By Emmanuel F. Sanosi
For the second time in 30 years, Bamenda Archdiocese hosted the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon Bishops’ Annual Seminar which ran from Sunday, January 2 to Friday, January 8, 2010.
The Holy Father recently declared June 2009 to June 2010 as the Year of Priests and this, definitely, inspired the seminar’s theme, “Priestly Life and Priestly Formation.” It started on Sunday, January 3 with a Holy Mass at the St. Joseph Metropolitan Cathedral, Big Mankon in which 23 bishops took part. The President of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon and Yaounde Archbishop, His Grace Victor Tonye Bakot, was the chief celebrant. The massive participation of Christians in the Mass testified the bishops’ ability to pull crowds wherever they go.
On Monday, January 4, 2010 at 9.00am, Mgr. Bakot officially opened the conference during a ceremony which he presided over with the Archbishop of Bamenda in the presence of North West Governor Abakar Ahamat, the government delegate to the Bamenda City Council, the Mezam SDO and a host of administrative personnel.
In his opening address as host diocese Local Ordinary, Mgr. Cornelius Esua talked on effective and affective Episcopal collegiality. He welcomed the bishops elect of Batouri and Obala Mgr. Faustin Ambassa Ndjodo and Mgr. Sosthene Leopold Bayemi Matjei, who he said, are coming to rejuvenate and re-invigorate the Cameroon episcopate. He also expressed gratitude to retiring bishops for the contributions they had made to the Bishops’ Conference and to the growth of the Church in Cameroon.
Archbishop Esua said in the last 20 years the Bishops of Cameroon have paid particular attention to the formation of Priests especially as the Vatican II Council presented the priest as a ‘necessary and the closest collaborator of the bishop’. This collaboration, he said, led to seminars of a similar nature held in Bertoua in 1993 and Kumbo in 2003. The results of these seminars are contained in a document, “Guide Pour La Vie et Pour le Ministère des Prêtres au Cameroun.” He expressed the wish that the document be reviewed and updated during the seminar.
On his part the President of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon thanked the people of Bamenda for the warm welcome accorded to the bishops. Before declaring the seminar open, he outlined the key areas of the seminar’s main thrust namely: Sacerdotal Spirituality, the New Evangelisation, Priority of Spiritual Life for Priests, Means of Spiritual Life, Permanent Formation of Priests and the Continuity of Formation Work.
Taking the cue North West Governor Abakar Ahamat said it was an honour for North West people to host the cream of the Catholic Church. He said the North West may not have anything material, even though it had, to offer to the bishops but extended the people’s appreciation to the bishops for the work they are doing.
He drew the bishops’ attention to the rapid changes, from demographic through socio-cultural to political and economic, which have taken place in the region since their last meeting in Bamenda 30 years ago. He added these changes also pose challenges to the State and the Church, partners in development and agents in promoting the population’s welfare. While enumerating the ills that have cropped up from these changes, Governor Abakar Ahamat implored the bishops to contribute in finding solutions to these problems as bishops, the governor explained, have a greater task today than before, given their leadership role.
He said the Catholic Church is a force to reckon in matters of nation-building. He cited the lone cardiac centre in Shisong for the entire Central African sub-region and the numerous Catholic schools with excellent academic records, as examples of the Catholic Church’s commitment to nation building. With the opening of a Catholic University in the North West announced, the governor said NW people should consider themselves blessed.
Except for Christian Cardinal Tumi who was absent and who Christians anxiously awaited, work at the annual seminar rolled on to a successful end.
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