Liberia

October 23, 2009

Information valid as of February 2011

Republic of Liberia

Area: 111,370 sq. km.
Population: 3.3 million.
Population Growth Rate: 1.7%
Capital: Monrovia
Head of State: President
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Independence:
26 July 1847
Ethnic Groups:
Americo-Liberians 2.5%(descendants of US immigrants former slaves), Congo People 2.5% (descendants of Caribbean immigrants former slaves), indigenous African peoples 95% (Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, Dei, Bella, Mandingo, Mende)
Religions: Christian 40%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 40%

Catholic Bishops Conference of Liberia
(CABICOL)

President: Archbishop Lewis Zeigler
Secretary General: Fr Patrick Kabba
National Director Justice & Peace:
Augustine Toe, Attorney-at-Law

SMA involvement in Liberia began in 1906. Fr Stephen Kyne, from Hollymount, Co Mayo became the Prefect Apostolic of Liberia. The territory was entrusted to the Society and became the first missionary assignment of the Irish Province when it was founded in 1912.

There are at present 9 SMA priests and two seminarians on pastoral training in Liberia.

Fr Cornel Mario Abi (from Nigeria) is the SMA Community Leader in Liberia.

There are three dioceses in Liberia:

Monrovia Archdiocese
Most Rev Lewis Zeigler is the Archbishop of Monrovia. He succeeded Most Rev Michael K Francis on 12 February 2011.

The SMA care for three parishes in the Archdiocese:

St Dominic’s Parish, Tubmanburg: Fr Gareth Jenkins SMA (British Province)
St Mulumba’s Parish, Cooper’s Farm, Paynesville: Fr Matthew Abu-Cole SMA (first Liberian SMA priest) and Fr Gustavo Buccilli (American Province).

All Saints Parish, Unification Town: Fr Cornel-Mario Abi SMA (Bomadi, Nigeria)

Cape Palmas Diocese
Bishop-elect: Rt Rev Andrew Jagaye Karnley

Three SMA priests care for the rural St Anthony’s parish, Barraken
Fr Thomas E Hayden SMA (from USA)
Fr Sylvere Atta (from Ivory Coast)
Fr Jean Le Dieu Aherloo SMA ( from Togo)

Gbarnga Diocese – Vacant.
Apostolic Administrator: Very Rev Chris Brennan SMA

There are 14 parishes in the diocese. Only 7 have a resident priest. Two of the parishes are staffed by the SMA:

St Martin’s, Gbarnga: Fr Chris Brennan SMA (Kiltimagh, Co Mayo).

St Mary’s Saniquellie: Fr Don Phiri SMA (Ndola, Zambia).