Second Bishop of Cameroon’s Mbalmayo Diocese Remembered as “a great pastor who served the Lord with love”

“We reiterate our immense gratitude to God for having given the Church in Cameroon—and the universal Church—a great pastor,” the Cameroonian Catholic Archbishop said.

He continued, “Called from his earthly life, Bishop Ndzana responded to the Lord and accepted his fate without complaint, devoting himself entirely to God’s service. He leaves behind the testimony of a Priest wholly given to Jesus, with a remarkable record of service to the Church.”

“Within our Episcopal fraternity, he was a committed and available partner, a very humble man, always smiling and approachable,” Archbishop Nkea said.

The Local Ordinary of Bamenda went on to hail the late Bishop’s contributions to NECC meetings, revealing “his great pastoral intelligence and his commitment to the service of the Church.”

“We will miss him dearly. The Diocese of Mbalmayo and the Church of Cameroon have lost a great pastor. His family has lost a loving and devoted father. The nation has lost a worthy son, an ambassador of the Church,” Archbishop Nkea lamented.

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He continued, “Yet, as Christians, we find comfort in knowing that we have gained in him a guardian and intercessor in the house of the Father in Heaven.”

“Let us pray that Bishop Ndzana finds the place prepared for him by Christ, whom he loved and served, in the Father’s house. May God console all the faithful of this Diocese,” Archbishop Nkea said.

Born in July 1939 in Zoatoubsi in the Catholic Diocese of Obala, Bishop Ndzana was ordained a Priest in August 1969. 

He was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Mbalmayo in November 1984 and succeeded the late Bishop Paul Etoga as the Local Ordinary of Mbalmayo in March 1987.

Bishop Ndzana retired in December 2016 at the age of 77.

In his homily during the October 8 Eucharistic celebration, the Local Ordinary of Mbalmayo Diocese paid an emotional and heartfelt tribute to his predecessor. 

Bishop Joseph-Marie Ndi-Okalla recalled that Bishop Ndzana was a “zealous and faithful pastor who sanctified the people of God for over 30 years through the celebration of the sacraments, the preaching of the Word, and the testimony of a life fully given.”

Bishop Ndi-Okala noted that the Paschal mystery must remain at the heart of Christian life, and that true faith is expressed through daily witness to Christ. 

“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. We give thanks to the Lord for the life offered by Bishop Ndzana, a life devoted to the Church, to his family, to formation, and to serving the people of God,” the Cameroonian Catholic Bishop 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.