Jean Luc Enyegue | Hekima College (original) (raw)
Uploads
Papers by Jean Luc Enyegue
Perspectiva Teológica
An upset spiritual director just ended a retreat with a group of African priests because they cou... more An upset spiritual director just ended a retreat with a group of African priests because they could not observe strict silence. Similar situations elsewhere on the continent led a young African student to raise the question of the suitability of sixteenth-century Spiritual Exercises to modern Africans. This essay acknowledges the challenges facing spiritual directors to “accurately” apply the method of the Spiritual Exercises in a diverse and ever-evolving, noisy and busy world. From the concrete experience of this group of priests, it argues for the suitability of the Exercises to the African context based on the adaptability and flexibility inherent in Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercise and subsequent directories. The particular crisis between this director and his retreatants, however, also presents a unique opportunity for retreat directors to find creative ways to accommodate retreatants with specific needs, and to communicate the message of the Exercises in a way that is both access...
Journal of Jesuit Studies, Jun 1, 2017
The presence of the Jesuits in Africa is as old as the Society of Jesus itself. Unfortunately, th... more The presence of the Jesuits in Africa is as old as the Society of Jesus itself. Unfortunately, their history on the continent is also the least studied. This volume is short, yet it is the first comprehensive history of the Jesuits in Africa. In its 137 pages, the author, himself a seasoned missionary, seeks to focus not on mission history as such, but on the birth of local churches. The book is divided in three parts corresponding to three periods of the history of the Jesuits in Africa. The Portuguese or Padroado era covers the early missions in the kingdom of Congo and Angola, Ethiopia, Cape Verde, the Zambesi, and Madagascar, from the foundation of the Society of Jesus in 1540 to its suppression in 1773. Beyond a clear chronological report of events, nothing substantial is said about this period. Then follows the colonial era, from the restoration of the Society in 1814 to the wave of African nations becoming independent in the 1960s. Characteristic of this period was the emergence of most of the present Jesuit provinces and sub-provinces in Africa. Here, de Saint Moulin provides a chronology of those foundations, their most important achievements, and the most significant missionaries (including Africans) in Madagascar, the Zambesi, and Central, Western, and Eastern Africa. Missions were dependent upon colonial powers for their foundation and functioning. Yet, missionaries also took a stand against colonial abuses. Last comes the African era that followed the Second Vatican Council. Characteristic of this period is what the author calls "Africanization" of the Jesuit leadership and membership. De Saint Moulin links the roots of this process to the politics of "authenticity" in Mobutu Sese Seko's Congo and to the figure of Cardinal Joseph Malula, archbishop of Kinshasa. But he also warns about new challenges, as Africans come to the realization that the process of Africanization, to bear fruit, has to go beyond the assumption of positions of ecclesiastical leadership. Even more, he fears that the current rise of African Jesuits might align them with the political status quo rather than with a history of liberation (126-28). According to de Saint Moulin, the concept of Africanization includes four aspects. First, it means the expansion of Jesuit houses and apostolates, as well as the creation of new Jesuit regions and provinces. Second, this expansion leads to the secularization (understood here as what I would call the de-missionarization of the church), by building up a diocesan clergy and new ecclesiastical jurisdictions, led by African bishops and priests. This was the case for today's Congolese, Chadian, Zambian, and Malagasy dioceses. The third aspect of Africanization is education. In addition to tens of primary and
Journal of Jesuit Studies
Journal of Jesuit Studies
The presence of the Jesuits in Africa is as old as the Society of Jesus itself. Unfortunately, th... more The presence of the Jesuits in Africa is as old as the Society of Jesus itself. Unfortunately, their history on the continent is also the least studied. This volume is short, yet it is the first comprehensive history of the Jesuits in Africa. In its 137 pages, the author, himself a seasoned missionary, seeks to focus not on mission history as such, but on the birth of local churches. The book is divided in three parts corresponding to three periods of the history of the Jesuits in Africa. The Portuguese or Padroado era covers the early missions in the kingdom of Congo and Angola, Ethiopia, Cape Verde, the Zambesi, and Madagascar, from the foundation of the Society of Jesus in 1540 to its suppression in 1773. Beyond a clear chronological report of events, nothing substantial is said about this period. Then follows the colonial era, from the restoration of the Society in 1814 to the wave of African nations becoming independent in the 1960s. Characteristic of this period was the emergence of most of the present Jesuit provinces and sub-provinces in Africa. Here, de Saint Moulin provides a chronology of those foundations, their most important achievements, and the most significant missionaries (including Africans) in Madagascar, the Zambesi, and Central, Western, and Eastern Africa. Missions were dependent upon colonial powers for their foundation and functioning. Yet, missionaries also took a stand against colonial abuses. Last comes the African era that followed the Second Vatican Council. Characteristic of this period is what the author calls "Africanization" of the Jesuit leadership and membership. De Saint Moulin links the roots of this process to the politics of "authenticity" in Mobutu Sese Seko's Congo and to the figure of Cardinal Joseph Malula, archbishop of Kinshasa. But he also warns about new challenges, as Africans come to the realization that the process of Africanization, to bear fruit, has to go beyond the assumption of positions of ecclesiastical leadership. Even more, he fears that the current rise of African Jesuits might align them with the political status quo rather than with a history of liberation (126-28). According to de Saint Moulin, the concept of Africanization includes four aspects. First, it means the expansion of Jesuit houses and apostolates, as well as the creation of new Jesuit regions and provinces. Second, this expansion leads to the secularization (understood here as what I would call the de-missionarization of the church), by building up a diocesan clergy and new ecclesiastical jurisdictions, led by African bishops and priests. This was the case for today's Congolese, Chadian, Zambian, and Malagasy dioceses. The third aspect of Africanization is education. In addition to tens of primary and
Perspectiva Teológica
An upset spiritual director just ended a retreat with a group of African priests because they cou... more An upset spiritual director just ended a retreat with a group of African priests because they could not observe strict silence. Similar situations elsewhere on the continent led a young African student to raise the question of the suitability of sixteenth-century Spiritual Exercises to modern Africans. This essay acknowledges the challenges facing spiritual directors to “accurately” apply the method of the Spiritual Exercises in a diverse and ever-evolving, noisy and busy world. From the concrete experience of this group of priests, it argues for the suitability of the Exercises to the African context based on the adaptability and flexibility inherent in Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercise and subsequent directories. The particular crisis between this director and his retreatants, however, also presents a unique opportunity for retreat directors to find creative ways to accommodate retreatants with specific needs, and to communicate the message of the Exercises in a way that is both access...
Journal of Jesuit Studies, Jun 1, 2017
The presence of the Jesuits in Africa is as old as the Society of Jesus itself. Unfortunately, th... more The presence of the Jesuits in Africa is as old as the Society of Jesus itself. Unfortunately, their history on the continent is also the least studied. This volume is short, yet it is the first comprehensive history of the Jesuits in Africa. In its 137 pages, the author, himself a seasoned missionary, seeks to focus not on mission history as such, but on the birth of local churches. The book is divided in three parts corresponding to three periods of the history of the Jesuits in Africa. The Portuguese or Padroado era covers the early missions in the kingdom of Congo and Angola, Ethiopia, Cape Verde, the Zambesi, and Madagascar, from the foundation of the Society of Jesus in 1540 to its suppression in 1773. Beyond a clear chronological report of events, nothing substantial is said about this period. Then follows the colonial era, from the restoration of the Society in 1814 to the wave of African nations becoming independent in the 1960s. Characteristic of this period was the emergence of most of the present Jesuit provinces and sub-provinces in Africa. Here, de Saint Moulin provides a chronology of those foundations, their most important achievements, and the most significant missionaries (including Africans) in Madagascar, the Zambesi, and Central, Western, and Eastern Africa. Missions were dependent upon colonial powers for their foundation and functioning. Yet, missionaries also took a stand against colonial abuses. Last comes the African era that followed the Second Vatican Council. Characteristic of this period is what the author calls "Africanization" of the Jesuit leadership and membership. De Saint Moulin links the roots of this process to the politics of "authenticity" in Mobutu Sese Seko's Congo and to the figure of Cardinal Joseph Malula, archbishop of Kinshasa. But he also warns about new challenges, as Africans come to the realization that the process of Africanization, to bear fruit, has to go beyond the assumption of positions of ecclesiastical leadership. Even more, he fears that the current rise of African Jesuits might align them with the political status quo rather than with a history of liberation (126-28). According to de Saint Moulin, the concept of Africanization includes four aspects. First, it means the expansion of Jesuit houses and apostolates, as well as the creation of new Jesuit regions and provinces. Second, this expansion leads to the secularization (understood here as what I would call the de-missionarization of the church), by building up a diocesan clergy and new ecclesiastical jurisdictions, led by African bishops and priests. This was the case for today's Congolese, Chadian, Zambian, and Malagasy dioceses. The third aspect of Africanization is education. In addition to tens of primary and
Journal of Jesuit Studies
Journal of Jesuit Studies
The presence of the Jesuits in Africa is as old as the Society of Jesus itself. Unfortunately, th... more The presence of the Jesuits in Africa is as old as the Society of Jesus itself. Unfortunately, their history on the continent is also the least studied. This volume is short, yet it is the first comprehensive history of the Jesuits in Africa. In its 137 pages, the author, himself a seasoned missionary, seeks to focus not on mission history as such, but on the birth of local churches. The book is divided in three parts corresponding to three periods of the history of the Jesuits in Africa. The Portuguese or Padroado era covers the early missions in the kingdom of Congo and Angola, Ethiopia, Cape Verde, the Zambesi, and Madagascar, from the foundation of the Society of Jesus in 1540 to its suppression in 1773. Beyond a clear chronological report of events, nothing substantial is said about this period. Then follows the colonial era, from the restoration of the Society in 1814 to the wave of African nations becoming independent in the 1960s. Characteristic of this period was the emergence of most of the present Jesuit provinces and sub-provinces in Africa. Here, de Saint Moulin provides a chronology of those foundations, their most important achievements, and the most significant missionaries (including Africans) in Madagascar, the Zambesi, and Central, Western, and Eastern Africa. Missions were dependent upon colonial powers for their foundation and functioning. Yet, missionaries also took a stand against colonial abuses. Last comes the African era that followed the Second Vatican Council. Characteristic of this period is what the author calls "Africanization" of the Jesuit leadership and membership. De Saint Moulin links the roots of this process to the politics of "authenticity" in Mobutu Sese Seko's Congo and to the figure of Cardinal Joseph Malula, archbishop of Kinshasa. But he also warns about new challenges, as Africans come to the realization that the process of Africanization, to bear fruit, has to go beyond the assumption of positions of ecclesiastical leadership. Even more, he fears that the current rise of African Jesuits might align them with the political status quo rather than with a history of liberation (126-28). According to de Saint Moulin, the concept of Africanization includes four aspects. First, it means the expansion of Jesuit houses and apostolates, as well as the creation of new Jesuit regions and provinces. Second, this expansion leads to the secularization (understood here as what I would call the de-missionarization of the church), by building up a diocesan clergy and new ecclesiastical jurisdictions, led by African bishops and priests. This was the case for today's Congolese, Chadian, Zambian, and Malagasy dioceses. The third aspect of Africanization is education. In addition to tens of primary and