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The Spiritans in Ireland
Through to the 20th Century...Houses of recruitment were also opened in Germany and Portugal cater for missions in territories in Africa being colonised by these countries. When Bismarck suppressed the Congregation the German Spiritans emigrated to the USA where at first they attended to the pastoral care of their compatriots and gradually set up a separate Province with the assistance from Irish confreres. The main centres of activity were special parishes for African-American and at Pittsburgh Catholic High School launched in 1878, which became known as Duquesne University as from 1911. The French conferes, who were in the majority, continued to serve in many areas in central Africa which, though by now independent republics, are still closely associated with France having received so much of their technical training as well as the faith from French missionaries. Several of the earlier missionaries distinguished themselves as explorers in an uncharted interior as creator of Dictionaries and Grammars of native African languages, and as experts on African countries. In more recent times the congregation has engaged in mission work in Canada and South America, particularly in Brazil where the Irish went in some numbers after being expelled from Nigeria in the wake of the Beafa war. More recently the Congregation has begun to undertake mission work in Pakistan and the Philippines. Spiritans from the mission countries in Africa are now participation in such overseas projects. ...and on to the 21stFor more information on current-day activities, have a look at the Spiritans World-Wide pages. |
As
from 1845 the Congregation was entrusted by Rome with the pastoral
care of a vast area in West and East Africa, including regions under
British rule. To provide English speaking personnel for these missions
it was decided in 1859 to open a house in Ireland. This work was
entrusted to Fr. Jules Lenan. He had hoped to find priests and clerical
students who would be willing to serve in Africa, but found that
Ireland still recovering from the Penal times and the recent Famine
had little interest in Africa. On seeing that Irish Catholics were
very poorly served in matter of secondary schools he decided that
conducting a secondary school would be the best was to secure vocation
for Africa while making a worthwhile contribution to Ireland. In
time the congregation was to launch five such