamza noted how critical support was provided by the Hungarian government, and by Catholic institutions in Germany that gave assistance to help rebuild churches, schools, parish houses and hospitals destroyed by Boko Haram. He thanked Catholic Relief Services of the United States, which along with other international humanitarian agencies offers “services to everybody irrespective of religious affiliation.”
The bishop noted how in that day’s Gospel reading from Mark 6:1-6, Jesus was not treated with honor by people in his hometown of Nazareth, who lacked faith in him.
The danger today, he said, is not recognizing “the Spirit speaking through voices that sound different from our own.”
‘A faith that is vibrant’
“Africa and the United States come from different histories, cultures, and ecclesial experiences. Africa often brings to the Church a faith that is vibrant, communal, and resilient in the face of poverty, conflict, and persecution,” Bishop Mamza said, adding, “The Church in the United States brings gifts of theological scholarship, institutional resources, and long experience engaging pluralistic societies.”
The bishop said he hoped that the “Mass for Solidarity” would be an act of faith, reflecting a Church willing to recognize Jesus in one another.
“Brothers and sisters, today Christ stands in our midst — African and American, north and south, rich and poor — not as a stranger, but as Lord,” he said.
An African proverb
In his homily, Bishop Mamza also noted an African proverb, “If you want to walk far, walk together.”
Quoting from the bishops’ “Brothers and Sisters in Hope” statement, Bishop Mamza said, “The faithful of the U.S. and Africa are gifts to one another. Together, we call for robust lifesaving and life-affirming U.S. assistance to the continent, grounded in thoughtful partnership, and pray for the flourishing of an ever-deeper fraternity.”
At the Mass, Bishop Malloy said the joint statement reflected the “heart and soul” of the solidarity between the bishops and lay faithful of Africa and the United States.
Solidarity founded on faith, not economics
Bishop Mamza in his homily said such solidarity is founded on faith, not economics or politics, and begins with listening. In “an age of polarization, the unity of bishops is a prophetic sign,” he added.
Pointing to the gifts of faith shared by Catholics in Africa and the United States, Bishop Mamza said, “The Church in Africa is a wellspring of youthful vibrancy, missionary energy, and evangelical joy. The Church in the United States brings deep intellectual tradition, resources for formation, and a long-standing commitment to global mission.”
Gospel made visible to world
The bishop emphasized that “when African dioceses send missionary priests to serve American parishes, the Gospel is enriched. When American dioceses offer scholarships, training, and material support to African seminaries and schools, the Gospel is advanced. When bishops from both continents stand together for peace, human dignity, and the sanctity of life, the Gospel is made visible to a world desperate for hope. … This solidarity gives visible witness to unity across cultures, races and economic realities.”
The music at the Mass was led by members of the Choeur de Marie Reine du Monde (French for “the Choir of Mary Queen of the World”) from St. Camillus Parish in Silver Spring, Maryland.
The choir sang traditional African hymns, including in Lingala — a Bantu language spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in other African nations — and in the Bété and Baoulé languages spoken in the Ivory Coast.
‘Life-saving, life-affirming work’
A prayer at the Mass was offered for those who work in humanitarian assistance, that they “may hear the call of Christ to love one another in their life-saving and life-affirming work.”
Later a prayer in Swahili asked that people “hear the cry of the poor, the cry of the earth, the cry for truth, and the cry for justice. Let us remain steadfast in faith and witness the love of Christ to those most in need, wherever they may be.”
After the Mass, the bishops and priests and the women religious and laypeople in attendance processed downstairs to the Chapel to Our Mother of Africa, where they prayed a Litany of the Saints of Africa, including to St. Augustine and St. Monica, St. Charles Lwanga, St. Josephine Bakhita and St. Martin de Porres.
Black Catholics’ sainthood causes
Then they recited a Prayer for the Holy Men and Women of African Descent Awaiting Canonization, including Black Catholics from the United States being considered for sainthood, They concluded with a prayer to Our Mother of Africa, who is depicted in a bronze sculpture in the chapel holding Jesus, her divine Son.
Four of the Black Catholic sainthood candidates have been declared “Venerable”: Mother Mary Lange, who founded the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the first Catholic order of African American women religious, in Baltimore; Father Augustus Tolton from Chicago, the first Catholic priest in the United States known to be Black; Pierre Toussaint from New York City, known for his works of charity; and Mother Henriette Delille, foundress of the Sisters of the Holy Family in New Orleans.
Two others with causes are Servant of God Thea Bowman, a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration from Mississippi, who was a dynamic Catholic evangelist and educator; and Servant of God Julia Greeley, who was born into slavery and after her emancipation later moved to Denver, where she was known for her works of charity.
Mark Zimmermann is editor of the Catholic Standard, the news outlet of the Archdiocese of Washington. This story was originally published by the Catholic Standard and distributed through a partnership with OSV News.
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