The Cathedral of Santa Maria of Monrovia

Monrovia · Liberia · The Catholic faith in the country of the liberated slaves

The Cathedral of St. Mary of Monrovia, capital of Liberia, is the seat of the archdiocese of Monrovia. Liberia, founded by slaves released from the United States, has a unique history in Africa, and its Catholic community has survived two devastating civil wars.

Liberia: a country founded by Americans · Global Voices

Liberia was founded in 1822 by the American Colonization Society as a colony for liberated slaves from the United States. The settlers, called "Americano-Liberians," established a republic in 1847 that copied the American constitutional model. The capital, Monrovia, was named in honor of President James Monroe.

The Catholic community in Liberia is relatively small compared to Protestant and Pentecostal churches, but their presence is significant. The spiritist missionaries and the parents of the Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart established missions in the interior of the country, among the ethnic groups kru, grebo and bassa.

The Civil Wars and the Virgin of Hope

Liberia suffered two devastating civil wars (1989- 1997 and 1999- 2003) that left more than 250,000 dead and hundreds of thousands displaced. The Monrovia Cathedral was damaged during the fighting, but the Catholic community maintained its presence as a place of refuge and mediation.

After the war, Liberian Catholics rebuilt their churches and resumed their life of faith. The Virgin Mary is invoked as the Mother who comforted the Liberians in suffering and who guides them in the recovered peace.