Nigerian Spiritans and Prophetic Witnessing in their Homeland

Abstract

The Spiritans (Holy Ghost Fathers and Brothers) appropriate the mission statement of Jesus in Lk 4:18 in which Jesus speaks of his being anointed by the Holy Spirit to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom to prisoners, recovery of sight to the blind and to set captives free. Nigeria currently has the greatest number of Spiritans world-wide, so it is an important demography in the Church’s missionary apostolate. This essay examines how Nigerian Spiritans are living out this mission statement of the Spiritans in their homeland, Nigeria, challenged as it is by poverty, insecurity, corruption and other factors that diminish human flourishing. The essay will do this by highlighting some of the missionary engagements of Nigerian Spiritans, with a view to establishing their fidelity to their prophetic calling. It concludes that while Nigerian Spiritans have reasons to celebrate their accomplishments, much more is expected of them in the living out of the prophetic mission.