Madagascar and Malawi

This blog will discuss the Catholic Church in Madagascar and Malawi.

Madagascar

Madagascar was one of the last places on earth to be settled by humans.  Indonesians came there between 350 and 550 and they were followed by Arabs, Persians, and Africans.  It later became a pirate stronghold and slave trading center.  The Portuguese claimed Madagascar from 1500 until the 17th Century at which time it became an independent kingdom.  The French and British vied for the island for most of the 19th Century until France won control in 1883 and made Madagascar a colony in 1896.  Madagascar gained its independence in 1960.

A majority of Madagascar’s 28 million people practice traditional religions.  Slightly more than 40 percent are Christians, with Protestants being more numerous than Catholics.  About 7 percent are Muslim.  Portuguese missionaries had little success with evangelization in the 16th and 17th Centuries.  Protestant missionaries came from England in 1818 and were especially successful in evangelizing the Merina ethnic group who tend to dominate government, commerce, and professional services in Madagascar.  French Jesuits came in 1845 and found fertile ground with the Betsileo ethnic group.  Catholics in Madagascar are generally among the underprivileged.  There are five Catholic ecclesiastic provinces—Antananarivo, Antsiranana, Fianarantsoa, Toamasina, and Toliara.  

Province of Antananarivo

The province consists of the civil province of Antananarivo and the southwestern part of Mahajanga province in northern Madagascar.  The Apostolic Prefecture of Madagascar was established in 1841 and became an apostolic vicariate in 1848.  This became the Apostolic Vicariate of Central Madagascar in 1898.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tananarive was created in 1955 and acquired its current name in 1989.

The Gothic Revival Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Antananarivo was designed by a Jesuit priest and built between 1873 and 1890.

Pictures are from Wikipedia, Dreamstime, Flickr, and TripAdvisor.

The Province has four suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Antsirabe was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1913, became an apostolic vicariate in 1918, and a diocese in 1955.
• The Diocese of Miarinarivo was established as a Mission sui juris in 1933, became an apostolic vicariate in 1939, and a diocese in 1955.
• The Diocese of Tsiroanomandidy was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1949 and became a diocese in 1958.
• The Diocese of Maintirano was established in 2017.

Province of Antsiranana

The province consists of the civil province of Antsiranana and the northeastern part of Mahajanga province in northern Madagascar.  The Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Madagascar was created in 1896.  This became a diocese in 1955 and a metropolitan archdiocese in 1958.  It acquired its current name in 1989.

The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is in Antsiranana.

Pictures are from Alamy and blogspot.

The Province has three suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Ambanja was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1848, became an apostolic vicariate in 1951, and a diocese in 1955.
• The Diocese of Mahajanga was established as an apostolic vicariate in 1923 and became a diocese in 1955.
• The Diocese of Port-Berge was established in 1993.

Province of Fianarantsoa

The province consists of the civil province of Fianarantsoa in southeastern Madagascar.  The Apostolic Vicariate of Fainarantsoa was created in 1913, became a diocese in 1955, and a metropolitan archdiocese in 1958.

The Cathedral of the Holy Name of Jesus is in Fianarantsoa.  It was built between 1871 and 1890 in a Romanesque style.

Pictures are from Wikipedia, Desolve, and Flickr.

The Province has four suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Farafangana was established in 1957.
• The Diocese of Ihosy was established in 1967.
• The Diocese of Mananjary was established in 1968.
• The Diocese of Ambositra was established in 1999.

Province of Toliara  

The province consists of the civil province of Toliara in southwestern Madagascar.  The Diocese of Tulear was created in 1957 and this became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Toliara in 2003.  The Cathedral of St. Vincent de Paul is in Toliara.

This picture may be of the Cathedral.

Picture is from Alamy.

The Province has three suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Tolagnaro was established as the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Madagascar in 1896.  This became a diocese in 1955 and acquired its current name in 1989.
• The Diocese of Morondava was established as an apostolic vicariate in 1938 and became a diocese in 1955.
• The Diocese of Morombe was established in 1960.

Province of Toamasina

The province consists of the civil province of Toamasina in northern Madagascar.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Toamasina began as an apostolic prefecture in 1935, became an apostolic vicariate in 1939, a diocese in 1955, before becoming a metropolitan archdiocese in 2010.

The Cathedral of St. Joseph in Toamasina was completed in 1932 to replace a church destroyed by a cyclone.  The white neo-Romamesque church holds 800 people and has two square bell towers.

The picture is from the archdiocesan website.

The Province has three suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Ambatondrazaka was established in 1959.
• The Diocese of Fenoarivo Atsinanana was established in 2000.
• The Diocese of Moramanga was established in 2006.

Malawi

Malawi was an independent kingdom from the 15th Century to the 18th Century.  British trading and missionary activities increased in the late 1800s and Malawi became the British Central African Protectorate in 1889.  Malawi became independent in 1964.

Catholic missionaries led by the White Fathers came to Malawi starting in 1889 and the Montfort Fathers arrived in 1901.  Today, Catholics make up anywhere from 17 to 33 percent of the population of 20.3 million, depending on the source.  As a whole, Malawi is a Protestant nation, with 50 to 65 percent belonging to one of several Protestant denominations.  Muslims make up about 12 percent of the population.  There are two Catholic ecclesiastic provinces—Blantyre and Lilongwe. 

Province of Blantyre

The province consists of the southern third of Malawi.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Blantyre began as an apostolic prefecture in 1903, became an apostolic vicariate in 1908, and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1959.  Our Lady of Wisdom Cathedral (Limbe Cathedral) is in Blantyre.

Both pictures are from local websites.

The Province has three suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Zomba was established as an apostolic vicariate in 1952 and became a diocese in 1959.
• The Diocese of Chikwawa was established in 1965.
• The Diocese of Mangochi was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1969 and became a diocese in 1973.

Province of Lilongwe

The province consists of the northern two-thirds of Malawi.  The Archdiocese of Lilongwe was established as an apostolic vicariate in 1951, became a diocese in 1959 and a metropolitan archdiocese in 2011.  Our Lady Queen of Africa Cathedral (Maula Cathedral) is in Lilongwe.

The picture is from Pinterest.

The Province has three suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Dedza was established as an apostolic vicariate in 1956 and became a diocese in 1959.
• The Diocese of Mzuzu was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1947 and became a diocese in 1961.
• The Diocese of Karonga was established in 2010.

Definitions

The Catholic Church is mostly divided into ecclesiastical provinces—a province consists of a metropolitan archdiocese and one or more dioceses.  The province and the archdiocese are led by an archbishop.  Each of the dioceses is called a suffragan diocese and is led by a bishop.   Archbishops have some responsibilities for the province, but all bishops answer directly to the Pope.  There are also missionary jurisdictions below the level of a diocese, which include apostolic vicariates, apostolic prefectures, and missions sui juris.