In the wake of an
installation ceremony presided over by the Apostolic Nuncio for Cameroon and Equatorial
Guinea Pierro Piopo, the first Mass of the His Lordship Agapitus E. Nfon,
Bishop of Kumba attracted thousands of Catholic Christians to the Sacred Heart
Cathedral at Fiango in Kumba.
In this historic mass celebrated by the humble
and self effacing prelate, the joy, love and devotion could barely be hidden as
thousands came in from Ndian, Meme and parts of Kupe Manenguba to see their
Bishop for the first time celebrating mass in their Cathedral.
Explaining the importance of
this maiden mass, Robert Mofor, the Parish Council Pastoral Chairman of the
Fiango Cathedral Parish said “today our new Bishop came to celebrate his first
Holy mass and it coincided with the celebration of the feast of the Blessed Virgin
Mary as the Patron Saint of Cameroon. We in Sacred Heart Cathedral used this
opportunity to welcome our new Bishop His Lordship Msgr. Agapitus Nfon during his
celebration of the mass here. Today in Church we thanked God and the parents
who took care of him and we thank all those who took care of him. We equally
thank all the Christians who came to assist him in this Holy Mass.”
The Sacred Heart Cathedral,
Robert Mofor explained was created from the Bazeng Parish on October 27,1936
and October 27 2016 will make it 80 years. During this period he explained,the
Fiango Parish has given birth to many Parishes. “Fiango gave birth to Saint
John Parish Kumba Town in 1963. After that Fiango gave birth to the Nguti
Parish, to Kosala Parish, Ngolo Bolo Parish and the Ntam Parish. Meantime,
these parishes have also given birth to other parishes.”
His Lordship Msgr. Agapitus
Nfon,Bishop of Kumba has twenty parishes including the Francophone Community.
The Francophone Community Robert Mofor
intimated is large enough and has been worshiping every Sunday. The Diocese of
Kumba he further said has a Christian population of 240.000 Catholics.
“We pray that God should
give the Bishop and the Christians, the means to build the Pastoral Center
which is envisaged and is to be built by the Bishop”, he said.
This crowd pulling maiden
mass came in the wake of a heavily attended installation ceremony during which
the keynote address touched many souls that had turned out to grace the
occasion with their presence.
The Bishop thanked all for
their collaboration and support. The creation of the Diocese he said was
announced on the 30th of December 2006 by the Apostolic Nuncio for
Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea at the time. Since then, the other Dioceses
which were ear marked to be created had already been created and only the Kumba
Diocese was lagging behind. The simple explanation to this he said was that God’s
time is the best. Hear him;”finally this is the time for Kumba. There is a
saying that he who laughs last laughs best. You can imagine the joy of our
Grand Mother the Diocese of Buea who had given birth to the then Diocese of
Bamenda, the Diocese of Mamfe and this time after ten years of labour pains the
Diocese of Kumba. Having been released from the pains of labour the joy is now
complete.” The joy he said was expressed by the powerful emotion of singing,
shouting and dancing at the announcement of the creation of the new Diocese of
Kumba and the unforgettable reception that was given to him on his arrival in
Kumba.
He called on everyone to
join him in giving thanks to God. “He has blessed us with a new Diocese and
chosen me unworthy as I am to be the first Bishop of the Diocese of Kumba
pulled out from the valleys and hills of Djottin in the Noni land….I therefore
appeal to the enthusiasm, solidarity, dynamism and the good will of the people
Diocese so that together we can lay a solid foundation for the church.”
The President of the
Cameroon Episcopal Conference His Lordship Arch Bishop Samuel Kleida of the
Douala Arch Diocese on his part said Kumba was the 26th Diocese in
Cameroon making Cameroon the country with the highest number of Dioceses in the
Central African Region. He extended a message of love and gratitude to the Holy
Father Pope Francis II through his personal representative the Apostolic Nuncio
for Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea Pierro Piopo. He said all the Bishops of
Cameroon were prepared to collaborate with the new Diocese and her Bishop.
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| Mass Servants at the head of the procession to the altar during the installation |
The Government Delegate to
the Kumba City Council described the occasion as an unprecedented event in the
history of Kumba. He went ahead to acknowledge the presence of the
representative of the Head of State stating that it was a reflection of the
good relationship that the Church had with the Government. He extended a warm
message from the Kumba people to the pope acknowledging that they were
priviledged to be part of such an occasion with the presence of the apostolic
Nuncio for Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. He explained that Cameroon has
passed through an economic crisis from which it is gradually emerging adding
that the Catholic had contributed enormously towards this emergence. He praised
the Church for its fight against sexual immorality, child abuse and abortion in
Cameroon. He equally thanked the Catholic Church for its efforts towards
re-inserting the under privileged and the marginalized into main stream
society.
The representative of the
Diocese of Buea on his part referred to the Kumba Diocese as one of her new
born babies. Buea he reminded those present was the first Diocese of the
Catholic Church in Cameroon and as such is considered to be the mother of all
the Dioceses in Cameroon. The representative of the Arch Diocese of Bamenda on
his part said the creation of the Diocese of Kumba was an important step in the
history of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda adding that it was the
continuation of the far sighted vision of evangelization conceived by the
founding fathers of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda. He said the Kumba
Diocese brings to 5 the number of Dioceses in the Bamenda Ecclesiastical
Province but the programme he said was not yet complete. He said the Arch Diocese
of Bamenda was losing a Pearle to the Kumba Diocese but described the Bamenda
Arch Diocese as a cheerful loser.
The Apostolic Nuncio for
Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea Pierro Piopo said it was a moment to give
continuous thanks to God for the creation of this new Diocese which will take
care of over 200.000 Catholic Christians.
Present at this unprecedented
crowd pulling event was the representative of the Head of State, Senator Mbella
Moki Charles, HRH Senator Nfon V.E. Mukete, the Governor of the South West
Region Benard Okalia Bilai, and Governor of the Northwest Region Adolf Lele L’Afrique,
the Vice Chancellor of the University of Buea, the Moderator of the Presbyterian
Church in Cameroon, the Senior Divisional Officers of Meme, Ndian and Kupe
Maneguba, the Government Delegate to the Kumba City Council Victor Ngoh Nkelle ,
the Divisional Officers of Kumba I, II and III and their respective Mayors, Reverend
Fathers and consecrated men and women of God, Traditional rulers of all the
ethnic groups that constitute the Diocese of Kumba, His Royal Highness Senator
Fon Teche of Ngengbowo President of the Northwest Fons and his distinguished
entourage amongst whom were HRH Highness Sehem Mbinglo, the Paramount Fon of
Nso.
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