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The History of Catholic Missionary in Africa
Missionaries in Africa began after the Portuguese mariners slowly discovered and set up settlements along the western coast of Africa. The first missionaries were a group from the Franciscan friars known as Capuchins. It is estimated that this group baptized an estimated six hundred thousand Africans. Unfortunatly due to lack of resources to provide and education in faith, so many newly converts slowly began to stray away from the faith. Much of the eastern coast of Africa though was prospuring with missionary work. There was an estimated twenty mission stations in the countryside. The Africans believed that by accepting Christianity that they would also be accepted into the Portguese colonial rule, but often times the Africans were the ones trying to make the Portuguese and the missionaries get along.
In this time period there was no accurate maps of Africa and there was not much knowledge of the languages, cultures, values, and history of the continent so much of Africa did not hear the Gospel and was not converted until the 1800's.