Thérèse Dechade Kapangala: A Martyr for Justice

by Admin · Published July 14, 2023 · Updated July 8, 2023

Thérèse Kapangala, 24, who was slain by police bullets in the DRC as she was tending to a teargassed child.

In the first in a series on the spirituality of Catholic youth in Africa, Colleen Constable recalls the martyrdom of a young woman who wanted to become a nun.

According to the African Youth Survey of 2022, it is estimated that by 2030, 42% of the world’s youth will be African. The survey of young people, aged 15-24 from 15 countries, found that most of the continent’s youth feel that their countries are going in the wrong direction. Only 32% of Africa’s youth interviewed for the survey are positive about the continent’s prospects, while 52% of youth wish to move abroad within the next three years.

The survey also found that young people in Africa are more determined to make the continent a better place. It is estimated that 60% of Africa’s population is younger than 25 years.

A glimpse into the spirituality of Africa’s youth in modern times is provided by the short life of Thérèse Dechade Kapangala. Born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Thérèse died at the age of 24 in 2018, at St Francis de Sales parish in Kinshasa. She is already regarded by many as a martyr for justice and peace.

When Joseph Kabila’s presidency came to an end and he refused to hand over power, Catholic clergy and lay people in Kinshasa were at the forefront of those calling for social justice and democratic governance.

Thérèse, who was training to become a nun, was active in the struggle for justice and peace. On January 21, 2018, she participated in a social justice protest held after Mass at St Francis de Sales, calling for free and fair elections. This peaceful protest was violently dispersed by the police. Thérèse was killed by the bullets from a police machine gun, fired by a cop positioned atop an armoured vehicle.

As the bullets hit, she was wiping the eyes of a little girl who had been affected by the teargas discharged by police. It is said that Thérèse’s body was the shield between the police and the child. Thérèse took the fight for justice, peace and democracy to the streets — and sacrificed her life for it.

Love for neighbour

Thérèse, in her youthfulness, grasped the complexities that accompany democratic governance in Africa and the world. She understood the necessity and importance of integrating her personal devotion to Jesus Christ into the matters that affect society as a whole, and of expressing her love for neighbour. After all, Jesus instructed us to love our neighbour as he has loved us.

Thérèse grew up in a devout Catholic family. Her uncle was Fr Joseph Musubao, who led the peaceful protest action at St Francis de Sales parish. Thérèse was an active member of her parish. She was a member of the choir and of the Legion of Mary. She took care of the maintenance of the grotto and loved to pray the rosary there. She always placed flowers at the statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Thérèse was known for her prayerfulness and her willingness to take care of others. Her siblings affectionately referred to the firstborn in a family of six as “little mother”.

Calls for canonisation

To the Congolese people who knew her, Thérèse was deemed “an angel among her people”. A day after her death, a register was opened and many people expressed their desire to see her canonised, as does her family.

Many people recognised her “everyday holiness” and the context of what her life offered. Frs Musubao and André Bagaza SJ have published a book of prayers and meditations to seek Thérèse’s intercession.

Colleen Constable writes from Gauteng.

Published in the May 2023 issue of The Southern Cross magazine