Ireneaus Chia Chongwain
The entire community of the Catholic University of Central Africa gathered in the chapel of its Nkolbisson Campus Wednesday November 22, to take part in a Mass that was said for the repose of the soul of Father Patrick Adeso, who was found dead in his room on campus on July 29, 2006.
The Mass also provided an occasion for the authorities of UCAC to throw more light on the circumstances surrounding the tragic and premature dead of Father Adeso, lecturer of the Holy Scriptures in the Faculty of Theology and the National Chaplain of the Charismatic Movement.
During the Mass, Father Antoine Essomba Fouda, Dean of the Faculty of Theology outlined the dual context in which the Mass had been organised. He said Father Adeso died when the staff and students of UCAC were on holiday.
Consequently, many did not have the opportunity to take part in most of the church services that had been organised following the sudden death of Father Adeso. Besides, November, he said, is a time set aside by Catholic Christians to pray for the peaceful repose of the souls of the faithful departed and it was but appropriate that the university community should fit itself into this universal timeframe and pray for one of theirs whose memory, he stressed, is still fresh in their memories.
In his homily Father Antoine Essomba said Father Adeso died of a heart attack- a death which, in his words, "plunged us all in deep sorrow." He described the death of Father Adeso as a fatality to the Catholic University family, adding that news of the incident shocked them all, leaving most with the eerie feeling that the "world had suddenly fallen apart in one piece."
Drawing inspiration from the readings of the day supported with edifying contextual biblical quotes, he entreated the university community to use Father Adeso's death to re-examine their relationship with God and to incessantly keep watch for no one knows neither the day, nor the time when the Lord will come.
He said while the university community was sad as a result of the death, it was convinced that Father Adeso was enjoying the heavenly companion of his Creator as he lived a God-centred life when he was alive through the daily adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the recitation of the rosary, the organisation of retreats, the celebration of the Eucharist and the sacraments of penitence and reconciliation.
Father Jean Bertrand Salla, the rector's representative, used the occasion to reconstruct the events surrounding the death of Father Adeso. According to him, when the academic year of the university ended on June 30 2006, Father Adeso was away in Mamfe and Bafang where, for two weeks, he organised retreats for priests of that diocese and the charismatic groups of Bafang.
According to reports given by the guards of UCAC, Father Adeso returned to the Nkolbisson Campus on Sunday, July 23, 2006 at about 9.00pm. They easily recall the time because he stopped at the gate to inquire if he had any mail or any information that had been left for him. He parked his car near his residence, went to the chapel where he prayed before returning home to sleep.
That was the last time the guards saw him alive. His body was found on Saturday, July 29, after one of the guards on duty, Bella Yves, while on a routine inspection tour, was attracted by the stench coming from the block in which Father Adeso lived and also by a horde of flies clustered around the window.
The guard informed the chief of post who immediately informed the rector's representative, Father Jean Bertrand Salla. UCAC Rector, Father Christian Mofor, was absent having left the country that same morning for a Bangkok, Thailand.
As a result of the intensity of the stench emanating from the block, the rector's representative in turn informed the Secretary General of UCAC. They decided to alert the Police and the Gendarmerie of Nkolbisson.
Upon their arrival, the window panes of Father Adeso's room were opened and it was then that the macabre scene was discovered- the mortal remains of Father Adeso sprawled on the floor of his room. The Gendarmerie then decided that the door of the room be forced open to permit a doctor to carry out certain observations before the fire fighting brigade could remove the body.
According to Father Jean Bertrand, they proceeded to inform the university authorities of the death. He added that since the Grand Chancellor of UCAC was not in Douala at the time of the unfortunate incident, they informed the Vicar General of the Douala Archdiocese who assured them he was going to inform the Chancellor immediately.
The Archbishop of Yaounde, he said, was informed through the Vicar General of the Yaounde Archbishop, Mgr. Joseph Befe Ateba. The Archbishop Bishop of Bamenda, Mgr. Cornelius F. Esua, at the time the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Kumbo, was also informed.
Mgr. Esua instructed the Secretary General of the National Episcopal Conference, Mgr. Patrick Lafon to go to the UCAC campus and gather relevant information on the actual situation on the ground.
The rector was informed by electronic mail. It was about 11.00pm, Father Jean Bertrand said, that the body was taken away by the fire fighting brigade in the presence of Mgrs Patrick Lafon and Joseph Befe Ateba to the Yaounde General Hospital where the autopsy was carried out.
Using the unfortunate circumstance under which Father Adeso died, Father Jean Bertrand questioned if it was not time for priests who live on the same campus to share a minimal degree of communal existence.
The testimonies that followed highlighted different aspect of Father Adeso's life but they all converged on the fact that, while he lived, he was an exemplary and God-fearing priest. Professor Nazaire Abeng said Father Adeso had left a message of peace and impartiality to the UCAC community, adding that, "his rigour while carrying out his work and in his church life, made him a moral personality, whose virtues cannot be ignored."
Mrs Adelaide Rose Talom described Father Adeso as a model explaining that, his simplicity was reflected in his professional life and the tact with which he managed human relations.
He did not die of a heart attack, he was killed.
It is a shame when even priests, bishops and the so claimed "holy people" lie so openly. It makes me wonder about the church. Its only a matter of time before the truth is revealed.
Posted by: Mukong Adeso | October 28, 2009 at 11:45 AM