Mission Card, Fathers of the Holy Spirit, Africa-Christo, Netherlands, 1946

A Dutch mission card from the Africa-Christo missionary charity, published by the Fathers of the Holy Spirit, dated 1946. The front shows a colour illustration of Saint Anthony of Padua with the Christ Child, printed in Italy by publisher AR, series number Z/116. The reverse contains a prayer for the mission, with the imprimatur of vicar-general F.N.J. Hendrikx at s-Hertogenbosch and the approval of Dr. L. Vogel, provincial superior at Gemert. Light signs of use, otherwise well preserved.

The Fathers of the Holy Spirit, also known as the Spiritans, were one of the most active missionary orders in Africa. The Africa-Christo charity was a collective support structure through which members supported the missionary fathers through donations and prayer. Mission cards like this were printed and distributed in large numbers but have rarely survived due to their everyday character. This example is a modest but concrete document of Dutch missionary culture in the post-war period.