Igbo Culture and The Irish Spiritan Evangelization: Exploring a Post-Colonial Igbo Catholic Cultural Identity and Spirituality for the Twenty-First Century and Beyond.

摘要

This dissertation explores and articulates theologically the postcolonial intercultural encounter between Igbo and Irish cultures as the Irish culture was informed by the mission theology and spirituality of Spiritan religious missionary Congregation in the 19th Century. Within this encounter, the theological concept of Namaste played a dominant positive role in the Irish Spiritan evangelization of the Igbos. This intercultural encounter which elicits effects experienced within the Igbo Catholicism, the Nigerian Spiritans as well as their formation process, and pastoral and ongoing personal formation, necessitated culturally and theologically, the questions of a sui generis cultural identity and a sustainable spirituality. Prior to this encounter, both cultural societies have their identifying cultural characteristics and spirituality inherent from their cultural identity. Viewed through the prism of contemporary society, this spirituality inherent from Igbo culture and informed by Roman Catholicism of the "Irish kind" -- rooted in the Augustinian tradition, -- as experienced, is deemed unsustainable. The theological method of pastoral circle rooted in See-Judge-Act and from an involved researcher perspective was utilized in designing the research, as well as analyzing, assessing, reflecting, and formulating adequate pastoral plan that responds to the contextual situation and challenges. The research plan offers among others, three major important theological focal paths to the challenges of sui generis cultural identity and sustainable spirituality: -- Going back to roots and origins, appropriation of the two books of revelations as two sides of the same coin, and a constant renewal for relevance and sustainability. Despite the challenges of this pastoral plan, our origin and spirituality are ours to reclaim and preserve. Albeit, as it is better to light a candle than to curse darkness, the future of hope holds and burns brighter for Igbo Catholicism, Nigerian Spiritans, and pastoral and ongoing personal formation within the Igbo cultural milieu.