Book Reviews2 African Saints, African Stories: 40 holy men and women

Sep 19, 2008

Written by: Camille Lewis Brown

 

Dr. Camille Lewis Brown began to compile information for this book as part of her course at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia to teach seminarians and others about African or Black Catholics.  In the early days, the Church in northern Africa was a stronghold of Christianity until the Muslim invasions of the seventh century.  Some of the major heresies of the early Church were started and fought out in North Africa such as the Arian and Donatist heresies.  Also, some of the major Church Fathers were from North Africa: St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Cyrpian, St. Athanasius, and St. Cyril of Alexandria.  Additionally, monasticism is believed to have started in Egypt.  North Africa had major contributions to the Church in the early days.   

 

This book focuses on the African saints. Dr. Brown provides the introduction which sets the stage and reasoning as to why she set about researching Black saints and holy people.  Most of the book discusses people who have been declared by the Church as being saints, blessed, or venerable; the other part is about those people whom Dr. Brown and others consider as candidates for sainthood.  Some of the saints and others she presents are:  St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Josephine Bakhita, St. Benedict the Moor, Pope St. Gelasius I, St. Charles Lwanga and his Companions, St. Antony, St. Martin de Porres, St. Moses the Black, Bl. Marie Clementine Anuarite Negapeta, Blesseds Daudi Okelo and Jildo Irwa and others.  Those she includes in the second section who she considers worthy of canonization are:  Mother Mathilda Beasley, Dr. Lena Edwards, Mother Emma Lewis, Fr. Augustus Tolton, and others. 

 

The author also includes three appendices which include a calendar of selected saints, a litany of African saints, and a map of modern day Africa.  She has a bibliography which includes not only books but also websites and other sources; notes, and an index.

Dr. Brown presents forty entries.  Each entry has the name or names of the holy person(s), dates, and feast day on a side bar.  Then she gives a short biography of the saint(s) and includes quotes from the saint(s) when available.  After the biography there is a quote from scripture and a prayer to the saint(s). 

 

This book is meant not only for information purposes, but also to provide material to meditate or pray with the holy person(s).  The entries are very readable for scholars and general readers. 

 

This book is highly recommended to those who may want to use this book as an introduction to the study of African saints and holy people. 

 

Dr. Camille Lewis Brown is the education coordinator of the Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island.  She holds a B.A. in history from Franklin and Marshall College, an M.A. in theology from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, and a Ph.D. in educational administration from Boston College.  She founded the Bakhita Fund, a nonprofit organization designed to provide educational assistance to children around the world.  She is also the author of Recipe for Change:  consolidation and restructuring (2005).