South Sudan Marian Advocations

In the youngest country in the world, the Catholic Church accompanies a people who have suffered war, and the Virgin Mary is venerated as a mother and comfort of hope.

Diocese of Tombura-Yambio

History of Marian devotion in South Sudan

The devotion to the Virgin Mary in South Sudan, although a minority in a country of Muslim majority or traditional African religions, has a significant presence among local Christian communities. Christianity has come to these lands through European missionaries since the 15th century (Portuguese, French, Spanish), and the figure of Mary was one of the pillars of evangelization. Marian apparitions in Africa, like Kibeho's in Rwanda (1981- 1989), have boosted Marian devotion throughout the continent.

In South Sudan, the Virgin is venerated under various advocacy, many of them introduced by the missionaries: the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of the Rosary, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Lourdes. The local Catholic communities keep the devotion to Mary alive through the prayer of the Rosary, processions and patronal parties, which are expressions of an incarnate faith in African culture.

South Sudan Marian Advocations

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Mary, Mother of peace in the youngest country in the world

South Sudan, the youngest country in the world (independent since 2011), has a history of suffering and hope in which the Virgin Mary has been a beacon of comfort for Christians. The Catholic evangelization of southern Sudan began in the 19th century with the work of Saint Daniel Comboni (1831-1881), who founded the Combonian Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus for the purpose of evangelizing Central Africa. Comboni had a deep devotion to Mary, whom he called "the Mother of the African Church," and entrusted to her protection all the missions of southern Sudan. During the decades of civil war (1955- 1972 and 1983- 2005), the Catholic Church was a refuge for the civilian population, and the Rosary became the spiritual weapon of a people seeking peace.

Today, the archdiocese of Yuba and the dioceses of Tombura-Yambio, Wau, Malakal and Bentiu work to rebuild the country after years of conflict. Marian devotion is a source of unity and hope. Many parishes bear the name of Hail Mary or Our Lady of the Rosary, and Catholic communities meet daily to pray the Rosary for peace. The image of the Virgin Mary, represented with African features, is a symbol of identity and comfort for the South Sudanese. The feast of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated with special fervor, and the Marian processions walk the dusty roads of the villages bearing the image of Mary from community to community.

The diocese of Tombura-Yambio, in the south-west of South Sudan, is one of the most active in promoting Marian devotion. Bishop Emeritus, Bishop Edward Hiiboro Kussala, has promoted the "Rosary Crusade for Peace," in which the faithful commit themselves to pray the Rosary daily for the reconciliation of the country. This initiative has had a great impact, and today thousands of South Sudanese pray the Rosary every day. The image of the Virgin Mary, represented as an African mother who protects her children from violence, is a symbol of hope for a people who longs for peace after decades of conflict.

The Cathedral of Santa Teresa in Yuba, the capital of South Sudan, although not dedicated to the Virgin Mary, houses a Marian chapel where the image of Our Lady of Perpetual Relief is venerated. Every Wednesday, the Catholic community of Yuba meets in this chapel for the ninth to Our Lady of Perpetual Relief, a tradition that began in the 1980s when the Comonian missionaries introduced this devotion in southern Sudan. The ninth is especially attended, and the faithful come to entrust their intentions to the Virgin, trusting in her maternal intercession.