MATADI, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE OF. - It is situated in the Belgian Congo, not far from the mouth of the Congo River. As early as 1649 Capuchin missionaries traveled through the region of Matadi, among whom especially Father Giorgio (in secular life Adriano Willems), of Belgian origin, is notable. During his third journey through that territory, he was killed by unbelievers and even by Christians who had returned to idolatry. The memory of this early evangelization was later lost over time, though traces of it still remain today.
In 1891, Bishop Stillemans of Ghent sent some secular priests to Matadi as chaplains for the workers engaged in the construction of the Matadi–Léopoldville railway, who settled in the city of Matadi, then part of the Apostolic Vicariate of the Independent or Belgian Congo (see LÉOPOLDVILLE), entrusted to the priests of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Scheut Missionaries). In 1899, when the aforementioned secular priests returned to Ghent, they were replaced by the Redemptorists, who, under the leadership of their superior, Father Simpelacre—who may be considered the founder of the mission—began the work of evangelizing the region of the "catastrophes" under the jurisdiction of the Vicar Apostolic of the Independent or Belgian Congo, who in 1910 entrusted them with the triangular territory between the Imkisi River, the railway, and the left bank of the Congo River (mission station of Nsoma Mwata). By decree of May 31, 1911, the territory was erected into an Apostolic Prefecture and entrusted to the Redemptorists, and on July 23, 1930, it was elevated to an Apostolic Vicariate.
The mission underwent several boundary changes with neighboring missions before its elevation to a vicariate. The current extent of the Vicariate of Matadi is approximately 35,000 sq. km.; the main centers are Matadi and Thysville.
The indigenous people (Bakongo) have the idea of a single God, whose supreme dominion they acknowledge, though without offering Him a defined cult.
They do not worship fetishes but attribute to them, as well as to amulets, occult powers. They therefore believe in and practice magic, yet they recognize a moral law that forbids adultery, murder, and theft. Society is matriarchal, and polygamy—a scourge not only among pagans but also among Christians—is gradually diminishing.
When the Redemptorists began their evangelization work, there were barely 70 Catholics. Now there are over 13,000 out of a population estimated at approximately 263,000. There are about 10,400 catechumens; 19 main mission stations and 37 secondary ones; 62 priests, of whom 10 are indigenous; 89 sisters, of whom 13 are indigenous; 95 seminarians, including 13 major, 68 minor, and 14 from the preparatory seminary. There is an impressive array of schools (512, of which 503 are elementary), welfare institutions (15 hospitals, 17 dispensaries, 5 orphanages, and 2 leper asylums), and Catholic Action associations. Three printing presses produce 4 bulletins with a total circulation of 2,400 copies.