2.2. Concrete Application

2.2.1. Places

At that time we leave for regions that can no longer be considered as places of first evangelization. Expelled from China, we go to Latin America: Haiti, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic. The situation of these older Christian communities calls for a renewed missionary activity. Concretely speaking, in these countries, the missionaries make up for the lack of priests in areas that are usually neglected.

2.2.2. Methods

Where evangelization bore fruit after a few decades, missionary activity evolved progressively into a contribution to the plantation and organization of the local Church.

The missionary's main task was to announce Jesus Christ and to start new stations. This proclamation consisted mainly in the oral communication of a doctrine. Faith was the intellectual assent to a body of truths. Consequently, mission was seen as the explicit proclamation of the Gospel, and salvation in Jesus Christ depending on a minimum of intellectual knowledge. Hence, mission and religious knowledge were closely linked.

Planting the Church meant increasing the number of mission stations in order to create parishes, build churches, establish religious communities of sisters, open schools and organize various charitable works. Notwithstanding the best of intentions the missionaries transplanted especially structures, modeled after those of the European churches, rather than witness to a particular lifestyle.

This does not mean that they had no influence on the villages' daily life. On the contrary, it happened that they intervened energetically to eradicate idolatry and superstitions. They were often accused of destroying the local cultures. In fact, this affirmation should be qualified. Quite a number of missionaries studied the indigenous languages and cultures so as to pass on the Good News more adequately. In Central Africa, for example, they took over the names that the traditional religions give to God. They often defended the autochthonous people against the abuses of colonial officers, they took care of the orphans, the sick and the poor. But the charitable works and the schools were seen as means to win people for the Church.

2.2.3. Commitments

A special effort was made to promote diocesan vocations. After Vatican II, this effort shifted to the formation of lay people and to adult catechesis.

Urbanization knew a rapid development (Kinshasa had but 40,000 inhabitants in 1940). A new and more integrated type of urban parishes comes into being. Due to the shortage of local priests especially in the urban centers, the presence of the missionary was seen as some kind of a substitution.