Angolan Bishop Who Ordained Over 300 Priests, Founded Association for Catholic Women Dies

Having ordained well over 300 priests since his episcopal ordination, the late Bishop Oscar is remembered for ordaining the highest number of Priests in the Conference of Bishop of Angola and Sao Tome (CEAST), some of whom are Bishops.

Among those he ordained as Priests are the Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Menongue, Mario Lukunde, Bishop Jose Nambo of the Diocese of Kwito-Bie and Bishop Emilio Sumbelelo of Viana diocese. 

The members of CEAST have recalled the late Bishop Oscar as one who was known and loved by many and express confidence that God will receive him in His kingdom.

“Now you leave this world to return to the Father who awaits you with open arms, to reward you and give you the prize prepared: eternal life,” the members of CEAST say in a message by Archbishop Filomeno do Nascimento Vieira Dias of Luanda who is the President of CEAST.

He adds on behalf of the members of CEAST, “May our prayers help you, as a pilgrim to the Father's House, to cross serenely this bridge that is death! Amen.”

The late Bishop Oscar is also remembered for establishing the Promotion of Angolan Women of the Catholic Church (PROMAICA), an organization he founded to solve problems associated with families in the Benguelan society. 

“At that time, Benguela was experiencing some problems that could jeopardize social coexistence, such as juvenile delinquency, the plight of children to the streets and consequent abandonment of others, so we thought that families were weak in what was their social function,” Bishop Oscar said in a previous interview with Opais.  

Following his death, the Clergy and other officials in Angola have paid him glowing tributes, mourning a servant of God they had known and interacted with for years.

“I met Bishop Oscar then priest, in 1971, when he was placed in the catholic mission as the brother responsible for carpentry, metalwork and a little bit of typography workshops; we were friends and we worked together,” recalls Archbishop Benedicto Roberto of Malanje, the birthplace of the late Bishop Oscar.

“It is a very big loss for me and for everyone,” the 73-year-old Archbishop who is a member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans) says.

On his part, the Bishop of Benguela, António Francisco Jaca implores, “May the Risen Lord, the one who conquered death, receive him into heaven, together with the Mother of Jesus to whom he was deeply devoted and St. Martin de Lima to whom he dedicated our Diocese as Second Patron.”

“In this moment of mourning and pain, united and full of hope, confident in the eternal goodness of God our Creator, I ask the whole diocesan community, men and women of goodwill, for prayers of gratitude for the gift of his life, service and dedication to the Church,” adds Bishop António who is a member of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) Missionaries.

In his message of condolences, Angola’s President João Lourenço described the late Bishop Oscar as “a man of integrity and a convinced patriot.”

“It was with deep consternation that I received the sad news of the death of Dom Óscar Braga, Bishop emeritus of the diocese of Benguela, a city where for 45 years he exercised his worthy religious action,”  President Lourenço said in his condolence message dated May 27.

“A man of integrity and a convinced patriot, we have fond memories of the years we worked and lived in Benguela between 1986 and 1989,” the President further said in recollection, adding that the late Bishop “stimulated many religious vocations among the youth and transmitted the noblest values ​​of Angolan society, of love for neighbor, appreciation of the family and the defense of the most vulnerable, the child and the woman.” 

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The late Prelate is also known to have revived the Scouts Movement in Angola.

The provincial governor of Benguela, Rui Falcão who eulogized the late Prelate as a man of faith also recalled the late Bishop’s role in the Scout’s movement.

“I was the national head of the Boy Scouts for many years and he was my principal advisor. Besides everything, he was our Bishop, our reference, so it's a tremendous pain,” the Governor has been quoted as saying. 

At the celebration of Bishop Oscar’s golden jubilee celebration in 2014, Pope Francis described him as “a man of God who has always known how to work in ministry of faith,” Agensia Angola Press reported. 

In the message read by the then Nuncio in Angola, Tanzanian-born Archbishop Novatus Rugambwa, the Pope also expressed gratitude to the late Prelate who performed his “Episcopal duties with determination and zeal.”

The remains of the late Bishop Oscar will be temporarily interred in the cemetery of Camunda in Benguela on Saturday, May 30 and transferred to Our Lady of Fatima Cathedral of Benguela at a later date.