Fr.  Albert Nolan, OP

1934-2022

Fr. Albert Nolan OP. has served as the chaplain of the National Catholic Students Federation of South Africa, and he is dearly remembered for his reflective accompaniment to the students during the Apartheid movement. Nolan was a strong proponent of liberation Theology in Africa through his fundamental writings such as “Jesus before Christianity”; “God is speaking to us in a new way today. God is speaking to us in the events and prob­lems of our time. Jesus can help us to understand the voice of Truth but, in the last analysis, it is we who must decide and act.” 

In 1983, he was elected Master of the Order of Preachers. He however declined the office which would have meant transferring to his order’s Rome headquarters, preferring to remain in South Africa during this decade of intense political and social transition. During this period, he worked for the Institute for Contextual Theology and was involved in the circle of pastors and theologians who started the process that led to the Kairos Document in 1985.

Nolan died in his sleep at Marian House in Johannesburg, in the early hours of 17 October 2022.

May we be inspired to live his legacy and to preach his liberating message today!

May his soul rest in peace!

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