In a world of daily scientific discoveries, there is a tendency to always aim for the new and forget the old. There is a risk of rushing into new disciplines and academic courses and forgetting the “traditional subjects” such as the study of history. The progressive mentality of today’s world sees attention to the past as a wasted opportunity.
By Jonah Makau *
Many people believe that we should continue to move forward, always seeking new things and without referring too much to the past. In fact, there are many who see the study of history as boring and irrelevant or both. There is a need, as a Congregation, to promote the study and specializations in the field of history because what we know today and know about ourselves is due to the effort of some of our confreres who in the past have committed themselves and dedicated time and energy to the collection of documents and preparing in-depth and scientific studies on the history of the Institute.
Learning our history may not seem important at the time events happen, but as the years pass, we begin to understand its importance. In truth, we study history so that history does not remain behind us and also because it helps us understand how past events have set the stage for events to unfold today. The stories of our early missionaries in different parts of Africa tell of their intrepid journeys to unknown places, their courage to overcome challenges, and their resourcefulness to survive in lands full of unexpected and unprecedented dangers. With the lessons of the past, we not only learn about ourselves and how we have developed, but also the ability to avoid mistakes and thus be able to create better paths for our societies. This means that history is not simply a study of situations and events far from us. The people we think of in the past, who lived for decades in a certain mission, even if we did not know them personally, their stories and their exploits, directly influence the way we live our life and mission today. Events and enterprises recalled by simple calendar dates have always marked milestones in the historical process that has involved our Institute.
Former American Historical Association President William H. MacNeill wrote, “Historical knowledge is nothing more and nothing less than a collective memory carefully and critically constructed” (In Chris Lorenz, “La linea di confine: La Storia ‘scientifica’ fra costruzione e decostruzione del mito”. That is, historical research constructs and codifies events and facts that make us a people. It follows that by studying our history as an Institute, we learn the path we have taken that has brought us to where we are today and why we live and behave in a certain way. The study of our lives, our place in the world and our purpose and mission in a world that is constantly changing and evolving, provides us with insights into the possible strategies we should use to successfully carry out our mission. Without knowing the stories that have shaped us and made us who we are, we could not understand all our successes and failures and we would continually repeat patterns without building something new, original and better. This is why the Spanish philosopher, George Santayana, in his monumental work, emphasized that: “Those who cannot remember the past are destined to repeat it” (Cfr. George Santayana, The Life of Reason: The Phases of Human Progress, Alpha Editions, 2023). Learning from our missionaries who have gone before us is an important step in making our future brighter.
Today, as Pope Francis wrote, there is a need to “emphasize the importance of developing an authentic sense of history in young theology students” (Cfr. Pope Francis, Letter on the renewal of the study of church history, 21 November 2024). It is rather discouraging to see that as an Institute we have not yet managed to prepare a team of historians who can take us to the next level. Many Regions have years and years of history full of very interesting missionary experiences to tell, but, unfortunately, they are not yet documented. This explains why Pope Francis – again in the same letter – urged to promote in young theology students “a real historical sensitivity. With this last expression I want to indicate not only the in-depth and timely knowledge of the most important moments of the twenty centuries of Christianity that lie behind us, but also and above all the emergence of a clear familiarity with the historical dimension proper to the human being.”
It is a fact that no one can truly know their deepest identity or what they wish to become in the future, without carefully considering the ties that unite them to previous generations. This is true not only for us individually, but also as a community. In fact, studying and writing history helps us keep alive “the flame of collective consciousness” (Papa Francesco, Message for the 53rd World Day of Peace, 2020). If this is not done, all that remains of what we experience is limited to the personal memory of facts related to our interests or sensibilities, without any real connection with the human and ecclesial community in which we live. It is an opportunity to invite more and more people to the Institute to take specialization courses in the various fields of history, because in truth it is the only way in which we can inform and train future generations not only on what we have experienced, but also on what our presence in many places in the world has meant.
A “correct historical sensitivity”, as Pope Francis calls it, can help each of us to develop a better sense of proportion and perspective to come to understand reality as it is and not as we imagine it or as we would like it to be.
This means that if we develop an appropriate sense of history regarding our Institute, the missionaries and our missions, we would be doing a great service to young missionaries by overcoming the fear of a glorious past which risks being lost. This is because, by putting aside the dangerous and disembodied abstractions of our present world, we would become capable of relating to reality as it is and as it calls us to ethical responsibility, sharing and solidarity.
In other words, the study of our history can help us to know the Institute well and to love it as it is, without propagating dreams of a reality that only creates fear and discouragement. By learning about the “deeds” accomplished by our missionaries in the past, we too are able to ascertain that our situation as a missionary family today, is not particularly special compared to the past, and much less “adrift”. Indeed, knowledge of history will help us to put ourselves in the shoes of the brothers who preceded us as a stimulus to commit ourselves ever more to the construction of the Kingdom of God, to the preservation of our memory and to the renewal of an Institute worthy of future generations.
* Father Jonah M. Makau, IMC, Postulator and Director of the History Office, Rome.
