Republic on the western coast of Africa. Founded, 1820, by the American Colonization Society, as a colony for freed slaves, and declared a sovereign state, 1847. Among the early settlers from the United States were some Catholics. In 1842 three missionaries arrived from America, the Very Reverend Edward Barron, Vicar-General of Philadelphia, the Reverend John Kelly, and a lay catechist, Denis Pindar. The country became part of the Vicariate Apostolic of the Two Guineas; and the Congregation of the Holy Ghost and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Company of Mary, and the Priests of the African Missions have sent most of the missionaries. Archdioceses, past and present, include
Dioceses, past and present, include:
See also: