Writings

[3899]
Indulging the wish you expressed in your last letter, I consent to your leaving with Filomena for Cairo on condition that you have the probable assurance that you will be at ease in such company, which seems good to me. I should have liked you to wait for me. But since you insist on your wish to go, go in the name of God. But I order you to behave well, as a wise and prudent woman, to write to me from all the stations you will stop at, starting with Berber, and to do so until the end of your journey. All the fathers and Sisters and the girls return your greetings; and you, remember me and pray for
Your most affectionate

Fr Daniel Comboni
Pro-Vicar Apostolic

[3900]
I was given an extraordinary welcome by this Nuba people. The great chief sent the highest person in the area to receive me in Kordofan, and he himself came to meet me with 50 people or more, the day before my arrival in a vast forest. We spent the evening and the night together in an open camp, and in the morning he accompanied us to Delen where the whole population was celebrating with rifle shots and clear signs of sincere jubilation. If I must judge their character and good sense from the first aspect and the impression this people made on me, I must conceive great hopes of winning them over to the faith with the grace of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus: but we shall have to do away with numerous superstitions and induce them to wear clothes. Moreover, I shall wait to make a sounder judgement until I have studied them on the spot and explored other mountains. In any case I can say that the mission here in Delen has now been founded: I took with me two most expert Sisters of proven morality, and I found the houses ready for them as were ours, prepared by the Superior I sent here more than six months ago, Fr Luigi Bonomi. In addition to the good qualities required to preside over this black people, he has also that of being somewhat dark himself.
[3901]
Here the air is healthier than in Kordofan. This race is certainly the most intelligent of all the races and tribes I have met for a good 18 years here in Central Africa. But to survive, a missionary needs great virtue and self-denial here where all are poor and there are none of the things that do for a European: most of our necessities will have to be brought from Khartoum and Cairo. I hope that in a short time this will be the Vicariate’s most flourishing mission. I am now very busy, getting a grasp of the language, and putting together a catechism in the Nuban language, in which I am finding the experience I acquired with other languages on the White Nile extremely useful. I would like a blessing from the Holy Father for this new Mission.
[3902]
In my last letter I mentioned to Your Eminence an idea I had of making over to the Sisters of St Joseph, on certain conditions, the Institute of the Devout Mothers of Africa which I established in Verona with Mgr Canossa’s approval and at great expense; but I shall never reach a final decision without first submitting the project to the lofty wisdom and judgement of Your Most Reverend Eminence, with strong reasons either for or against it (and after everything has been explained and agreed to beforehand with the above-mentioned most venerable Mgr Bishop of Verona).
I kiss the Sacred Purple and declare myself in the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary with all respect and perfect submission and obedience,
Your Most Reverend Eminence’s
most humble, unworthy and respectful son,

Fr Daniel Comboni
Pro-Vicar Apostolic of Central Africa

[3903]
Although at the time I had the honour of humbly submitting to Your Eminence the latest official Report (1 June 1874) on the Vicariate of Central Africa and until that day there had been no lack of serious and grave obstacles inspired by the enemy of the eternal salvation of souls who sees his kingdom in these most remote and torrid regions threatened by the irresistible power of the Cross of Jesus Christ, I am glad to declare to Your Eminence with this brief annual report that the Lord has deigned to bless his work, and to spread and extend his tents in this immense part of his vineyard which has been neglected for so many years. The sweetest Hearts of Jesus and Mary, the glorious Patriarch St Joseph, the Angels and Patron Saints of the Vicariate have powerfully sustained us in our weakness; so that our war cry has been the same from the moment we undertook this arduous and most demanding apostolic enterprise: “Africa or Death!”
[3904]
During the year, in addition to reinforcing the two basic, central Missions of Khartoum and Kordofan, we have opened and canonically erected the Mission House in Berber and established the new Mission in Jebel Nuba. Moreover, it seems that we shall not be long in reopening the House in Shellal, Lower Nubia, since it appears that this locality is destined to become important for European and Eastern Christians who are attracted by the construction of the Sudan’s railway. The section from Aswan to Shellal has been completed and work on the main line between Wadi Halfa and Mothhamma (opposite Shendy) has begun; it is supposed to extend as far as Khartoum. Finally the building of the two most important establishments to acclimatise the European missionaries and sisters has started in Cairo, on the land His Highness the Khedive of Egypt has graciously offered our Mission.
[3905]
As has been said on other occasions, the Vicariate of Central Africa is bigger than the whole of Europe, and according to the opinion of my most learned Predecessor Fr Ignazio Knoblecher, it has a population of about 90,000,000 (ninety million). According to my inferior opinion, basing my calculations on the complex of the latest statistics of Washington in 1874, it includes more than 100,000,000 (a hundred million) infidels. It embraces vast empires, kingdoms, and countless tribes, within the area I indicated on the Geographical Map which I presented to the Sacred Congregation in 1872, on which the boundaries of all the apostolic Missions in Africa are marked, in accordance with the documents of their establishment, which I was shown.
[3906]
As regards the general news of the Vicariate and especially of the two principal Missions in Khartoum and El Obeid, the capital of Kordofan, it does not seem necessary to repeat what I explained in my previous Report last year, with the exception of mentioning the magnificent new building erected for the Sisters in Khartoum and the small hospital for European patients which we have opened in our large house and which has admitted many, whose health of body and soul has been restored; and the Sisters’ establishment in Kordofan which has been enlarged, making it possible to do true good to souls. It therefore seems to me enough to limit myself to telling you something about the new missions we have opened this year; that is, the missions in Berber and Jebel Nuba, and then to touch briefly on the future of the Vicariate in general.


The Berber Mission

[3907]
The city of Berber has more than 30,000 inhabitants who are all Muslims, with the exception of a few Copts and schismatic Greeks, a very few Catholics and a vast number of African slaves; it is the seat of the government of the vast Province of the same name, and is situated at about 17.3/4 degrees of Latitude North, at a distance of about twelve (12) days journey on the Nile from Khartoum, and more than fifty (50) days journey from Great Cairo by the normal Nile route; and it is most important and very convenient for the Vicariate, because our caravans from Cairo stop there to rest after the long and exhausting journey, either on the Nile and through the Korosko Desert or via the Red Sea and the Desert of Suakin. The climate is healthy on the whole.
[3908]
I opened the Mission in Berber in November 1874. It has a really beautiful large house, with a chapel, garden, premises for schools and an infirmary and guest rooms. It is located on the banks of the Nile in a delightful and charming position. According to the Convention stipulated between me and the Most Reverend Father General of the Ministers of the Sick and approved by the Sacred Congregation, it has been entrusted to the Reverend Camillian Fathers, who formally took possession of it on 2nd March last. The Mission house in Berber was canonically erected by me with a Decree of 1st April this year; and at the slightest word from the Pro-Vicar Apostolic, the Religious, on the agreed conditions, must help the Missionaries of the Institute of the Missions for Africa in Verona, in any Mission in the Vicariate which depends on the local Superior of the said Missions. Furthermore, the Camillian Religious are charged by the Pro-Vicar Apostolic to evangelise and care for Christians in the Provinces of Berber, Taca which extends to the boundaries with Abyssina, Suakin on the Red Sea, and ad tempus, of that of the ancient kingdom of Dongola.
[3909]
The Religious in Berber observe regular enclosure and live community life according to the Rule of their Institute. The Parish priest of the new Camillian Mission is elected by the Pro-Vicar Apostolic after the choice of candidate has been agreed with the Most Reverend Father General of the Order; he is currently the Reverend Father G.B. Carcereri, who was regularly installed with our patents on 19th August last. He is a conscientious religious, of honest habits, steeped in the sacred sciences and is 46 years old. The Superior or Prefect of the Camillian House is Reverend Father Stanislao Carcereri, who for two years fulfilled the office of Vicar General for me; now in his new office he lives in Berber. The Religious (except for two who are with me here in Jebel Nuba) are busy studying Arabic, one reason why the visit of the province entrusted to them has not yet been made. According to the above-mentioned Convention, they are equipped by the Sacred Congregation with patents as apostolic Missionaries, and none may be admitted to the apostolate of Central Africa without previously having professed the four vows of their Order.
[3910]
According to the obligations I assumed in the same Convention, since last June I have paid the Camillian House of Berber the whole annual payment of 5,000 francs, that is, from 1st March 1875 to the end of February of the coming 1876, for which I have had a regular receipt issued.


The Mission of the Nuba

[3911]
In October last year, as soon as I received this Sacred Congregation’s venerable orders to establish a Mission among the Nuba peoples, I had a small caravan leave from Khartoum which had been prepared well in advance with everything necessary to set up two houses for the establishments of the Missionaries and the Sisters in the land of Delen, which is the first stopping place and the first Mountain among the Nuba. Then in February I appointed Reverend Fr Luigi Bonomi from my Verona Institute as Superior of the new Mission. He arrived in Jebel Nuba in March with other companions. Working with great zeal and diligence, not without overcoming many obstacles, he prepared at the foot of Mount Delen, near the chief’s residence, a group of solid huts like those used here, surrounded by a zariba, or hedge of trees and wood which contains: 1. In the middle, a chapel opening onto a square. 2. On one side, premises for dormitories, study, refectory and workshops for the missionaries, lay brother craftsmen and servants. 3. On the other there are quarters for the Sisters and African girls, the kitchen and laundry.
[3912]
These dwellings will suffice for a few years until we have thoroughly studied the country, learned the language and decided on the definitive central location of two large and more solid establishments of hard tin, or red brick or stone, appropriately dominating the whole vast plain surrounded by the more than twenty hills which form a pleasant and magnificent semicircle.
[3913]
This first portion of the tribe of the Nuba has about 40,000 inhabitants and extends over a little more than one degree of latitude and two of longitude, that is, it lies precisely between the 12th and the 11th degree of Latitude North, and between the 26th and 28th degrees of Longitude East from Paris. It is inhabited by infidels who loathe Islam and who seem to greet the establishment of the Catholic Mission with joy, especially because of the favour it is given by the Cogiur Kakùm, chief of Delen, who has a great influence over this people; this first portion of the Nuba, as I said, becomes and is absolutely the starting point as it were, the pivot of communications and the first stage in our apostolic activity among the idolaters of the centre of the Vicariate.
[3914]
From Delen one can reach the furthest point of the above-mentioned semicircle in a single day. The most inhabited areas, such as those of Gnuma, Golfan, Sobein and Carco, are about three to eight hours’ walk away. Once we have secured this first reference point where the climate appears very healthy and where the land, cultivated in due course, with the benefit of the ordinary rains alone can provide the whole mission with the necessary food, after the mission has put down firm roots in all the most important places in these hills, we shall certainly be able to spread gradually to other parts of the Nuba tribe and from these, to the other fetishist tribes in the heart of the Vicariate of Central Africa.
[3915]
I am therefore of the opinion that this semicircle, this first reference point, this first portion of the Nuba people surrounded by hills which has a population of about 40,000 infidels who in fact abhor Islam which has in vain made every attempt to force them to embrace the Koran and who show themselves favourably inclined to us because of material interests and because they hope we will protect them from the incursions of the Baqqarah Muslim nomads, this portion of the Nuba people who live in a most fertile land which can be improved by the hand of diligent farmers, may become the first realm of our apostolic efforts among the idolaters, and the Mission of Jebel Nuba be established among them.
[3916]
Since this is a work of God it will have to encounter its difficulties and we will certainly have disturbances to begin with especially from the Muslim fanaticism which will not cease to lay its snares, traps and diplomatic subterfuges, even in the pleasantest forms, through some of the members of Kordofan Government – who do not take it kindly that the Catholic mission is being established in Jebel Nuba before the Egyptian Government; and even from the Baqqarah. But the Catholic Church is immune to these trials and God’s grace will enable us to endure any trial and stand firm. These are transient problems which the Lord and the necessary prudence will overcome. The Mission of Jebel Nuba will flourish under the patronage of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, passing through those vicissitudes and troubles which must be experienced by all God’s works.
[3917]
Apart from the advantage of its closeness to the Mission of El Obeid which is only a four- or five-day journey away, the most important argument in favour of establishing this Mission is the temperament, character and qualities of the inhabitants, who are in a far better condition than the inhabitants of the former missions of Holy Cross and Gondokoro on the White Nile, and than all the other tribes I have known in Central Africa.
[3918]
These inhabitants are not nomads, but have dwellings and a fixed abode in these hills. Although they are so lazy that they are content merely to cultivate the piece of land which provides meagrely for their food throughout the year and moreover they do not do much else, nevertheless this is work, while the other tribes I have known neglect even this. Secondly, these people have great good sense, show critical judgement and thoughtfulness and great awareness. In a word, they have a head, literally, they understand things as they are and do not easily let their enemies get away with making fun of them. Furthermore the inhabitants of each hill are admirably united. They all give each other a hand in common dangers and support one another in sickness and poverty; they hardly ever quarrel, and it can be said that they live a patriarchal life here.
[3919]
Finally the best customs prevail here; and although the unmarried girls and all the women are naked and it is extremely rare that anyone has a rag with which to cover themselves, our missionaries who have been here many months, fully alert to study the country, have never come across the slightest impropriety among them with regard to morality, which is a rare quality, even in Europe. Our two Sisters of St Joseph have admired this too. I would also mention the submission and obedience these people show to the Cogiur Kakum, the absolute temporal and spiritual head of their destinies. The inhabitants of Delen seem like a single peaceful family. This is a wonderful thing which has impressed us all. This chief, Kakum, has no hereditary mandate, no police, no police station, nor criminal courts; he has no armed force, nor are there any laws or codes or punishments. Yet he governs everyone peacefully and keeps everyone in order; they all go to him and are content after his judgement or advice. Then he never tackles anything, even a minor problem, without gathering his council of elders; they deal with and discuss all their small matters with an amazing maturity and wisdom.
[3920]
I think that perhaps in a few years’time, please God, we will probably apply to this Mission the wise system of the famous Reductions of Paraguay, conceived of by the outstanding piety and deep wisdom of the Reverend Jesuit Fathers who created among those Americans the most flourishing and well-governed Mission in the world, which was destroyed with unheard of barbarity and perfidy by the cruel politics of the Bismarckian Portuguese Minister Pombal, or rather, by the Masonic sect of the last century.
[3921]
These are the main reasons (after the principal reason of the venerable opinion of the Sacred Congregation which has ordered me to establish Jebel Nuba) why it seems to me prudently opportune to found the first Mission among the Nuba here.
[3922]
Nor am I deterred by the following obstacles:
1. The almost total nudity of these inhabitants, and especially of the women of any age. Out of a hundred men, more or less, scarcely one or two will be wearing a rag. But among the women, only one in about two or three hundred will have covered her private parts. This is where the Sisters will be immensely useful, and this is why we need to introduce the planting of cotton, which can grow vigorously in these lands.

[3923]
2. The most curious superstitions of every kind and belief in the Ocuru, or spirit, which at certain given times takes possession of the Cogiurs (which I have seen with my own eyes), and which really predicts some future events, such as the rain etc., although it does not guess many others; which is why the Cogiurs themselves can sometimes say, as they did to the missionaries and me: “This time the spirit has lied to us and misled us”.
3. The character of these inhabitants, few of whom do anything for us without a reward: moreover they do not always keep their promises, although they have the sense to be ashamed when someone points this out to them.

[3924]
4. The frequent threats of the Baqqarah Omur Arabs and other Muslim nomads, and sometimes of the inhabitants of some of these mountains who kidnap people of both sexes and steal from the fields at night. However these enemies undoubtedly live in great fear of our mission because they think that it has not only the Government of Kordofan at its disposal but also its own forces, since we possess guns and ammunition. So I think in this respect that the mission will have a good influence on the Nuba. In fact since the mission has been established in Delen, the Baqqarah have not touched either a Nuba boy or a sown field except one, when in a distant village they attacked a farmer, whom we treated.
[3925]
Despite all these obstacles, I firmly trust that the mission will take a firm hold especially since we are sure that the Nuba will send their sons and daughters to school, as so far the great chief and many others have done.
[3926]
But to open normal schools it is vital for the missionaries and sisters to know the Nuba people’s language; this is the most important task to which we are now dedicated; and we have already collected a good number of words, particularly with the help of the chief, who has a fairly good knowledge of the Arabic of the Jallabas and is very bright.
[3927]
So the task on which the Mission must concentrate in this period is to become thoroughly proficient in the Nuba language, to open schools there in the usual way and to preach the catechism and the Gospel, to put by the means so that little by little the inhabitants, especially the women, can have a few clothes, to keep the people faithful and favourable by the good example of the missionaries and Sisters and by practising charity, and to prepare all the material and the proper formal elements for the holy apostolic ministry among these infidels. I hope the Lord will be liberal with his divine assistance which we shall certainly never lack.
[3928]
Here I should say a couple of words about the history of the Nuba, who are really interested in Religion. I shall postpone doing so to another occasion and will say only that this people, who used to be very numerous, were more than decimated by the incursions of the agents of the Egyptian Governors of Kordofan, especially in 1822 at the time of the conquest of the Sudan by the Egyptian army of Mohammed Ali, led by the cruel Defterdar and Ismail Pasha, the son of the Viceroy who perished at Shendi. The latter slaughtered a large part of them, and many were taken as slaves to Kordofan and Egypt. Then from 1834 to 1844 they were decimated by the Governors of Kordofan, Rustan Bey, Mohammed Bey, Mustafa Bey and Mussa Pasha. Finally they have been further decimated by the continuous incursions of the Jallabas or slave traders who every year until 1870 took slaves in their thousands to Kordofan, Nubia and Egypt. I have found out that this is the main reason why the Nuba detest Islam, so that however many Muslim ulemas, muftis and fakirs were sent among them (as is always the habit of the Egyptian Government in the Sudan), to force them to embrace the religion of the false Prophet, they always rejected it with scorn, many preferring to submit to death.
[3929]
The Nuba claim to be Christian and to descend from the Christians of Nubia (which extends from the Tropic to this side of Khartoum, and from the West of the kingdom of Dongola as far as the Red Sea and the borders of Abyssinia). Thus they have retained the name Nubans and the land of the Nuba. But having been deprived for so many centuries of priests and the priestly ministry, and mingling for more than four centuries with the fetishist black natives who are riddled with superstitions, they lost every Christian notion and now, preserving alone an attitude far from abusive of Christianity, they continue to believe in a ruling spirit called Ocuru, and in God the creator, omniscient and master of all, whom they call Belewto.
[3930]
The belief that they descend from the ancient Christians of Nubia contaminated by the errors of Dioscorus of Alexandria, who until 1,300 still had a few Bishoprics such as those in old Dongola, Meràui, Soba, etc., etc., does not seem improbable to me, and I have had very serious historical and linguistic proof of it since I conceived the plan in 1873 of despatching the first explorers to Jebel Nuba led by Fr Carcereri, as I shall prove and develop in a booklet I am planning to write gradually on the history of Christianity in Nubia and the adjacent countries and which I shall send Your Eminence.
[3931]
There are currently about 500 Catholics in the Vicariate, most of whom are indigenous, with many Orientals of all rites and various Europeans. The greatest number are located in Khartoum and in Kordofan. Fifty-six adults were baptised this year. I should point out to Your Eminence that our main commitment in these early days is to prepare the material and establishments necessary to reinforce the Mission. With the appropriate Decree, since 1873 I adopted as the text throughout the Vicariate until further orders, the Arabic catechism of the late Mgr. Valergo, Patriarch of Jerusalem, for it seems to me to be the best of all those I have examined.
[3932]
The Vicariate’s income from 1st June 1874 until today, from the donations of the charitable Societies who are our benefactors in Europe, from my private benefactors and from our real estate, amounts to the sum of 109,473 francs net with which it has financed quite a few very costly expeditions and provided for the maintenance of all the Vicariate’s establishments, as well as of the small Institutes in Cairo. In spite of the serious losses incurred by the great expedition led by Fr Carcereri, the Vicariate has no debts, either in Europe, Egypt, or the Sudan, with the exception of 960 francs with my Procurator of Kordofan.


Clerical Staff
European Missionary Priests
Members of the Institute of the Missions for Africa in Verona
The principal Mission of Khartoum

[3933]
1. Fr Daniel Comboni, Pro-Vicar Apostolic, born in Limone, (Diocese of Brescia) on 15th March 1831, came to Central Africa in 1857.
2. Fr Pasquale Fiore, former Canon of Corato (Diocese of Trani), Superior and Parish Priest of Khartoum, and during my absence my Representative, 35, on the Mission since 1870.
3. Fr Salvatore Mauro from the Diocese of Trani, 40, on the mission since 1872.
4. Fr Paolo Rossi from Verona, 26, Chancellor and my secretary, on the mission since 1874.
There is also an excellent young Maronite, 24, my scribe for letters in Arabic.


Mission of Kordofan

[3934]
5. Fr Giovanni Losi, 37, from the Diocese of Piacenza, Superior and Parish Priest of El Obeid, on the mission since 1872.
6. Fr Stefano Vanni, 39, from the Diocese of Trani, on the mission since 1872.

There are also three excellent clerics, students of theology, that is
(1) Rev. Annibale Perbellini in the 3rd year of Theology, on the mission since 1873
(2) Rev. Carmino Loreto
(3) Rev. Vincenzo Marzano the latter two are both in their 1st year of theology.


Mission of Jebel Nuba

[3935]
7. Fr Luigi Bonomi, 34, from the Diocese of Verona, Superior.
8. Fr Gennaro Martini from Turin, 32, Curate. They have both been on the mission since 1874.
There are also another two Camillian Priests.


Mission of Berber

Regular Priests of the Ministers of the Sick, known as Camillians.
9. Fr Stanislao Carcereri from Verona, 35, Superior, on the mission since 1867.
10. Fr Giuseppe Franceschini, 29, from Treviso, on the mission since 1867, now in Jebel Nuba.
11. Fr Gio. Batta Carcereri from Verona, Parish Priest, 46, on the mission since 1874.
12. Fr Alfonso Chiarelli, 33, from Ceneda, on the mission since 1874, attached to Jebel Nuba.
13. Fr Camillo Bresciani, 25, from Verona, on the mission since 1874.
There is also Brother Giuseppe Bergamaschi, 40, who was clothed in Cairo by Fr Carcereri.


Establishment in Cairo

Members of the Institute of the Missions for Africa in Verona
14. Fr Bortolo Rolleri, 35, from the Diocese of Piacenza, Superior of the Institutes for Africans in Egypt, on the mission since 1869.
15. Fr Domenico Noia, 37, from the Diocese of Trani, on the mission since 1874.

[3936]
In each station there are several Brothers, excellent laymen expert in various arts and crafts, including the Mission’s eminent and valiant veteran, Augusto Wisniewski, 55, from the Diocese of Ermeland, Prussia, who came to the Vicariate in 1856 and has never left it since, very expert in many craft skills and languages, who serves as a missionary. There are also numerous African women teachers, educated in the Mazza Institute in Verona who are very useful in catechising and in the feminine skills.
[3937]
Finally the Sisters of St Joseph of the Apparition help the Vicariate with their powerful action as Catholic women. I have managed to obtain a Mother Provincial or primary Superior of the Sudan, who is resident in Khartoum and has jurisdiction over all the Vicariate’s Sisters: she is Sr Emilienne Naubonnet, who was Superior in the East for 30 years. I signed a Convention with the Sisters of St Joseph, approved by the Sacred Congregation, which on my part has been so far abundantly carried out and observed. But the sisters are few for the Vicariate’s needs, since:
in Khartoum there are only....4
in Cairo................"..............2
in Kordofan..........."..............3
in Jebel Nuba, temporarily......2

[3938]
I brought the last two here to prepare the house properly to become a formal Institute of Sisters, planning to take them back with me later on my return to Kordofan, since it is not prudent to leave two Sisters alone in so remote a region. When the other Sisters who have been promised arrive, they will be formally installed in Jebel Nuba too.
[3939]
In the Vicariate I find myself on excellent terms with all the Turkish Government authorities, who have rendered us services and supported us on every occasion. Let it be understood that the Turks and Egyptians and these Pashas do not act for love but for politics; that indeed, if they could, they would devour all Christians alive. But while they use politics, we also work with politics, with the difference that to their politics à la Bismarck, Goreschakov, Palmerston and Napoleon III, we respond with the truly Christian politics of the Pope, Cardinal Antonelli and the Apostolic Nuncios.
[3940]
The Mission thus enjoys great credit with everyone, infidels, Christians and Catholics alike.
The new Egyptian conquests in the empire of Darfur and of the Equator at the sources of the Nile can enable us to spread our tents to those regions when our forces are replenished, since I have an excellent relationship with the supreme Heads of those arduous expeditions and with the supreme authorities established there, both Muslim and Anglican.

[3941]
This is all I can tell you of the general condition of this immense Vicariate. If Your Eminence were to cast a glance at the most wretched state of this important Mission three years ago when the Holy See was pleased to entrust it to my Institute of Verona, and were to compare it with the condition it is in today, you would certainly be convinced that the Lord has showered his blessings upon it and that the sweetest Hearts of Jesus, Mary and St Joseph have helped us in our weakness. God wants to save unhappy Africa.
[3942]
We are now left with maiores labores, pericula, hoerumnae, and innumerable crosses. But non pervenitur ad victoriam nisi per magnos labores. Christ rose after suffering death on the Cross. May he help us to die for love of him and for the salvation of unfortunate Africa, for which he also died on the Cross.
[3943]
Humbly begging you for the blessing of the Holy Father, who with the eloquence of his example teaches us to suffer for the Church and for souls,
I kiss the Sacred Purple and declare myself in the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary,
Your Most Reverend Eminence’s most humble, obedient and unworthy son,

Fr Daniel Comboni
Pro-Vicar Apostolic of Central Africa

[3944]
I have the honour to send you the enclosed Report on the Vicariate of Central Africa. When I calculated the large quantity of provisions that I sent this first year to Jebel Nuba and had not yet seen the indigenous produce of this land, it seemed to me that to support the mission of the Nuba it would be necessary to have almost everything sent from El Obeid or from Khartoum to feed the missionaries. This is a mistake which I explained to Your Eminence in my letter n. 9 from here; an error, which for love of the truth I am glad to withdraw here. Now that I have seen with my own eyes and minutely observed this Nuban land, I am convinced that with hard work we can obtain here almost all we need to support the Mission entirely, with the exception of clothing and a few European items. Many of the necessities of life are available here, and this mission could proportionally cost less than the others. Blessed be the Lord.
[3945]
Now I ask you for a grace; and I beg Your Eminence to hear me, if this is God’s will. I pray to your bounty to deign to grant me the permission to go to Cairo and Europe for the following very serious reasons and for the good of the Vicariate in Central Africa.
1. As I previously wrote to Your Eminence, His Highness the Khedive of Egypt has granted us (as he has to others) land on which to build two establishments in Cairo for the acclimatisation of the Vicariate’s missionaries and Sisters; but he granted it (as he did to the Franciscans) on condition that in 18 months from the date of the concession, 50,000 francs should be spent on the building. Until now we have spent only 16,000 francs and the 18 months expire next March 1876. Now it is a question of obtaining an extension either from the Viceroy or from the Administration, which would be easy for me as I have so many highly placed contacts in Egypt, while it would be very difficult for my Representative, Fr Bartolomeo Rolleri, Superior of my Institutes in Cairo, who does not have the resources and means that I possess, to obtain this grace.

[3946]
2. In Verona as I wrote to you, I have an Institute of Sisters for Africa, founded by Mgr Canossa and by me, and there are many there who are already quite ready for Central Africa. But I cannot decide whether to make over the Verona Institute to the Sisters of St. Joseph or to have my Sisters of Verona come separately to the Vicariate, until I have first spoken at length with the Bishop of Verona and finally submitted his decision to Your Eminence. On the other hand, Mgr Canossa cannot conclude this matter without me, nor I without him. This business which is so important for the Vicariate will be a cause of great anxiety to me until it is decided.
[3947]
3. I need to go to Vienna to raise the morale of the Committee of the Society of Mary which was dealt a blow by the death of Baron Spens who was the soul of this Work. The Committee of Vienna is of the greatest importance for the Vicariate, not so much because of the money it provides as because its existence keeps alive and active the protectorate of the empire over Central Africa, even in the face of the Masonic Cabinet of Foreign Affairs.
[3948]
4. I have a multitude of affairs and of advice to seek, and important things to discuss with Your Eminence, and with the Sacred Congregation. I need to talk about many things with Your Eminence to manage my great Work well, which it is hard to do by letter. Here I do not have the means of consultation which exist in other parts of the world. The closest place to go for advice is Egypt, and that is a four months’journey from here. Here I only have my companions. We are theologians, that is all.

[3949]
Therefore I would be happy were you to grant me the grace I request, which is for the sole good of the Vicariate. It would also serve at the same time to give me a little rest and to refresh my health, for three years in Central Africa are more wearing than twelve in the Indies.
[3950]
In the meantime, keeping the most serious matters for myself, I would leave in Khartoum my Representative in the Vicariate, the worthy Canon D. Pasquale Fiore, a prudent, perspicacious man and capable of representing me according to my will.
I most humbly submit my request to you, ever ready however to do the venerable will of Your Eminence who is the interpreter of the divine will. Meanwhile I kiss the Sacred purple and declare myself with supreme veneration,
Your Most Reverend Eminence’s most humble, respectful and unworthy son,

Daniel Comboni
Pro-Vicar Apostolic

[3951]
When the Holy See deigned to entrust the direction of the Vicariate Apostolic to me and to the Institute I founded in Verona, the Catholic Mission existed only in Khartoum where two Fathers of the Franciscan Order and two laymen looked after the Catholics there. From 1872, that is in the space of only three years, and after the consecration of the whole Vicariate to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, not only has the mission in Khartoum been consolidated and enlarged with the sisters’ magnificent establishment for the education of girls and the care of the sick, but it also pleased God to extend it as far as Berber, Kordofan, and among the distant tribes of the black Nuba people. Truly here and there we encountered enormous obstacles, nevertheless God blessed the efforts of the apostolic Missionaries whose war cry is “Africa or death!” that is, the conversion of Africa or death.


1. KHARTOUM

[3952]
My first thought after my appointment as Pro-Vicar Apostolic by the grace of Pius IX was to reinforce the two principal stations of the Vicariate, Khartoum and El Obeid in Kordofan.
Khartoum is the seat of the supreme Egyptian authorities and of the Austro-Hungarian consul. It is the natural hub of all the traffic in the Sudan and the operations base and centre from which the Gospel can be taken up the White Nile as far as the Equator and beyond, such as into the Eastern regions.

[3953]
I pass over in silence the missionary station of Khartoum and its prosperous state under all aspects, as I sent a report on it to this Committee last year. I would only like to mention that the vast edifice of the female establishment has reached the point where it will be concluded with a further payment of 4,000–5,000 francs, an effort worthy of the building of my late predecessor, Dr Ignazio Knoblecher. The adjacent garden provides the members of the Mission not only with the necessary vegetables and fruit, but also with an annual income of 1,000 francs from the sale of dates, pomegranates, lemons, bananas, etc. The Mission is indebted to the generous donations of the Society of Mary in Vienna, and the munificence of the fervent Catholics of the Austro-Hungarian Empire for its house and garden.


2. KORDOFAN

[3954]
I would also like to say just a couple of words about the mission in El Obeid (capital of Kordofan), since more extensive information was already given in the last annual report.
Until now Kordofan has been the most fruitful mission of the Vicariate since although I first had to see to the building and the other preparatory tasks, its spiritual edification has not been neglected: this year, 50 adults were received into the bosom of the Catholic Church, and on a single day – 21st July 1875 – I baptised and confirmed 17 adults.

[3955]
There are also two Institutes in El Obeid. Separated only by the main road (Derb el Sultanie), the institute on one side serves for the Missionaries, and that on the other, for the Sisters of St Joseph. The buildings for these Institutes and also the church are made of beaten mud, according to the local custom. If I later find the necessary funds, I will rebuild the church and dormitories in baked brick.
[3956]
El Obeid, with more than 100,000 inhabitants, is very suited for a mission station, partly because of its healthy climate and partly because it is a favourable location from where to take the faith to the neighbouring kingdom of Darfur. This kingdom, very recently conquered by the Egyptian troops and the Governor General of the Sudan, Ismail Ayub Pasha, has been divided into four provinces or Mudirdoms. The climate here is mild and far better than that of Khartoum.


3. BERBER

[3957]
The city of Berber has a population of about 30,000, the majority of whom are Muslim, with a small number of Copts and schismatic Greeks, only a few Catholics and a large number of African slaves. It is the seat of the Government of the vast Province of this name, and is reached in approximately 10 days travelling north of Khartoum. It is therefore a desirable resting place for the members of the mission when they arrive in Berber after the exhausting journey of about 50 days from Old Cairo.
The worthy Pro-Vicar, Dr Knoblecher, had already intended to establish a mission station in Berber; I am glad I have carried out this sound and wise project. How this was done is described in the annual report for 1874, p. 5.


4. JEBEL NUBA

[3958]
A long time ago I had already found out, mainly in Khartoum, that a black tribe lived in the south-west of Kordofan whose intelligence and wisdom exceeded that of the White Nile Africans. I was already thinking about this people who are called “Nuba” at the time of my formation in the Institute of the famous Fr Nicola Mazza in Verona in the years 1849 and 1850, when I had became well acquainted with the outstanding Nuban African, Bakhit Caenda.
[3959]
This African, who belonged to the family of the celebrated and most scholarly orientalist Count Miniscalchi in Verona, was the perfect model of a true Catholic and frequently spoke to me of his land, Gebel-Nuba, saying that there were mountains and meadows there, a good climate and many inhabitants. For more than 20 years I used to think about Nuba, saying at least 100 times to the good African Bakhit Caenda: “I hope that God will grant me the grace to bring the Catholic faith to your land and win the tribe of the Nuba for our Saviour Jesus Christ”.
[3960]
When I came to Kordofan in 1873 to canonically erect that missionary station, one of my first thoughts was to gather information about the neighbouring tribe of the Nuba and I could say that God showed me the way to them almost miraculously. On 16th July 1873, the day dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as we were leaving our little church in El Obeid at 8.00 a.m. after the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament — I introduced the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament “for the conversion of the Africans” in the year 1868, in my Institutes in Cairo and later in all the mission stations — a group of Nubans arrived, led by Said-Aga, one of the most distinguished chiefs of that tribe, to pay me a visit; in their company were two Coptic men, from whom they had discovered that I wanted more detailed information on the Nuba.
[3961]
Since I had learned several Nuban expressions from Bakhit Caenda and was able to use them, I became convinced that they really were Nubans. I then showed them our church, workshop and all kinds of craftsmen’s tools, and told Said-Aga of my firm decision to found a mission station among the Nuba. I therefore begged him to discuss my plan with the most distinguished local chiefs and to persuade one of them to come to El Obeid to make precise agreements. Said-Aga accepted this charge and on 24th September the great chief of Delen, known as Cogiur Kakum, presented himself when he came to pay the annual tribute to the Pasha of Kordofan. This time too, the visit coincided with a feast of Our Lady, and again at the time when we were just leaving the church after the adoration. Cogiur Kakum was accompanied by 20 of the Nuba. Having spoken to me briefly and visited the whole establishment with the greatest pleasure, he invited me to come to his land to build a church there and set up a Catholic mission, promising his support for it in everything. Of course I immediately decided to go to the Nuba myself as soon as the rainy season was over; at the same time I informed my Missionaries in Khartoum of this decision.
[3962]
Fr Stanislao Carcereri, who was living in Khartoum as my Vicar General, insistently begged me to put him in charge of this mission among the Nuba, that is, before he left for Europe, so that he could describe it as an eye witness to the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda in Rome. Consenting to his wish, I immediately ordered him to come to El Obeid, accompanied by the Catholic mission’s skilful and expert veteran, Mr Augusto Wisniewski, a layman from the Diocese of Ermeland who has been a member of our Mission since 1856.
[3963]
After their arrival in El Obeid, I decided to send Mr Wisniewski and Fr Franceschini to Jebel Nuba under the direction of the above-mentioned Fr Stanislao Carcereri.
They set out on 16th October and soon reached the first mountain of the Nuba, that is Jebel Nuba or Uarco. They spoke to the chief Cogiur Kakum and after 13 days returned to El Obeid. Fr Stanislao gave me a report which I immediately forwarded to Propaganda. Then Fr Carcereri himself went to Rome and provided further information in person. What Propaganda then decided we noted in last year’s annual report (p. 1). Likewise it was already mentioned (p. 3) that on 31st March 1875, the missionaries Fr Luigi Bonomi, Fr Gennaro Martini and Domenico Polinari arrived safely in Jebel Nuba and were received festively by the great chief Kakum, and I was also invited by him for an early visit.

[3964]
The Superior of this mission station, Fr Luigi Bonomi, a member of the Missionary Institute of Verona, settled there with his companions close to the great chief’s residence. Then not without overcoming many obstacles, he built a group of huts in the local style surrounded by a zeriba (hedge), which can first serve as a chapel and station for the missionaries as well as premises for the school, and later also for the sisters and the girls’ school. The priority was to explore the land and the people and learn their language.
[3965]
This mission has about 20 or more hills which form a semicircle enclosing a vast plain. The Nuba territory lies between the 12th and 11th degree of Latitude North and between the 26th and 28th degree of Longitude East (Paris). I estimate its population to be about 40,000, infidels who abhor Islam and are on the contrary favourable to the Catholic Mission, especially since the Cogiur Kakum is so keen on it.
[3966]
Although our establishment in Delen will displease more than one governor of Kordofan and therefore more than one storm is to be expected, these are passing problems and we hope that the Mission will flourish and prosper under the protection of the divine Heart of Jesus. Apart from the advantage that from El Obeid it only takes 5 days (by camel) to reach this new mission, the temperament and character of the Nuba are in its favour. From this point of view they are superior by far to the inhabitants of the old stations of Holy Cross and Gondokoro and to the other tribes on the White Nile.
[3967]
Firstly, the advantage of the Nuba for the Missionaries is that they are not nomadic but have fixed dwellings. In addition, although they are not very industrious from our European viewpoint, they work far harder than the White Nile tribes and cultivate their land in such a way that it yields what they need for the whole year. Moreover the Nuba “have a head”, that is, they show intelligence and judgement, and while conversing with them one often has the impression one is dealing with cultured Europeans; furthermore, they have a fine sense of duty and esteem for the priesthood. Another good quality is that they are admirably united, they mutually help one another and in common dangers will even risk their life. Quarrels or disagreements almost never arise among them and they can be said to live a patriarchal life.
[3968]
Finally a morality prevails here which is superior to that of other tribes; and although their young girls are almost all completely naked and it is very rare that one of them has a rag to cover themselves, our missionaries who have been here for many months, their eyes wide open to study the land, have noted no immorality among them. I mention further the submission and obedience they profess to their great chief, Kakum, who is their spiritual and civil sovereign; one would in fact believe one was seeing a single peaceful family, which impresses us one and all, the Missionaries and the Sisters I brought with me.
[3969]
This chief has neither police, nor police station, nor criminal courts. There are no laws, nor codes nor physical force, and yet he governs all peacefully, all refer to him with their small quarrels, they obey his judgement and the guilty patiently suffer the punishment he dictates. However the chief does nothing without gathering his council of elders from among the people. The latter present themselves, take their places under a tree (Adansonia) and discuss and deliberate all their small matters with an amazingly mature wisdom. I have been an eye witness of these meetings several times.
These are the most important reasons for hoping that this first Mission among the Nuba will prosper; perhaps later, when it has taken root, we will be able to proceed further according to the model of the “Reductions in Paraguay”.
There are also obstacles of every kind; the most significant are the following:

[3970]
1. The virtual nudity of the people, and especially of the females. That is, there is among the Nuba the strange prejudice that women who are dressed cannot become mothers. Among a hundred men there is practically not one who covers with a rag or a strip of leather those parts of the body that should be covered. Among the female population it is even worse; there will only be one in a good 200 who covers her body with a piece of cotton cloth. This makes me realise how useful, indeed how necessary, the Sisters are here, to teach the female members of these African tribes. By cultivating cotton which will certainly grow here, it will be possible to provide better clothing.
2. The crass and sometimes most curious superstition. Among other things, they believe in a spirit they call Okuru (which might correspond to the Italian Orco) and which frequently possesses the great Chief as well as the other chiefs and who as they say, predicts many matters but at other times “lies”.

[3971]
3. The Nuba character, inclined to do nothing for us without compensation, not even after giving us the greatest assurances of help: they take us for great signori or English lords.
4. The frequent threats from the neighbouring nomadic Baqqarah Arabs or sometimes the inhabitants of one of the nearby hills, who often come to rob and kill. But it is a fact that these enemies are in great dread of the mission, because they think the missionaries have not only the Egyptian Government in Kordofan at their beck and call, but also their own forces. It is true that we never leave our house unarmed, to protect ourselves from thieves, hyenas and lions. Thus also from this point of view, the Mission has a good influence on the Nuba, for since our arrival until today, neither we nor the inhabitants of Delen have suffered any damage from the formerly bothersome Baqquarah.

[3972]
Despite these obstacles, I have the firm belief that the mission will take root under the protection of the divine Heart of Jesus, especially since we are sure that the Nuba in general have faith in us and send their children to our schools, as the great chief Kakum and others have already done. But to give regular instruction, we missionaries and first the sisters must become thoroughly proficient in the Nuba language. This language, as far as I can judge, is much richer than the Dinka and Bari tongues. We have already acquired a good number of words especially with the help of the Kakum who has a reasonable knowledge of Sudanese Arabic and can therefore give us information in the best possible way.
[3973]
And here it would be appropriate to say something on the probable history of the Nuba tribe; but I would like to do so more extensively later, and for the moment say just a few words on what I can be certain about. The Nuba were formerly a very numerous people who were more than decimated by the continuous incursions of Muslim agents of the Governors of Kordofan, by nomad Arabs and the treacherous Jallaba or Turkish traders. All these assassins and thieves would arrive armed to the teeth every year; they killed the men and snatched boys and girls, who were then taken to the slave markets in El Obeid, Khartoum and Egypt.
[3974]
They later formed entire regiments of soldiers with the boys. This continued for many years; more frequently however, since 1822, after the conquest of the Sudan by some of the Egyptian troops of Mohammed Ali, and it still goes on today. The governors of Kordofan, Rustan Bey, Mustafa Bey and Mohammed Bey were the most ruthless, from 1836 to 1844. The former appeared with guns and cannons, destroying and sacking whatever he came across, killed the chiefs, including the Cogiur Kakum’s father, took thousands of slaves to Kordofan, and of the young men later formed five Nuba regiments which were subsequently to prove magnificently brave. At the time, the slave trade was not yet abolished by the European powers: today it is, but only on paper; it is a dead letter, since the slave trade is vigorous and flourishing despite all the laws and decrees of the Khedive of Egypt which prohibit it. These prohibitions already existed in 1856 under the Viceroy of the time, Said, but only by day; by night slaves could be freely sold; except that a tax for each one was paid into the Viceroy’s coffers.
[3975]
I am convinced that all the Muslims’ violence against the Nuba is the main reason why they detest Islam. Although the Muslims sent numerous Muftis, Fakirs, Ulémas (as their missionaries, which is the usual practice of the Egyptian Government in its conquests in the Sudan) to preach them the Islamic faith, they rejected it each time with scorn and sometimes preferred death
[3976]
The Nuba say that they descend from the Christians of Upper Nubia (between Wadi-Halfa and Kordofan, the western deserts of Dongola and Abyssinia and the Red Sea). Centuries ago they were driven south by the Muslims who had crossed Egypt and Arabia. This is why they have preserved their name “Nuba” and claim to be Christian. This is not at all improbable and there are many historical and linguistic indications on which later, when the missionaries and I have accomplished more precise research, I shall not fail to give you a detailed account.
[3977]
Moreover, the circumstance that these tribes were driven from their original land, mingled with the idolatrous blacks and for centuries must have been deprived of Christian priests, explains why they lost every Christian notion with the exception of the ceremony they observe at every child’s birth: they immerse it in water. Furthermore, they believe in one God and in a world of spirits (demons). God, they call Beletuo.
[3978]
This brief information on the new missionary station of the “Nuba” will be enough for the time being. I hope that God will bless our efforts and that the distinguished Committee of the Marienverien will continue glorious, on the one hand to help us with its productive contributions, and on the other, to guarantee us through its moral influence the necessary protection of the royal-imperial Government. The flag of His apostolic Majesty I. R., of the most clement Emperor Franz Jozef I, is now flying triumphant in the mission stations of Berber, Khartoum, in Kordofan and Jebel Nuba; it is honoured and feared by the Turks and by the blacks of Central Africa; it is a symbol of peace, of the Catholic faith and of the powerful protection of the Missionaries throughout the immense Vicariate.


5. SHELLAL

[3979]
I shall soon also have to restore the mission of Shellal, so as to help the Christians who are currently employed there building the railway, which is to go as far as Khartoum; it has already been completed between Aswan and Shellal and work has already begun on the Wady-Halfa-Dongola line etc.
Our house in Shellal (built under the Pro-Vicar Mgr Kirchner) is in excellent condition. A garden can be planted around it, because the Mission possesses 14 feddan of land there (about 50,000 square metres) which, properly cultivated will certainly produce whatever food the future staff of the mission will need. Subsequently, because of the more frequent traffic by rail, there will be more Christians there and the members of the mission will be able to carry out beneficial work.


6. THE INSTITUTES OF AFRICANS FOR CENTRAL AFRICA IN CAIRO

[3980]
Information on the Institutes has already been provided in the previous annual reports; this time I only want to add one argument for their importance. They were founded by me in 1867. In 1871 I sent the two Missionaries, Carcereri and Franceschini from Cairo — they had been acclimatising there since 1867 — as seekers of a suitable territory for the mission in Kordofan. In 1872, the Holy See entrusted the Vicariate Apostolic of Central Africa to me, and since then 14 European priests have come there as missionaries, and in these 4 years not one has died; they are all strong and healthy and work zealously in the extremely demanding vineyard of Central Africa. The reason is of course that after leaving Europe they did not go directly to the African Interior, but were able to acclimatise for a long time in Cairo.
[3981]
In the meantime, the Missionaries can also study the language, customs and habits of both the Arabs and the other populations there; and then, prepared in the best possible way, they can begin their missionary activities, whereas before, under the excellent Pro-Vicar Dr Knoblecher (1848–1858) and his successors, Mgr Kirchner and Mgr Reinthaller, most of the Mission’s members died a short time after their arrival in Khartoum, Holy Cross and Gondokoro.
[3982]
Since 1867 all the staff of the mission in Cairo were obliged to live in rented houses, for which I had to pay an annual rental of almost 100 gold napoleons. To escape this burdensome expense, I took the trouble to obtain a gift of land from the Viceroy of Egypt, on which to build two houses, for the Missionaries and for the Sisters. For this purpose, I sent frequent petitions to the Imperial Royal Consul General Cavalier von Schriener, in order to obtain this land from the Khedive. But when Cavalier Ceschini became Consul General and diplomatic agent in Egypt, God blessed our efforts and the Viceroy gave the Mission a magnificent piece of building land in the central district of Old Cairo (the Ismailia quarter) which measures 3,891 square metres, and is large enough for both Institutes.
[3983]
This land, according to the evaluation of the Khedive’s engineers is worth 43,000 francs. Heartfelt thanks therefore to the magnanimous Viceroy and above all to the generous Consul General Cavalier Ceschini who took so much trouble to procure this precious gift for us! The building of both houses has already begun; the cost of the building so far amounts to 22,000 francs; this has already been paid; but I really also need aid from friends of the mission to promote and complete this work which is so important for the Vicariate.
[3984]
In the Vicariate’s various mission stations, reside 4 priests, 9 Sisters (Sisters of St Joseph), 7 lay Europeans as coadjutors, including the Mission’s worthy veteran, Mr Augusto Wisniewski, who formerly came to Khartoum in 1856 with the Missionaries L. Gerbi, I. Lanz and A. Kaufmann. In addition to the staff mentioned, I still have to maintain from the Mission’s coffers a greater number of African women teachers who were educated in Verona and almost 100 pupils of both sexes.
[3985]
Until now God has manifestly given us his blessing: I have no debts, but this time an empty cash box. However the good Lord for whom we toil will also help us in the future and will preserve our former benefactors and inspire new ones. My programme is “Africa or death!”, I, at least, will resist until my last breath.
[3986]
This year two heretical merchants abjured their previous confession of faith; in addition, we have had 69 adult baptisms; on 21st July 1875 in El Obeid, I imparted holy Baptism and the sacrament of Confirmation to 16 adults at the same time.


THE INSTITUTE FOR THE MISSIONS OF CENTRAL AFRICA IN VERONA

[3987]
This has existed since 1867, under the patronage of His Most Reverend Excellency Bishop Luigi Marchese di Canossa, and through the benevolence of His Majesty the Emperor Ferdinand and the Empress Anna Pia. It was founded to train Missionaries for Central Africa.
[3988]
The Holy See entrusted our Vicariate Apostolic to this Institute. I have added a second institute to the Institute for future apostles: the Institute of the “Devout Mothers of Africa”, in order to obtain teachers for the female part of the Missions. Until now many individuals for Central Africa have been members of both these Institutes. The current state of the staff amounts, according to a summary by the Reverend Superior Fr Antonio Squaranti, to 6 candidates and 15 Sisters who are already suitable to be transferred to Africa as useful teachers.
[3989]
This is a brief sketch of the current missionary activity in and for Central Africa. The Marienverein in Austria-Hungary has favoured it immensely, and I beg the illustrious Committee and all the members of this association to kindly help us also in the future; for our part, we want to pray every day for His Royal-Imperial Apostolic Majesty and for the whole august imperial house; we want to pray for the Most Reverend President of the distinguished Committee and for all its members and also for all the living benefactors of our Mission; but we also wish to pray for the eternal repose of two great benefactors, that is, His Imperial Majesty Ferdinand and His Imperial Highness the Duke of Modena, and for the worthy Gentlemen of our Mission, the good court councillor Frederico von Hurter-Ammann and the unforgettable Baron Spens.

Daniel Comboni
Pro-Vicar Apostolic


Translated from the German.

[3990]
It is indeed true that our troubles are very serious and innumerable, O beloved Children; it is indeed true that we are accompanied everywhere by thirst, sickness, afflictions, conflicts and crosses. Nevertheless, in all truth we can say with the Apostle of the Gentiles that they are surpassed by the consolations to which Our Lord Jesus Christ calls us. And this is why, in the humility of Our heart, We invite you to praise and bless the goodness and mercy of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ. You clearly remember the joy and exultation of our spirit with which on 14th September 1873 we solemnly and publicly consecrated Our person, Our immense Vicariate Apostolic and You, beloved children, to the divine Heart of Jesus. You remember the hopes we had since then that a new era of grace would open up for us and that the treasures of piety and mercy of that most adorable Heart would be disclosed to us and to the more than 100 million infidels in Our most difficult Vicariate.
[3991]
But what human or angelic creature would ever have opened up the access to that divine Shrine for us, and showered down upon us his inexhaustible riches? Ah! The beloved Disciple wept when he saw that mysterious Scroll sealed with seven seals, hearing at the same time an Angel exclaiming in a sonorous voice: Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals? Quis est dignus aperire Librum et solvere signacula eius? And no one in heaven or earth could do so: et nemo poterat neque in coelo neque in terra; et ego flebam multum (Rev.5:3–4). So who can open this mysterious scroll of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ? What will be this blessed Key which will open the door for us?… Ah! Let us wipe away our tears, O beloved Children, let us dry our eyes, and be consoled…
[3992]
Here is the beautiful Daughter of King David, Mary, Immaculate Virgin, who has this precious Key in her hands, indeed She herself is the mystical Key of the adorable Heart of her Son Jesus. Yes, Mary opens this Heart and no one can close it; she closes it and no one can open it: Clavis David quae aperit et nemo claudit; claudit et nemo aperit. She unlocks this Divine Heart to anyone who wants it, as he wants it and when he wants it. She disposes of the infinite treasures of that divine Heart as she wishes and for the benefit of those who are pleasing to her. But why can Mary have such influence on the most adorable Heart of Jesus? Because she is the fortunate Mother of Jesus and therefore she is Queen and Lady of the Heart of Jesus. O blessed Name! O adored Name! O most beautiful Name after that of Mother of God! Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus! This ineffable Name is honey in the mouth, music in the ears, joy in the heart: mel in ore, melos in aure, in corde iubilus.
[3993]
It is a Name that has made the goodness of the Heart of Jesus Christ shine forth in these calamitous times to illumine and console everyone, to comfort the just, to encourage sinners to repentance, to enrich with graces all those who have recourse to her. Hence she is comforted to be invoked by her Children as Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; with this title she is proclaimed the Generous Dispenser of all the immense treasures and graces of the Most Sacred Heart of her divine Son Jesus. She is proclaimed the most tender and most loving Mother of all mothers; the most eloquent Advocate of all the Angels and Saints; Hope of sinners; Comfort of the afflicted; Light of wanderers; Haven for those in danger. She is greeted as the Woman without blemish, Seat of Wisdom, Wonder of the infinite Love of God, the perpetual Panegyric of all ages, the universal Praise of all beings, the public and general Concert of all creatures, the Miracle of divine Omnipotence.
[3994]
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus!!! Oh! How many glories are contained in this August Name! How many qualities, what greatness does it contain in itself! And this is why this blessed Name resounds on the lips of many millions of faithful. (1) She is invoked in all the corners of the earth by the righteous and sinners, Priests and laity, princes and servants, great and small. Yes, all who have been reached by this sweetest Name, all greet it, call upon it, invoke it and all feel its salutary effects, obtaining the most abundant spiritual and temporal graces from this most merciful Mother! Thus every day from all the parts of the Catholic world a heavenly melody of so many voices rises from earth to Heaven, praising Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for all the graces she has implored. (2)
[3995]
And the Heart of Jesus, oh! How glad he is to see Her whom he so greatly loves, so honoured and glorified here on earth! Thus from Heaven he continues to shower his blessings upon these adorers of his and of his Most Holy Mother. And Jesus says to all: If you want to enter my Heart and share in grace and in my blessings, have recourse to Mary and through her you will have access to me. Invoke her as Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that she will comfort you. Yes, come, O beloved and see the works of the Lord. Come and contemplate this wonder of God’s grace, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart who has full power over the adorable Heart of her Son Jesus. She can do so much that she is called par excellence “the Advocate of the most difficult and desperate causes”. And by St Ephrem, “the hope of the despairing: Spes desperantium”. And by St Bernard, “The Almighty through her intercession”.
[3996]
Now is not this new title with which in these times the Great Mother of God appears glorious amongst us, a great sign of salvation and grace for Our Most beloved Vicariate of Central Africa? If Our Lady is the mystical Key to the Heart of Jesus, will she not desire to reveal the infinite treasures of that adorable Heart to these neglected souls of Ham’s descendants? If Mary invoked as such cannot deny graces to anyone, would she and could she ever not want to come to our aid in our great distress, in our most arduous and difficult apostolate and in all our needs?
[3997]
No, no, no… until now no one has ever been seen to invoke Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in his needs without her hearing him. Let us revive our Faith, O beloved children; the divine Mother prophesied that all peoples would call her: ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes (Lk.1). And do not Ethiopia and Central Africa join in the symphony of Blessings to the Great Woman unstained by sin? Yes, they will enter, and through her will find their Saviour God and adore him: coram illo procident Aethiopes, says another Prophet (Ps.71).
[3998]
Yes, let us follow this bright Star of Jacob, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, and soon Central Africa will find its Saviour Jesus: Lumen requiramus lumine et inveniemus Iesum. And this is why We turn to her, full of filial trust. To her we intend to offer and consecrate Ourselves, You, most devout Children, and all the souls of Our immense Vicariate. From Her, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we hope for help, means and graces, in order to be able to establish and implant in this torrid land of Central Africa the glorious standard of the adored Cross of Jesus Christ.
[3999]
And when these people, who still live today in the pitiful darkness of idolatry or fetishism are converted and take refuge in the Heart of Jesus Christ, when the Name of Jesus resounds on the lips of the children of Ham, then a hymn of joy and gratitude will rise from all hearts, and all will exclaim: Praise, Glory and eternal Blessings to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Through her we entered into the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus; through her we know Jesus Christ; through her we participate in the Redemption, in the graces, merits and inheritance of Jesus Christ Our Saviour, and through her we hope one day to enter the Kingdom of Heaven promised us by Jesus Christ, to whom may be glory with the Father and with the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.
[4000]
In order to complete and perfect the Act of Consecration of the Vicariate to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which we published not long ago, and to assure for ourselves all the treasures of grace and blessings from this most adorable Heart, in the humility of Our Spirit We have established that on the next Feast of the Immaculate Conception in all the Parishes of Our Vicariate after solemn Mass and the Litany of Loreto, that the following Act of the Consecration of Central Africa to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus be recited before the Blessed Sacrament solemnly exposed on the Altar, and that the sacred Function be concluded with Benediction.
[4001]
For this purpose, on the basis of the wide faculties granted to us by His Holiness the Supreme Pontiff Pius IX, We concede a Plenary Indulgence to all the faithful who after they have repented and confessed their sins approach the Eucharistic Banquet, take part in the above-mentioned Sacred Function and pray for the Church’s victory and the triumph of the Vicar of Jesus Christ.

Given in Delen (Uarco) Our temporary Residence in Jebel Nuba,
on the Feast of the Holy Apostles Simon and Jude, 28th October 1875.


Daniel Comboni
Pro-Vicar Apostolic of Central Africa

The Secretary

(1) The number of members enrolled in the Archconfraternity of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart has reached more than 12 million.
(2) Up to now the Central Registry of Issodoun has listed 120,000.

[4002]
Behold us prostrate at Your Most Holy feet, O Blessed Virgin and Mary Mother of God; and rejoicing, we greet you for the first time in these desert lands, with the new and glorious Title of “Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus”. Today this august Name shines for us as a sun in the darkness, as a rainbow of peace and reconciliation between earth and heaven. Today, as You appear among Your children, you restore our hopes, you comfort us by repeating to us that the bounty and kindness of Our Saviour Jesus Christ appears to us today; that is, today You are revealing to all these lands the treasures of graces and blessings enclosed in that adorable Heart, because you alone are their Queen and Lady.
[4003]
Yes, we greet You, O Mary, O August Sovereign of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We greet you on this Sacred solemnity, O beloved Daughter of the Eternal Father, through whom knowledge of God has reached to the very ends of the earth. We greet you, O Abode of the Eternal Son, who was born from you incarnate. We greet you, O ineffable dwelling of the Eternal Divine Spirit, who has poured forth in You all his gifts and graces. O Mary, O loving Queen of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Oh! How appropriately you come in our times of need! Oh! How Divine Providence has kept these times and places for You… Come, yes come among us, Oh Virgin Immaculate, come, reign over and dominate all these desolate and abandoned lands!… Ah! You alone, O Mary, can make this land that has lain arid and thorny for 19 centuries fruitful with Your Blessing! You alone can illumine with Your light the many poor infidels, children of unhappy Ham, who still live in the shadow of death! You alone can give so many million unfortunates their Lord and God!…
[4004]
And this is why, filled with trust in your Maternal Pity, we turn to You; we seek refuge beneath your powerful protection, certain that you will console us, grant our prayers and dry the tears of so many of your children! Arise, then, O Mary, as Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, arise and come to our aid. In you, after Jesus, we place all our hopes. You are the Banner of the orthodox Faith. Spread it, through your Power, in these lands!… You are the fortunate Mother of Our Divine Redeemer, who died on the Cross. Ah! Obtain that it be implanted in the whole of Africa. You are the Queen of the Angels, send numerous ranks of angels to our aid, to overthrow Satan’s kingdom! You are the Mother of the Apostles, inspire an apostolic spirit in many Gospel workers and lead them to this abandoned part of the Lord’s vineyard!… You are … Ah! You are everything for us after Jesus. And that is why, after offering ourselves and consecrating ourselves to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, today we solemnly dedicate and consecrate ourselves to you. Yes, we offer ourselves, we give ourselves and we consecrate ourselves to You, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
[4005]
To you we consecrate ourselves, our families and the whole Vicariate of Central Africa. We consecrate our thoughts, our words and our actions to you. To Jesus and to you we offer and consecrate our sufferings, our efforts, our whole life. To you and to Jesus we entrust and consecrate all the souls of the Central African Regions. And you, O Mary, O Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, care for us poor children, preserve us as your Inheritance and Property. May you be our Guide on our journeys, our Teacher in our doubts, our Light in the Darkness: be our Health and Strength in sickness: our Advocate, our Mother with the Heart of your blessed Son Jesus throughout our life. And at the time of our death, O Mary, protect us, and together with Jesus, help us. May our last words be: May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be everywhere beloved. Praised and blessed be Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in every tongue. Amen.

Daniel Comboni
Pro-Vicar Apostolic of Central Africa

[4006]
“Jebel Nuba is unhealthy for one month, I think, but for the rest, healthy”.
“We will do everything in Berber, where after having a few tiffs, we shall end by embracing each other because I love you as I have always loved you, because you are always my fist-born Cimbrian”.


A couple of Comboni’s sentences quoted in a letter written by Fr Carcereri.