Garoua, 08 September, 2025 / 3:12 PM
Archbishop Faustin Ambassa Ndjodo of the Catholic Archdiocese of Garoua in Cameroon has called upon the people of God under his pastoral care to celebrate the Archdiocese’s planned Platinum Jubilee in gratitude to God, highlighting the innumerable blessings received over the years.
In a Pastoral Letter issued September 6, Archbishop Ndjodo places the 75th anniversary of Garoua Archdiocese “under the sign of thanksgiving,” echoing the question in Psalm 115:12, “How shall I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me?”
“The celebration, on October 4, of the Platinum Jubilee of our Diocese places upon us the duty of highlighting the signs and traces of God’s love for His people in Garoua and its surroundings,” the Cameroonian Catholic Archbishop says.
He adds, “It is truly impossible to enumerate them all. He has planted faith in hearts. He has allowed generations of people to know Him more deeply. His grace has been made accessible in its many forms.”
“The favours, consolations, and blessings received at both individual and communal levels are countless. And many others remain unknown to us,” Archbishop Ndjodo emphasizes.
He goes on to encourage the people of God under his pastoral care to participate in the Jubilee Week, praying for its success and actively engaging in activities that the Pastoral Office have lined up.
“I place the celebration of our Diocese’s Platinum Jubilee under the sign of thanksgiving. Through the different activities planned, we will show our God that His children are attentive to the many signs and expressions of His care,” the Cameroonian member of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM) says.
God, he says, “provides for the needs that accompany His people’s journey toward the horizons indicated by His Spirit” and that “in doing so, each of us is invited to find reasons, at personal and family levels, to express gratitude to God.”
The Catholic Church leader invites “all members of our Diocesan family to mobilize for the successful unfolding of this Jubilee. We must all pray that the Almighty blesses all the initiatives and brings them to completion.”
“We must also take it as our duty to participate physically in the activities of the Jubilee Week, as set by the Pastoral Office. Finally, we prepare to live, in communion with our guests, the Jubilee Mass and the consecration of our cathedral church,” he adds.
To further mark the occasion, a Mass of Thanksgiving is to be celebrated on October 19, during which the new Pastoral Year is to be launched under a theme drawn from Psalm 117:29, “Give thanks to the Lord: He is good.”
“In a family spirit, we turn to our Mother, the Virgin Mary. The Holy Spirit, who overshadowed her, inspired her with words to sing of the wonders God had done for her. May He inspire us with the words, gestures, and attitudes through which the Lord will perceive our inner dispositions,” Archbishop Ndjodo says.
He implores, “May God purify our hearts so that our joy of having become children of God in Jesus Christ may be fully manifested.”
The Archdiocese of Garoua was established as the Apostolic Prefecture of Garoua before it was elevated to a Diocese on 14 September 1955. In March 1982, St. Pope John Paul II elevated it to an Archdiocese, with three Suffragan Dioceses of Maroua–Mokolo, Ngaoundéré, and Yagoua.
The Catholic Metropolitan See that measures 65,234 square kilometers has an estimated Catholic population of 201,828, according to 2023 statistics.
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