Bishop in Cameroon Recognizes People’s “strong faith, sacrifices” at Diocesan Anniversary

Speaking about the Platinum Jubilee event that brought together Priests, Religious men and women and the Lay faithful of Cameroon’s oldest Diocese, Bishop Bibi said, “Initially, we had thought of making an elaborate celebration that will involve the whole nation but because of the prevailing coronavirus pandemic, we thought it was not nice to bring everybody on board and that we should leave it at the level of the Diocese.”

The Cameroonian Prelate who doubles as the Auxiliary Bishop of Bamenda Archdiocese further expressed his gratitude to “the Bishops, Priests, religious catechists, early missionaries and lay faithful for the continuous work we have been doing to proclaim the gospel message to God’s people in our diocese and beyond.”

“I pray that our faith should continue to grow and may we all as members of the Church continue to support each other in the mission of the Church assigned to us,” Bishop Bibi said in his homily.

The Diocese of Buea was established as Apostolic Prefecture of Buea and Apostolic Vicariate of Buea in June 1923. It was elevated to a Diocese in April 1950.

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With a 36.6 percent Catholic population, according to 2017 statistics, it measures 2,093 square kilometres.

The Diocese which is part of the Ecclesiastical province of Bamenda, covers the whole of Fako Division in Cameroon’s Southwestern region and counts some 37 parishes with over 90 Priests.

During the December 10 event, Bishop Bibi encouraged the people of God under his pastoral care to follow the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary who is “a model of faith, simplicity, humility, and one who was ready at all times to carry out the will of God.”

“I think if we as Priests, Religious and Christians today follow her example, the Church is going to continue to spread through other areas of our diocese,” the Bishop added.

He implored, “May our faith continue to be strengthened as we continue to witness to the gospel message wherever we find ourselves in the Diocese and beyond.”

On his part, the President of the Laity Council in Buea Diocese, Vefonge Ndumbe James said, “The founding Fathers of the Diocese planted something, which was very solid not on sinking sand that is why the Diocese of Buea has survived till this day and it is growing from strength to strength.” 

He continued, “The laity form the pillar of the Church. When it comes to contributions to the Church, the lay faithful have always heartily supported the Church.”

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“We should not relent in our efforts to contribute to the building of the Church. If the founding fathers worked hard to ensure we have a vibrant Church, there is no reason for us to fail,” Mr. Verfongeh said.

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.