Retired Auxiliary Bishop of Kinshasa in DR Congo Dies Aged 79, Eulogized as “a humble servant, man of prayer”

Born in April 1946 in Kisantu, the late Bishop Kisonga was ordained a Priest in June 1981. He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Kinshasa Archdiocese in October 1999 and retired in January 2022 after reaching the canonical age of 75.

Following the news of Bishop Kisonga’s demise, Congolese have taken to social media to mourn him and condole with the people of God in Kinshasa Archdiocese.

“The Catholic Church has lost a faithful servant, a witness of the Gospel, a humble man of prayer whose life was given for the people of God,” members of the Xaveri Movement of the Our Lady of Grace Deanery of Kinshasa Archdiocese say in their Facebook post.

They add, “His ministry, marked by gentleness, fidelity, and spiritual depth, will remain forever etched in our memories and in the history of our Church. We commend his soul to the mercy of the Risen Christ.”

On his part, Jean-Jacques de Marie describes the late Catholic Bishop as a “man of faith, wisdom, and service,” adding that he leaves behind “a profound spiritual legacy within the Congolese Catholic Church.”

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“Bishop Kisonga served the Church with dedication, and his departure is a great loss for the Catholic community of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, his loved ones, and all the faithful. May his soul rest in peace,” Parishioners of Mary Help of Christians Parish of Kinshasa Archdiocese say in a Facebook post.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.