FEATURE
By Nicolas Rolland
134
The Congregation of the
Holy Ghost in Africa between
the 18th and 20th Centuries
Catholic Missions, Ethnology, and African Art
The Congregation of the Holy
Ghost, which was founded in 1703 by Claude-
François Poullart des Places (1679–1709), is a
Catholic missionary society the stated objective of
which is to bring the gospel to the poorest and most
neglected peoples. While the institute limited itself
at the outset to ministering to populations in underserved
areas of France, it began to open missions in
Asia, Canada, and French Guyana very early on. In
1778, the Holy See entrusted it with the apostolic
prefecture of Saint-Louis in Senegal, the fi rst place
in Africa where it became established. In 1848, after
having merged with the Society of the Sacred
Heart of Mary, founded by François Libermann
(1802–1852) and becoming entirely devoted to the
evangelization of Black people, its operations in Africa
expanded. From then on, and despite the fact
that the Spiritans (as they had come to be known)
remained active the world over, their history would
be inextricably associated with that of Africa.