List of venerated persons from Africa

Josephine Bakhita, Sudan-born saint.

This page is a list of saints, blesseds, venerables, and Servants of God from Africa, as recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. These people were born, died, or lived their religious life in any of the states or territories of Africa.

The history of Catholicism in Africa can be dated to Apostolic times, with the Ethiopian eunuch, or even before, with Christ's flight into Egypt. Undoubtedly, it dates from the first century, as the Patriarchate of Alexandria dates from then. In the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries it is the fastest-growing field for Catholicism.

Before the Arab Conquest

In the first centuries of the Church, Africa produced many of her leading lights. The Catholic presence in Africa was weakened by the schism following the Council of Chalcedon which resulted in the separation between the Catholic and Coptic Orthodox Church, and even more so by the rise of Islam. Following the Arab conquest of northern Africa, the Catholic Church was largely absent from the continent before modern times, although the Coptic, and later Ethiopic, Orthodox Churches remained. The following are some of the notable saints from the first to seventh centuries, though it is a very incomplete list.

Popes

Three of the early popes were either from Africa themselves or children of African immigrants to Rome. All three were from this time period and are traditionally considered saints. They are:

• Pope Saint Victor I (r. 189-199)
• Pope Saint Miltiades (r. 311-314)
• Pope Saint Gelasius I (r. 492-496)

Doctors

Three of the thirty-five Doctors of the Church were from Africa, all of them from this time period. They are:

• Saint Augustine of Hippo, from present-day Algeria
• Saint Athanasius of Alexandria, from present-day Egypt
• Saint Cyril of Alexandria, from present-day Egypt

Writers and theologians

Many of the early writers and theologians had connections with Africa. A partial list would include:

• Saint Mark the Evangelist, author of the Gospel that bears his name and founder of the Patriarchate of Alexandria
• Saint Clement of Alexandria, author of several works, whose cult in the Latin Rite has been suppressed
• Saint Cyprian of Carthage, author of several works
• Saint Isidore of Pelusium, author of several letters
• Saint Optatus, author against Donatism
• Saint Pierius
• Saint Possidius, author of a life of St. Augustine
• Saint Quodvultdeus

Others

In addition to the categories above, these first centuries gave the Church many other saints, among them:

• Saint Achillas of Alexandria, of Egypt
• Saint Adrian of Canterbury, of North Africa
• Saints Aizan and Sazan, of Ethiopia
• Saint Alexander of Alexandria, of Egypt
• Saint Alypius of Thagaste, of Algeria
• Saints Ammon the Martyr and companions, of Egypt
• Saint Ammon the Abbot, of Egypt
• Saint Anatolius of Laodicea, of Egypt
• Saint Anthony the Great, of Egypt
• Saints Apollonia of Alexandria and companions, of Egypt
• Saint Arcadius of Mauretania, of Algeria
• Saints Arethas and Elesbaan, of Ethiopia
• Saints Armogastes and Saturus, of Tunisia
• Saints Athanasia and Andronicus, of Egypt
• Saint Aurelius, of Tunisia
• Saint Bessarion, of Egypt
• Saint Caecilius, spiritual father to Saint Cyprian of Carthage, of Tunisia
• Saint Cassian of Tangier, of Morocco
• Saint Catherine of Alexandria, of Egypt
• Saint Cerbonius, of North Africa
• Saint Crispina, of Algeria
• Saint Cucuphas, of Tunisia
• Saint Demetrius of Alexandria, of Egypt
• Saint Deogratias, Bishop of Carthage, of Tunisia
• Saints Denise, Dativa, Leontia, Tertius, Emilianus, Boniface, Majoricus, and Servus, of Tunisia
• Saint Dionysius of Alexandria, of Egypt
• Saints Donatian and companions, of North Africa
• Saint Epenetus of Carthage, of Tunisia
• Saint Eugenius of Carthage, of Tunisia
• Saint Fabius, of Algeria
• Saints Felix of Abbir, Cyprian of Unizzibir, and companions, of Libya
• Saint Felix of Hadrumetum, of Tunisia
• Saint Felix of Thibiuca, of Tunisia
• Saint Frumentius, of Ethiopia
• Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe, of Tunisia
• Saint Gaudiosus of Naples, of Tunisia
• Saint Isidore of Alexandria, of Egypt
• Saint Isidore of Chios, of Egypt
• Saint John of Egypt, of Egypt
• Saint Julia of Corsica, of Tunisia
• Saint Kaleb of Axum, of Ethiopia
• Saint Lucius of Cyrene, of Libya
• Saint Marciana of Mauretania, of Algeria
• Saint Macarius of Alexandria, of Egypt
• Saint Macarius of Egypt, of Egypt
• Saint Marcellinus of Carthage, of Tunisia
• Saints Marcellinus, Vincent, and Domninus, of North Africa
• Saint Marcellus of Tangier, of Morocco
• Saints Marianus, James, and companions, of Algeria
• The Martyrs of the Plague of Cyprian in Alexandria, Egypt
• The Martyrs of Utica, of Tunisia
• Saint Mary of Egypt, of Egypt
• Saints Maurice and the Theban Legion, of Egypt
• Saint Maximilian, in Algeria
• Saint Monica of Hippo, of Algeria
• Saint Moses the Black, of Egypt
• Saints Nemesian and companions, of Algeria
• Saint Onuphrius, of Egypt
• Saint Orsiesius of Tabenna, of Egypt
• Saint Pachomius the Great, founder of monasticism, of Egypt
• Saint Pambo, of Egypt
• Saint Pantaenus, of Egypt
• Saint Paphnutius the Ascetic, of Egypt
• Saint Paphnutius of Thebes, of Egypt
• Saint Paul of Thebes, of Egypt
• Saints Perpetua, Felicity, and companions, in Tunisia
• Saint Peter of Alexandria, of Egypt
• Saint Poemon, of Egypt
• Saint Quintian of Rodez, of Tunisia
• Saint Restituta, of Tunisia
• Saint Saizana, of Ethiopia
• Saint Sarmata, of Egypt
• Saints Saturninus, Dativus, Victoria, and Companions, of Tunisia
• Saint Shenoute, of Egypt
• Saint Simon of Cyrene, of Libya
• Saints Speratus and companions, of Tunisia
• Saint Thaïs, of Egypt
• Saint Theodorus of Tabennese, of Egypt
• Saints Timothy the Reader and his wife Maura, of Egypt
• Saint Typasius, of Algeria
• Saint Valerian of Abbenza, of Tunisia
• Saint Victor Maurus, of Algeria
• Saints Victorian, Frumentius and Companions, of Tunisia
• Saint Zeno of Verona, of Algeria

Modern times

It would be difficult to say who the first saint to be associated with Africa after the Arab conquest would be. Saint Francis of Assisi famously went on a mission to Egypt in 1219. Saint Louis IX of France died in Tunisia en route from the Holy Land in 1270. But after the canonization of saints came to be reserved to the Papacy around AD 1000, and especially after the establishment of the Congregation of Rites in 1588, the list of official saints with African connections is more clear.

List of saints

The following is the list of saints, including the year in which they were canonized and the country or countries with which they are associated.

• St. Serapion of Algiers, Mercedarian religious and martyr (1728, Algeria)
• St. Anthony Mary Claret, Claretian Bishop (1950, Canary Islands)
• Ss. Charles Lwanga and 21 companions, martyrs (1964, Uganda)
• St. Justin de Jacobis, Lazarist priest (1975, Ethiopia and Eritrea)
• St. Josephine Bakhita, Canossian Religious (2000, Sudan)
• St. Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur, layman (2002, Canary Islands)
• St. Daniel Comboni, Bishop (2003, Sudan)
• St. Jacques Berthieu, Jesuit priest and martyr (2012, Madagascar)
• St. José de Anchieta, Jesuit priest (2014, Canary Islands)

List of blesseds

• Bl. Benedict Daswa, layman and martyr (South Africa)
• Bl. Agathanga de Vendome, Capuchin priest and martyr (Ethiopia)
• Bl. Isidore Bakanja, layman and martyr (Democratic Republic of Congo)
• Bl. Jan Beyzym, Jesuit priest (Madagascar)
• Bl. Cassien de Nantes, Capuchin priest and martyr (Ethiopia)
• Bl. Charles I of Austria, layman (Madeira)
• Bl. Lorenza Diaz Bolanos, Daughter of Charity martyred in Spain (Canary Islands)
• Bl. Michele Fasoli, Franciscan priest and martyr (Ethiopia)
• Bl. Charles de Foucauld, Religious and martyr (Algeria)
• Bl. Joseph Gérard, priest (Lesotho)
• Bl. Jildo Irwa, layman and martyr (Uganda)
• Bl. Jacques-Désiré Laval, Spiritan priest (Mauritius)
• Bl. Samuele Marzorati, Franciscan priest and martyr (Ethiopia)
• Bl. Eliza Liduina Meneguzzi, Salesian sister (Ethiopia)
• Bl. Ghebre Michael, priest and martyr (Ethiopia)
• Bl. Marie-Clémentine Anuarite Nengapeta, Holy Family Sister and martyr (Democratic Republic of Congo)
• Bl. Daudi Okelo, layman and martyr (Uganda)
• Bl. Raphael Rafiringa, De La Salle Brother (Madagascar)
• Bl. Victoire Rasoamanarivo, laywoman (Madagascar)
• Bl. Jean-Bernard Rousseau, De La Salle Brother (Reunion)
• Bl. Francesco Spoto, Missionary Servant of the Poor priest and martyr (Democratic Republic of Congo)
• Bl. Irene Stefani, Consolata Missionary Sister (Kenya)
• Bl. Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi, Cistercian priest (Nigeria)
• Bl. Maria Caterina Troiani, Franciscan sister (Egypt)
• Bl. Liberat Weiss, Franciscan priest and martyr (Ethiopia)
• Bl. Francesco Zirano, Franciscan priest and martyr (Algeria)

List of venerables

• Ven. Zeinab Alif, Poor Clare sister (Sudan)
• Ven. Jerzy Ciesielski, layman (Egypt)
• Ven. Felix Mary Ghebreamlak, Cistercian priest (Eritrea)
• Ven. Edel Quinn, laywoman (Kenya)
• Ven. Maria Teresa Scandola, Comboni sister (South Sudan)
• Ven. Mary Jane Wilson, Franciscan sister (Madeira)

List of Servants of God

• Servants of God the Monks of Atlas, Trappists and martyrs (Algeria)
• Servants of God the Martyrs of Kikwit, Sisters of the Poor and martyrs (Democratic Republic of Congo)
• Servant of God Maurice Michael Cardinal Otunga (Kenya)

Other open causes

Others have been proposed for beatification, and may have active groups supporting their causes. These include:

• Anna Ali, religious in the order of The Most Holy Eucarist and reported mystic. (Kenya) The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Eldoret has appointed a task force to investigate the life of the late Sr. Anna Ali. Hundreds of pilgrims visit her burial place every year to commemorate the nun who received messages from Our Lord for 25 years. The nun is reported to have photographed Jesus. Her story has shocked many believers. Her messages have been approved and published.

See also

• Blessed
• Congregation for the Causes of Saints
• List of Central American and Caribbean Saints
• List of American saints and beatified people
• List of Mexican Saints
• List of Saints from Oceania
• Roman Catholic saints of Canada
• Roman Catholicism in Africa
• Saint
• Servant of God
• Venerable

References

• "Hagiography Circle"
• O'Malley, Vincent J. (2001). Saints of Africa. Our Sunday Visitor. ISBN 0-87973-373-X.