In 1784, John Caroll was appointed the first Superior of Catholic missions in the Northern United States. Wishing to revive the Native American missions and care for the arriving migrants, he called upon Jesuits, diocesan priests, and various congregations. No sooner had the missionaries arrived than numerous delegations of Native American chiefs came to ask for "Black Robes" to teach them about the Great Spirit. They claimed to be the descendants of those who had been evangelized in the 17th and 18th centuries by the Jesuits, known as Black Robes. In the name of their pedagogy of inculturation, they refused Protestant ministers and asked only for Catholic missionaries. Despite many difficulties-colonial politics, land confiscation, and lack of resources-the missionaries spread out among the various groups, whose religious situations varied greatly. To their surprise, they discovered that some groups had maintained their faith thanks to catechists. They tried to establish pastoral care adapted to the circumstances: itinerant missions, resident missionaries, use of catechists, and Jesuit "ladders." Catholic priests tried as much as possible to satisfy the spiritual needs of the indigenous people, who ultimately became the key players in this new evangelization.
Résumé L’histoire des « moretti » est restée méconnue dans l’historiographie. En qualité d’anciens esclaves rachetés par des missionnaires européens, ces jeunes Subsahariens furent envoyés en Europe pour étudier dans des institutions catholiques et revenir en Afrique comme missionnaires. Certains devinrent ainsi les premiers prêtres et religieuses indigènes du XIX e siècle, précédant le clergé africain moderne. Cet article propose de retracer ce phénomène à travers les parcours de deux prêtres, Jean-Pierre Moussa (1815-1860) et Daniele Sorur Pharim Den (1860ca.-1900), ainsi que d’une religieuse, Bakhita Kwasce (1841ca.-1899), qui surent dépasser de nombreux obstacles et dénoncer le racisme auquel ils furent confrontés.
Abstract This article highlights the challenges posed by the colonial mindset to the formation of an indigenous clergy. Comparing missions on the African and Asian continents allows us to connect the common dynamics of race relations in the church in the late modern period. This contribution is grounded primarily in unpublished documentation preserved in the Apostolic Archives ( A.A.V. ), the Archives of Propaganda Fide ( A.P.F. ), and the Historical Archives of the Secretariat of State – Section for Relations with States and International Organisations ( A.S.R.S. ). It further draws on materials consulted in the Archives of the Generalate of the White Fathers ( A.G.M .Afr.) in Rome, as well as in the General Archives of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit ( A.G.C.S .Sp.) in Chevilly-Larue (Paris).
Résumé Fondé sur des archives inexploitées, celles des Franciscaines Missionnaires de Marie, des Filles de la Charité et de la Propaganda Fide , cet article vise à étudier les enjeux de l’intégration et de la formation des sœurs autochtones à la vie religieuse en Birmanie et au Vietnam au XX e siècle. Il montre les tensions entre supérieurs ecclésiastiques et responsables européennes à ce propos. En analysant les arguments qui justifient le maintien de la différenciation, il prend au sérieux le critère racial tout en le replaçant parmi une série d’autres critères plus explicites, et au sein de hiérarchies préexistantes dans les congrégations.
