BRAZZAVILLE, Apostolic Vicariate of
The city of B., capital of French Equatorial Africa, on the right bank of the Congo River at the point where it widens to form Stanley Pool, has 25,000 inhabitants. It is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Congo-Océan Railway, which departs from the port of Pointe Noire.
The Apostolic Vicariate of B., so named since 21 June 1922, was formerly the Apostolic Vicariate of Upper French Congo (or Ubanghi), established on 14 October 1890, and previously part of French Congo (1886). In 1909, its northern region was detached to form the Prefecture of Ubanghi (now the Apostolic Vicariate of Bangui [v.]).
The first Apostolic Vicar was the distinguished Monsignor Augouard. For fifteen years, their efforts seemed in vain; then, suddenly, those fierce tribes turned to the Catholic faith. After forty years, there were 40,000 Catholics. Currently, the mission still faces serious challenges: the new indigenous mentality, eager for profit, material well-being, and freedom; the scourge of widespread polygamy, with the well-known disorders of forced marriages, for which a dowry fund has been established and regulations on marriage are being sought from the government; and finally, Protestantism. Since 1911, the mission has had its minor seminary, to which a major seminary was added in 1947. It has given rise to a Congregation of indigenous brothers (who, among other things, manage the carpentry workshop in Linzole) and one of indigenous sisters; there are also two Congregations of European sisters: the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny, which has worked in the stations of Lower Congo (in B. and Kindaneba) since 1892, and the Franciscan Missionary Sisters in the Alima region to the north. Their activities include girls' schools, dispensaries, and the formation of Christian brides.
The linguistic activity of the missionaries is also lively, with grammars, dictionaries, catechisms, and other Christian instruction books.
The population is approximately 400,000 over an area of 200,000 km²; the conversion movement is encouraging: from 1935 to 1939, there was an average annual increase of 4,000 Catholics. The latest statistics (1948) record 100,752 Catholics served by 57 missionaries, of whom 6 are indigenous; 23 brothers, of whom 6 are indigenous; 37 sisters, of whom 9 are indigenous; and 293 catechists. Protestants number approximately 40,000, and pagans approximately 240,000. There are 39 elementary schools with 5,890 pupils; 4 middle schools with 348 pupils; 4 high schools with 38 pupils; 10 vocational schools with 434 pupils; and 1 normal school with 18 pupils.
GIOVANNI BATTISTA TRAGELLA