The Sainte Marie de Kimwenza (meaning "Saint Mary of Kimwenza") is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

located in the Mont Ngafula commune of the

Lukunga District Lukunga is an area of the capital city of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, comprising seven of the city-province's twenty-four administrative divisions—the communes of Barumbu, Gombe, Kinshasa, Gombe, Kinshasa (commune), Kinshasa, Kint ...

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the Capital city, capital and Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-grow ...

within the western region of the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

(DRC). Established in 1954, the mission was initially founded by the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

in 1893, and in 1894, the

Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (Congregationis Sororum a Domina Nostra Namurcensi) is a Catholic Church, Catholic Religious institute (Catholic), institute of religious sisters, founded to teaching order, provide education to the poor. The i ...

established a girls' school. The

Faculty of Agronomic and Veterinary Science The Faculty of Agronomic and Veterinary Science (FSAV) at Loyola University of Congo dates back to Agro-Veterinary Higher Institute founded by the Society of Jesus in Kinshasa in 1994. The purpose of its founding was to further ecologically sound ...

has obtained all necessary official authorizations for its operation, including the acquisition of land opposite the church after a long discernment process.

History

In 1893, Father Émile Van Hencxthoven, a Jesuit priest, arrived in the western part of the Kwango Mission by the end of May. He later settled in the school colony of

Kimwenza Kimwenza is a neighborhood in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the Mont Ngafula commune in the south of the capital, Kinshasa. Location Kimwenza is on a plateau above the main city of Kinshasa. It is near to the Petites Chutes de la Lukay ...

, which was then baptized as the "Sainte-Marie colony." Following his settlement, he proposed a stratagem to establish twin missionary outposts along the Kwango Mission's demarcated terrain, seeking to fortify against incursions by

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

missionaries. This proposal materialized with the founding of the Kisantu station in November 1893, a mere four months hence. Kisantu burgeoned into a strategic center for

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

pursuits within the Kwango Mission after the abandonment of Kimwenza in 1896 and its formal closure in 1901 through a concordat with the State. The Jesuit apostolate gained considerable influence from Kisantu, becoming a focal point for their missionary efforts. In 1895, Father Van Hencxthoven introduced the concept of secondary outposts, denominated as "chapel farms," which transformed over time into influential hubs for environmental transformation. In 1954, a cadre of Belgian Jesuit fathers started the construction of the Saint Marie parish in Kimwenza. The construction was completed later that year.

References

{{coord, -4.45576, 15.28715, format=dms, type:landmark_region:DC, display=title Roman Catholic churches in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Mont Ngafula Religious organizations established in 1954 Christian organizations established in 1954 Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Kinshasa Buildings and structures in Kinshasa Buildings and structures completed in 1954