African Catholic Priests: Confronting an Identity Problem

3. Spiritual Guides to Dispirited Flock

89 Chapter Three Spiritual Guides to Dispirited Flock The hunger for spirituality has become a common feature among believers in all religions today. In Europe especially, the Eastern methods of spirituality like yoga and other Buddhist forms of meditation for attaining interior peace are attracting many people including the young. In different dioceses and parishes pilgrimage trips are organized to visit different pilgrimage centres. The Christian faithful who are financially well off organize trips to international pilgrimage sites like Lourdes, Fatima, Madjigore, Roma, and Israel. Those who cannot afford long distance travel make use of designated local sites of pilgrimage. The hunger to nourish the spirit is also seen in the new enthusiasm to visit the Blessed Sacraments. In some dioceses, public chapels have been constructed for adoration to enable the people be close to the LORD in daytime and night hours. The quest for spirituality that is deep and that guarantee an inner peace, is also among African Christians of different communities. Reasons for increased interest in spiritual matters can be attributed to various factors. These factors arise from different areas, social, political, cultural and ecclesial. We are going to pick up some of them here: x The global terror networks like the El Quida organization which has hit establishments located in Africa (the attack on the USA Embassy in Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam in 1997) the Somali pirates along the Indian Ocean coast have resulted in fear in people. There is a feeling of lack of security everywhere. An urge to encounter God in places of silence is an inevitable consequence. x Many families are split up as marriages are disrupted by divorce and constant migrations. Meanwhile, the rise of criminality in drug deal, human trafficking and such kind of evils, means that many people are not peaceful inside themselves. One has to acknowledge that in the World 90 Church in general, and in African Church in particular the charismatic movements are catalysing the interest of the people in spirituality. Raniero Cantalamesa speaks in the Charismatic movement that we are in ‘the Golden Age of the Church’ (Cantalamessa 2005:4). This is the time we are delighted and are drawn emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually to experience the Holy Spirit at work by the healing services and long sessions of prayers. ‘We are dealing with a charismatic Christianity in which people fervently believed along with all of the New Testament that grace is the beginning of glory and makes possible even now a kind of direct experience of God’ (Cantalamessa 2005:4). Priests in Africa are confronted with the truth of the matter that the faithful entrusted to them have spiritual longing. They count on their priests for spiritual guidance, and sees in them spiritual gurus who are to help in the longing pertaining to the spirit. In our synthesis priests as spiritual directors and guide are to help the faithful in three areas, ministering the spirituality of joy, witness to the liberty of the spirit, and moderators at round the tree spiritual encounter. Promoters of the Spirituality of Joy People from the African continent are naturally cheerful. They are happy and joyful amidst daily trials. The Church in Africa is distinct as compared to other continental churches for its lively liturgy. The celebration of the mass is longer, yet very lively and warm. There is singing, and dancing, and yet people are pious and feel connected to God. The number of the faithful in the continent is on the increase, as new baptism is recorded everywhere. Given the increase of population with a significant pace, the Church in Africa is likely to lead in terms of the number of faithful in the coming years. As population data stands now in urban and rural Africa, there is much hope in the future. It corresponds with the vision of prophet Isaiah: “You have enlarged the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at harvest time, as they exult when they are dividing the spoils.” (Is. 9:2). 91 As dancing community the African embody the spirituality of joy in simplicity of life and sensibility to one another’s problems. In many places the people realize solidarity at celebrations through dancing. They cry together in case of death with emotive songs that trigger the sentiments of missing someone dear and important to them. They feast on important life events with a dance...