12 MAY 1890 DEATH OF FATHER LOURDEL (1853-1890) MISSIONARY OF AFRICA (WHITE FATHER) APOSTLE TO THE BAGANDA

 

At ten past one in the afternoon of the 12th May 1890, Father Siméon Lourdel died at Rubaga near Kampala (Uganda), surrounded by his confreres, Fathers Camille Denoit (1862-1891) and Alphonse Brard (1858-1918). Thus the second of the five founders of the Catholic Church in Buganda (part of today's Uganda), passed away at the age of 37; the four others were Archbishop Livinhac (1846-1922), Fathers Girault (1853-1941) and Barbot (1846-1882) and Brother Amans Delmas (1852-1895).

The death of Father Lourdel occurred at an important juncture in the pre-colonial history of Buganda. Torn by religious and political rivalries, this kingdom had fallen prey to the colonial ambitions of Germany and Great Britain. Unfortunately, the death of Father Lourdel coincided with the departure of Bishop Livinhac (1846-1922), Vicar Apostolic of 'Victoria-Nyanza' Vicariate, newly elected Superior General of the Society of Missionaries of Africa. The death of one and the departure of the other at that point were an incalculable loss for Catholics. They had been their most able and also their most loved leaders.

The diary of Rubaga Mission contains an account of the death of Father Lourdel. It consists of some very moving pages of a little-known period of missionary history. It is of interest to revisit these pages, aware of the progress achieved in the area of the history of mission in Equatorial Africa in recent years.

Portrait (dessin) du P. Lourdel réalisé en 1906
par le P. Gustave Dehuisserre (1857-1933) sûrement à partir d'une photo que nous n'avons plus

A few biographical notes

Father Lourdel, baptised Siméon, was originally from the diocese of Arras in the north of France. He was born on the 20th December 1853 in the village of Dury (Pas-de-Calais) into a well-to-do and very Catholic farming family; one of his brothers would become a Carthusian. After his primary schooling at the 'Séminaire des Saints Anges' at Arras, he continued his secondary studies at the junior seminary of the same town. Expelled for lack of discipline, he completed his studies at Saint Bertin College at Saint Omer. In his youth, he read the life of Father Vénard (1829-1860), who died a martyr at Tonkin (Indochina). It awakened in him the desire to become a missionary, a desire that he would later share with his friends at Saint Bertin College, Léonce Bridoux (1852-1890) and Anatole Toulotte (1852-1907). The three friends would enter the Society of Missionaries of Africa after a meeting in 1873 with Father Charmetant (1844-1921), a Missionary of Africa sent to France to look for candidates for the plan to evangelise Africa, launched at Algiers by Archbishop Lavigerie (1825-1892) in 1868.

After going through the various stages of his training with the Missionaries of Africa, Lourdel, then a major seminarian, was ordained a priest on Easter Monday the 2nd April 1877 at Maison Carrée, near Algiers. At the beginning of his priestly life, he taught for a few months at the junior seminary of Notre-Dame d'Afrique, and then in November 1877, he joined the community of Metlili in the Sahara. The following year, Archbishop Lavigerie appointed him a member of the first caravan heading to Equatorial Africa. He formed part of the group consisting of Archbishop Livinhac (1846-1922), destined to evangelise the peoples of the Lake Victoria region. He and Brother Amans Delmas (1852-1895) were the first to arrive in Buganda on the 17th February 1879, after a journey lasting 10 months. Their caravan had left Marseilles on the 17th April 1878. From then until his death, Father Lourdel evangelised the Baganda with a view to founding a Catholic kingdom among them, according to the instructions of Archbishop Lavigerie. By 1890, in spite of the 1886 persecution, the Catholic community even then numbered some 1,200 baptised and 10,000 catechumens.

Father Siméon Lourdel with Dallington Scorpion Mafta ,his monitor of language (?)

In Buganda, Father Lourdel was called 'Mapeera', the local pronunciation of the French 'mon Père'. According to the testimony of his confreres, he impressed his circle of friends with his physical qualities: he was tall, muscular and had rugged good looks. He was a man of action, extremely strong and active, a leader with a rare will power and the solid faith of country people. This description from his contemporaries does not compare much with the angelic image of Father Lourdel on his most famous photograph, a portrait noticeably retouched to satisfy the religious sensitivities of French Catholics at the end of the 19th century.(on the left)

The final months of Father Lourdel at Rubaga: February-May 1890

At that time, Father Lourdel became an influential person among the Baganda: he was at one and the same time superior of Rubaga Mission, a gifted leader for the Catholics and the personal advisor of Kabaka (King) Mwanga (ca.1866-1903). Moreover, he was a friend of Gabriel, the commander of the Royal Army, which was composed, in addition to ordinary troops, of a special guard of 3,370 soldiers armed with old rifles and equipped with a considerable fleet of boats.

From February to May 1890, he was prey to the worry of preserving the independence of Buganda and the throne of Mwanga, who had become his catechumen. In 1888, the Muslims known as the 'baadi', because of the Mahdi of the Sudan exiled Mwanga and founded a Muslim kingdom, to the dismay of the Catholics. The following year, these Catholics, with their allies, restored Mwanga to the throne, after defeating the 'baadi'. However, the victors were unable to defeat their adversaries for good: the Anglicans, distrusting power in Catholic hands, refused to take part in the fighting.

Wary of the threat of a 'baadi' revenge, Father Lourdel tried to unite Catholics, traditionalists and Protestants to form a coalition based on power-sharing. Above all, he feared the intervention of an Englishman named Jackson (1860-1938), an emissary of the 'Imperial East-Africa Company' and a German named Peters, (1856-1918), founder of the 'Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft'. These two, representing colonial powers, intended to take Buganda, exploiting its political and religious instability. Each in turn proposed military aid to Mwanga to combat the 'baadi'. Their assistance naturally had a price tag: Jackson demanded a protectorate with a trading monopoly for his company and Peters demanded the neutrality of Buganda with freedom to trade.

Click to enlarge the map of the Vicariat "Victoria-Nyanza" (about 1890)

Given the content of the two proposals, Father Lourdel advised Mwanga to sign a treaty preferably with Peters in the hope of preserving the independence of his kingdom, on the way to becoming a Catholic kingdom. This treaty, drafted in French and Kiswahili, was signed on the 1st March 1890 to the great displeasure of the Anglicans. They feared a power takeover by the Catholics and appealed for help to Jackson, who went to the royal capital at Mengo on the 14th April 1890, accompanied by three hundred well-armed Nubians.

Hardly had he arrived than Jackson asked Mwanga to arrest Peters. However, his request came too late: the German had already left the capital having thanked Father Lourdel for his services. Subsequently, Jackson had an interview with Father Lourdel, who advised him to wait with the protectorate proposal. He explained to him that 'neither the Baganda nor the King are ready for that yet.' However, Jackson, an English Protestant, refused to take account of the advice of this French Catholic priest and on the 21st April 1890, requested the protectorate.

What Father Lourdel recommended occurred. Kabaka Mwanga refused Jackson's request and threatened to leave his kingdom in company with his supporters. Finally, to get out of the impasse, the Kabaka proposed to send two ambassadors to Zanzibar, an Anglican and a Catholic, to submit to the German and British consuls the issue of knowing whether Buganda would remain free or become a British Protectorate. Jackson agreed to the proposal and he then made ready to leave for Zanzibar, accompanied by two Baganda ambassadors.

It was then that Father Lourdel fell seriously ill. Surrounded by his confreres, Fathers Brard and Denoit, he died on the 12th May 1890 at Rubaga. According to a contemporary diagnosis, he died of hepatitis. Upon learning the news, his Vicar Apostolic wrote to Maison Carrée, 'He is the eighth confrere to leave us in eight months.'

On his deathbed, Father Lourdel designated Father Brard (1858-1918) as his successor. 'This appointment would be confirmed at the beginning of July by Bishop Hirth (1854-1931), successor to Archbishop Livinhac as Vicar Apostolic of the Victoria-Nyanza Vicariate. In the meantime, the role of superior of Rubaga was filled by Father Lombard (1857-1893), on account of his age; he had been travelling at the time of his confrere's death.

Father Brard as successor to Father Lourdel posed problems. Originally from Normandy, this Father arrived at Rubaga on the 28th April 1890. He knew neither Buganda nor its inhabitants. Why did Father Lourdel designate Father Brard as his successor? Moreover, for what reasons did Bishop Hirth confirm this surprising replacement, given that there were other suitable candidates? After Father Lourdel's death, Father Denoit was seen as the 'soul of the Buganda mission.' However, Bishop Hirth placed his trust in Father Brard. Both of them knew one another very well; they had arrived in Equatorial Africa in the same caravan in September 1887. Father Brard was an energetic person full of zeal. He began his missionary life at Kipalapala, near Tabora. Later, in 1900, he would be one of the four founders of the Catholic Church in Rwanda, with Bishop Hirth.

Father Brard wearing the colonial helmet
seated next to Father Hirth (1887)

The writer of the account of Father Lourdel's death in the diary of Rubaga

For now, it is impossible to identify with any certainty who the writer of this account was. Normally, the Mission diary was written by the superior. It was part of his duties. In a way, the diary was an aide-mémoire for writing up reports required by his Vicar Apostolic. During Father Lourdel's illness, the Rubaga diary was kept up in the interim by one of the two confreres present: Father Brard or Father Denoit.

Father Brard arrived at Rubaga Mission only some weeks after the death of Father Lourdel. We can suppose that he was not up to keeping the Rubaga diary, given his lack of knowledge of the Mission situation. By contrast, it is very probable that the diary was kept by Father Denoit (1862-1891).

Father Denoit, originally from the diocese of Rodez, arrived at Rubaga in May 1886. According to his confreres, he knew the language and customs of the people very well, as also the 'traditions of the first missionaries.' This comes out in the account. On several occasions, he uses words in Luganda: 'lubugo - a fabric made from ficus bark' and 'Mwana wa Mbuga - a son of the court'. He also uses an old English word: 'bifti' - beef tea', introduced into Buganda by Anglican missionaries. He felt enormous admiration for Father Lourdel and sometimes forgot his objectivity, which is quite understandable given the tragic circumstances. When he writes of 'hundreds of Christians who shed their blood to testify to their faith,' is it badly expressed or a pious exaggeration? In fact, among the victims of Mwanga's persecution in 1886, there were 37 Catholics. The writer provides us above all with precise information concerning the medical knowledge of the first missionaries and Father Lourdel's illness, along with the exact time of his death.

The account of Father Lourdel's death in the Rubaga diary (May 1890)

We have used the original text conserved in the Archives of the Missionaries of Africa in Rome. This text was published for the first time in 1891 in 'Chronique Trimestrielle', a publication then intended only for members of the Society of Missionaries of Africa. Its exclusive character explains why the original text has been respected, in spite of some few corrections. There is also a typed copy. Unfortunately it is not trustworthy; it was done by someone who lacked professional skills.

4 - 7 May (1890) - Lauzi, the chief of the Sésé, exiled by the Protestants and who is following instructions with us, has come to plead his case before the king. Mwanga tells him he will never exile him, that he may return to reclaim his place; he won his case and returned to Sésé with several catechists. Reverend Father Lourdel was getting ready to fetch Father Lombard and Brother Amans at Sésé and begin an apostolic visit to Sésé Island, contaminated by Protestants, when he had a sudden short bout of fever; moreover the war was not over; he decided to remain and send boats to fetch the confreres. Thursday 8 May - Fr. Lourdel is still a bit feverish; he takes calomel purgative. Friday 9 May - Saturday 10 May - Our patient is getting worse; every time he vomits, he brings up bile; we give him a purgative, but it has little effect. We administer strong doses of quinine; he is very agitated; he complains of his back, chest, legs and liver; we apply 'Spanish fly', [Externally applied, cantharides excites inflammation in the skin for the relief of neuritis, peritonitis, pleurisy, etc. Tr.] but nothing soothes him. Sunday 11 May - The illness is getting progressively worse; our poor patient was preparing himself for death during the night; in the morning we celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in his hut and he took Holy Communion. He began to have hiccups; we managed to stop them with ether or chloroform capsules, but with the least movement he makes they came back; also, when he is exhausted he becomes calmer; we give him a little wine or beef tea, but he cannot keep anything down. He is still conscious, speaking little other than to ask pardon of God for his many sins; he asks only to die, he is good for nothing more. Heaven, Our Lady, Jesus, these are on his mind; he only regrets one thing, of not having served the Good Lord better and, praying the Rosary, he weeps like a child. He wants at all costs to be laid on the ground to die, as he is not worthy of dying in his camp bed. Some of the principal parishioners are allowed into his hut; he makes his farewells to them, telling them to remain good Christians, to pray for him, their country and their king; he also recommends them to have patience. In the evening, we administer the Sacrament of Extreme Unction that he himself requested; he replied to the prayers of the ritual. The expedition has returned, as the baadi did not appear; our parishioners come to receive news of our patient and to pray the Rosary around his dwelling in the deepest silence; consternation reigns in the household, 'Mapeera is going to die', and everyone wants to see him again, to speak to him one last time, but he cannot receive anyone. Monday 12 May - The poor Father had a fit of hiccups the whole night; it only stopped this morning; his whole body is drenched in a cold sweat; from the morning he was saying, 'I am going to die today', and he generously offers his life in sacrifice; he speaks only with great difficulty; nonetheless, he dictates his last will, recommending us to pray often for him and requesting the plenary indulgence 'in articulo mortis'. From 10 o'clock onwards, he did not speak again; we read the prayers for the dying. Mwanga sent word that he wants to come and visit our dying Father; we tell him to hurry; little by little, his pulse grows weaker; the body cools, the eyes stop moving; he makes a slight movement and gives his soul up to God at ten past one in the afternoon. Mwanga arrived just when he had breathed his last; the poor king was stunned, confronted with the body, unable to utter a single word. 'Mapeera is dead' soon makes the rounds of the capital. All our parishioners arrived at once at the Mission. The Protestants themselves, the minister (Katikiro) at their head, came to pay a visit; even the pagans want to see Mapeera. For the whole evening, the poor hut in which we laid Father out was crowded out. The Catholics prayed the Rosary in a religious silence. The king and dignitaries offered fabrics, 'lubugo' to bury the dead according to local custom; we refuse them, but some nonetheless oblige us to accept their 'lubugo'. Tuesday 13 May - At four o'clock, our Christians, both baptised and catechumens are already praying their Rosary, either in the chapel or around the body of their dearly beloved Father. The transfer of the body took place at 6 o'clock; we celebrated Holy Mass, gave the absolution and led him to his final resting-place, 20 metres behind the main chapel that the Reverend Father had had begun and that is still unfinished. The Christians spent the day erecting a little monument on the tomb, according to local custom. Tomb of Father Lourdel with the Funerary Hut (1890 ?) Mr Jackson, who was due to leave today, postponed his departure till tomorrow; he came to pay us a visit with Mr Gordon and the other Whites. We can finally have a bit of a rest and try to make sense of the misfortune the Good Lord has inflicted upon us. What an emptiness it leaves in Buganda! May the will of our Good Master be done. As we saw in the preceding pages, Reverend Father Lourdel returned to Buganda in triumph, like a king; he was the bane of the Protestants, a brother to the king, a Father for the Christians that almost all he had regenerated in holy Baptism, a power for his children, to whom he never failed to preach union, patience and charity. It seemed as if the Good Lord called him to conquer the whole of this beautiful country of Uganda for his holy religion; the pagans themselves only knew our holy religion under the title of 'the religion of Mapeera.' Now, our Good Master has called him to Himself. Therefore, he only came back to be interred in his Buganda that he loved so much, among his children for whom he had spent his life. At least he will not appear empty-handed before our Sovereign Judge. Reverend Father Lourdel spent twelve years in Equatorial Africa ; he was part of the first caravan that could be called the caravan of the martyrs. He was the first Catholic missionary to penetrate into Uganda in January 1879, going ahead to prepare the way for Archbishop Livinhac and his confreres. He gave himself completely to his difficult work. By dint of patience and gentleness, he won the affection of Mutesa and deserved the epithet of 'Mwana wa Mbuga', son of the court. He left Buganda and went to found a post in Ukuné, then returned to Uganda when Mwanga reigned. It was a continual exercise in patience. God alone knows the stress, the fears that he had to undergo; hundreds of Christians shedding their blood to testify to their faith. Finally, after adding to all these merits prison, blows and death threats, he was expelled from Buganda and condemned to abandon his beloved Christians. Back in the south, he founded the post of Nyegezi for the Baganda, but as soon as he learned that Uganda could be reopened, he raced to Bulimbugwe to be among his Christians. Here, there is more than is necessary in work, travel and suffering to fill a missionary life and merit the title of 'Apostle of Uganda.' Nearly 1,200 baptisms were administered in Uganda and the number of catechumens reaches ten thousand. Now, we only have to follow the example of virtue bequeathed by our venerated confrere. May he always be alive at the post of St Mary of Rubaga with his untiring zeal, his unfailing patience, his gentleness, his friendliness, his vitality that won all hearts and above all charity among his confreres. Thursday 15 May - Ascension Day. - We send a courier to Bukumbi to announce the death of Fr. Lourdel. - Mr. Jackson left today accompanied by a Christian who will ask at the coast for the freedom of Uganda in the name of the king, of all the Christians and all those who do not seek instruction, and of a Protestant who is going to request the protectorate on behalf of the non-English. - We bring Fr Lourdel's rifle to the king. Mwanga intimated his desire to have a souvenir of Mapeera. At the court, we met Mr Gordon and Mr Gedges.

The account of Father Lourdel's death by Canon Nicq

Canon Nicq is the first historian to use this account as historical testimony in his book entitled, 'Vie du révérend Père Siméon Lourdel de la Congrégation des Pères Blancs de Notre-Dame d'Afrique : premier missionnaire catholique de l'Ouganda (Afrique équatoriale)' [Life of Reverend Father Siméon Lourdel of the Congregation of White Fathers of Our Lady of Africa : first Catholic missionary in Uganda (Equatorial Africa).] This biography of 657 pages is the result of 4 years of work. According to the information on the cover, it was published at Paris in 1896. However, in fact, it had already left the printers towards the end of 1895. It publication was not without a certain number of risks. The Canon published it some years after the civil war of 1892 in Buganda, a war with disastrous consequences for Catholics and Buganda, which had become a British Protectorate. The government in London had accepted responsibility for the destruction of Catholic Missions, but it had not yet compensated the Missionaries of Africa. It would do so in April 1898, paying them £10,000 sterling.

The author of the biography was Canon Nicq, former rector of the major seminary of Arras and dean of De Rivière (Pas de Calais). He opted for a religious approach to his subject. Having made this choice, he presented the historical facts from that angle. He described Father Lourdel as 'one of the glories of the Congregation, one of the most remarkable missionaries of his time', and, 'it can be said of this century that it was so prolific in great missionaries.' His hero was 'the guide and model for those called to succeed him.' Archbishop Livinhac, Superior General of the Missionaries of Africa confirmed this religious treatment in his short word of introduction. 'Let us hope that (the biography) will give rise to generous dedication in favour of a race to a degree as worthy of compassion as it was despised and maltreated for so many centuries, and in particular in favour of the Baganda that your account shows us to be so greatly talented, relative to intelligence and character and thus capable of great accomplishments.'

The biography was first used in the Missionaries of Africa novitiate during Spiritual Reading on the 17th November 1895. 'This evening, in the middle of supper, there was a massive silence; with one accord, everyone stopped eating and simultaneously all eyes turned towards the lectern. The reader, after a long pause, had just intoned at his best pitch, 'Life of Reverend Father Lourdel of the White Fathers, by Father Nicq.' A sigh of satisfaction was set to rise from all hearts. It was in fact the history of one of our precursors, one of our elder brothers; it was also the first life of a White Father published and in addition, the origins of this beautiful mission of Uganda were recounted throughout.'

As for the account of Father Lourdel's death, Canon Nicq probably did not have access to the original text as found in the Rubaga diary. Undoubtedly he would have had to make do with the published account in the Chronique Trimestrielle of 1891. Although the biographer copied the text with a certain amount of precision, he left out some passages considered too confidential for the period. For example, the passage, 'he was expelled from Buganda and condemned to abandon his beloved Christians. Back in the south, he founded the post of Nyegezi for the Baganda, but as soon as he learned that Uganda could be reopened, he raced to Bulimbugwe to be among his Christians,' is missing. Also lacking is another passage, 'Nearly 1,200 baptisms were administered in Uganda and the number of catechumens reaches ten thousand.'

The content of the account would be modified when the biography was revised in 1906 and 1922 at Maison Carrée by the Society of Missionaries of Africa, under a new title, 'Le Père Siméon Lourdel de la Société des Pères Blancs et les premières années de la Mission de l'Ouganda (Afrique équatoriale)' - 'Father Siméon Lourdel of the White Fathers' Society and the first years of the Uganda Mission (Equatorial Africa).' The second and third editions, with the same format as the first, numbered 627 and 546 pages respectively. Father Mercui (1854-1947), the first historian of the Society of Missionaries of Africa, pointed out that these two editions were modified by Archbishop Livinhac. Apparently, Livinhac was not entirely satisfied with the work of Canon Nicq in spite of him having received a prize from the Académie Française. In making these changes, did Archbishop Livinhac present Father Lourdel more as a model to follow? For the time being, we have no information clarifying his motives.

Here we publish the version of the account as presented in the second edition of 1906. This version enables us to see where the original text was changed and how it lost its authentic 1890 character. We wonder whether Canon Nicq gave his agreement to these modifications. It is even possible that he was never asked, as he predeceased the publication. However, we have not yet been able to establish this.

Here are the reverential details left to us on the demise of the Apostle of Uganda. Monday, 11 May. - 'The illness is still getting worse. Our dear patient prepared himself for death during the night. In the morning we celebrate the Holy Sacrifice in his hut, and he took Holy Communion. In spite of his weakness, he remains conscious, but speaks little except to ask God's forgiveness. He says he is not seeking to recover, he is good for nothing else! Heaven, Mary, Jesus, these are on his mind. He wants at all costs to be laid on the earth to breathe his last. Some of the principal neophytes are allowed into the hut; he bids them farewell, recommending them to remain good Christians always, to pray for him their country and their king. In the evening, we administer the Sacrament of Extreme Unction that he himself requested; he replied to the prayers of the ritual. 'Mapeera is going to die! This is the cry we hear. All the Christians are asking to see him one last time, but we cannot allow it due to his extremely weak condition. Tuesday, 12. - 'This morning his body is drenched in a cold sweat. From break of day he told us, I am going to die today. Once again, he generously offers his life in sacrifice. He speaks only with great difficulty; nonetheless, he dictates his last will, recommending us to pray often for him and requesting the plenary indulgence 'in articulo mortis'. From 10 o'clock onwards, he did not speak again; we read the prayers for the dying. 'Mwanga sent word that he wants to see the patient; we tell him to hurry; little by little, his pulse disappears and his body cools. The dying Father lifted his eyes heavenward with an ineffable smile that would indicate seeing a vision. A moment later he makes a slight movement and gives his sweet soul up to God at one o'clock in the afternoon. Mwanga arrived just at that point. The poor king was stunned, confronted with the body, unable to utter a single word 'Mapeera is dead' soon makes the rounds of the capital. 'All our parishioners ran to the Mission; the Protestants, the minister at their head, came to pay us a visit ; even the pagans want to see Mapeera. For the whole evening, the poor hut in which we laid out his remains was crowded out. The king and dignitaries offered fabrics to bury the dead according to local custom; we refuse them but some nonetheless insisted so much we accept this touching gesture of respectful sympathy. Wednesday 13. - At four o'clock all our people are already praying the Rosary. At six o'clock, the funeral service took place, then we led the mortal remains of our confrere to its final resting place, twenty metres from the main chapel that he had had begun and which is not yet finished. The Christians spend the day erecting a little house of reeds on the tomb, according to local custom. Mr Jackson who was due to leave today, postponed his departure till tomorrow. He came with Mr Gordon and other Europeans to offer his condolences. 'Gradually there is silence around us and we are more able to sense the tragedy that has struck us. What a loss for us, for our Christians and the whole of Uganda! 'Therefore, he only came back to be interred in this Buganda that he loved so much, among his children for whom he had spent his life. At least he will not appear empty-handed before our Sovereign Judge! The writer of the Mission Diary, after a fine tribute to Fr. Lourdel, then summarised his apostolate. Father Lourdel spent twelve years in Equatorial Africa. He was part of the first caravan, the first to set out and plant the cross in the centre of Africa. He was the first Catholic missionary to penetrate into Uganda and the first European to be buried there. He arrived here in February 1879, to prepare the way for his confreres. He gave himself completely to an undertaking fraught with difficulties. By dint of patience and gentleness, he won the affection of Mutesa and deserved the epithet of 'Mwana wa Mbuga', son of the court. His life was a continual exercise in patience. God alone knows the stress, the fears that he had to undergo. However, all these undertakings bore fruit and engendered many Christians who shed their blood in testimony to their faith. Finally after adding to all these merits prison, blows and death threats, he fell, shrouded, in a manner of speaking, in triumph. Here, admittedly is more than enough to merit the title of 'Apostle of Uganda.' 'For us who have the privilege of sharing his undertakings, may we be able to follow in his footsteps and imitate his untiring zeal, his unfailing patience and his friendliness that won all hearts !'

The 5 texts, the 1890 original and the 4 others published in 1891, in 1896, in 1906 and finally in 1922 have their importance for those interested in the history of Equatorial Africa in general and that of its evangelisation in particular. The first is a unique testimony of an historical event, the death of Father Lourdel and the 4 others shows how this testimony was presented at a certain period of history according to criteria tied to a given context. For researchers, it is important to know that there are therefore 5 versions of the same account. When they use them for different purposes, they have to take account of this. In conclusion, we point out that there is an Italian and Spanish translation of the 1922 edition. The Spanish translation was published in 1945

To see also :Opening of our new parish Mapeera-Nabulagala in Kampala, Uganda
and the webpage about "The First White Fathers" in Uganda 1879

BIBLIOGRAPHY : A.G.M.Afr, Journal de la Mission de Rubaga :14/09/1889 - 27/02/1891, N° 148. A.G.M.Afr, Journal de la Mission de de Rubaga (1889-1892) : Mai - Juin 1890, pp. 21-25. A.G.M.Afr, Journal du noviciat des Missionnaires d'Afrique : 1894 - 1896, 17 novembre 1896, p. 340. " Diaire du Buganda : septembre 1889 - août 1890 ", in Chronique Trimestrielle, Alger, 1891, 1er Trim., pp. 342-380. A.G.M.Afr., " Le Père Lourdel ", in Notices nécrologiques : 1873 - 1902, Tome I. Nicq A., Vie du révérend Père Siméon Lourdel de la Congrégation des Pères Blancs de Notre-Dame d'Afrique : premier missionnaire catholique de l'Ouganda (Afrique équatoriale), Paris, 1896, 675 pp. - Le Père Siméon Lourdel de la Société des Pères Blancs et les premières années de la Mission de l'Ouganda (Afrique équatoriale), Alger, 1906, 627 pp. - Le Père Siméon Lourdel de la Société des Pères Blancs et les premières années de la Mission de l'Ouganda (Afrique équatoriale), Alger, 1922, 545 pp. - Frente a Frente. Vida del P. Simeon Lourdel de los PP. Blancos. La epopeya misionera de los Grandes Lagos Africanos (Traducción del Francés por F. Aramendia), Madrid, 1945, 617 pp. DUVAL A., le Père Siméon Lourdel : Apôtre de l'Ouganda (1853-1890), Paris, 2004, 274 pp. MINNAERT S., " Le Kabaka Mwanga du Buganda ", in Premier Voyage de Mgr Hirth au Rwanda : novembre 1899 - février 1900, Kigali, 2006, pp 176-190.

Rome, 18 July 2007
Fr. STEFAAN MINNAERT, M.Afr.
Translation in English by Fr. Donald MacLeod, M.Afr.
Photos: Archives Generalate Copyright©