SERVICES

ARCHDIOCESAN SERVICES

  1. ARCHDIOCESAN SERVICES

 

Since the last Quinquennial Report, we have reorganized a number of services at the level of the Archdiocese, which are the executive arm of the Pastoral Plan. They facilitate the execution of the decisions and policies taken at the level of the Archdiocese and by the Pastoral Commissions. We shall look at these and the various activities that they carry out to sustain the pastoral activities of the Archdiocese.

 

  1. The Archdiocesan Pastoral and Catechetical Centre (Maryvale Institute)

 

Paul VI Memorial Pastoral Centre was established quite some years ago before the period of this Quinquennial Report and it provides accommodation for the clergy, religious and laity for spiritual and pastoral activities. It also renders services to non-Church organizations. From the last Quinquennial Report, we have constructed and consecrated a befitting chapel and a hall for the Centre. The chapel also serves as a Mission Station church of Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Nta’afi.

 

The formation of Parish Catechists in the Archdiocese of Bamenda is being carried out by the Maryvale Institute in Bamenda which is affiliated to the Maryvale Institute, Birmingham, England. This is a long distance learning programme of catechetical and doctrinal formation for both catechists and laity in general.

 

Since the creation of this centre for the training of catechists, over nine hundred catechists (including some from neighbouring Dioceses) have been trained by this Institute over the past 18 years. Their impact in our parishes is great, especially as they are members of the Parish Pastoral Formation Team and help in the formation of Small Christian Communities and Commissions in the Archdiocese. Some of them have volunteered to be full and part time catechists, while others make themselves available to work with the Mobile Catechetical Team.

 

Maryvale Institute offers a two years’ collaborative distance learning course leading to a Certificate/Diploma in Catechesis approved by the Congregation for the Clergy in Rome. For the granting of the Certificates/Diploma, Maryvale Institute, Bamenda is affiliated to Maryvale Institute, Birmingham. The Catechists thus trained are better equipped to spread the faith more effectively; they are able to work with children, young people and adults in families, parishes and schools. Modules treated include: Introduction to Catechesis, Foundations of Faith, Christology, Ecclesiology, Mariology, Catechetical Methodology, Old and New Testaments, Liturgy and Sacraments A and B, Moral Theology and Christian Prayer. Additional to these are workshop exercises on The Four Parts of the Catechism, Salvation History, the Sign of the Cross, Evaluation of Resources and Catechetical Exercises. Locally, we have added Canon Law, Patristics, Homiletics and the Church Fathers, especially during the ongoing formation sessions.

 

It is thanks to the Institute that many of our catechists and Christians have understood their mission in the Church. As the Archdiocese of Bamenda celebrated the Golden Jubilee of its creation in 2020, we remain grateful to the contributions that our catechists have, and are giving as far as the proclamation of the Gospel message is concerned, especially in those areas that priests are not able to visit regularly due to the vastness of some parishes and the difficult nature of the terrain, and worsened by the current socio-political crisis in Anglophone Cameroon. With trained catechists from Maryvale, we are confident that the content of the faith is being transmitted wholly and entirely (CT 30).

 

After the formal training at the Institute, there is an ongoing formation programme to ensure that the Catechists are well entrenched in their Mission Stations and Parishes every year. At the level of parishes, the priests organize regular ongoing formation programmes for the Catechists. There is also the Echoes Programme which is a Parish-based training for handing on the faith that is carried out in parishes and formation houses, and involves more than just the Catechists themselves, as the faithful who are interested and candidates in formation houses are given the opportunity to participate at sessions organized in their Parishes or Mission Stations and Communities. Such sessions usually run for four to five days and, at times, 11 days, and they are heavily attended.

 

In addition to the Echoes Programme, there is the Anchor Programme made up of six sessions which is being introduced this year prepared by the Maryvale Institute in Birmingham, England. This gives a good summary of some aspects of the faith, and helps to compliment the Echoes Programme for those who cannot do the two years certificate/Diploma programme. We are sincerely grateful to the Maryvale Institute, Birmingham for constantly updating its programme in order to make the students aware of new insights in catechesis.

 

It is our hope and wish that, with the formation given at the Maryvale Institute in Bamenda, many catechists, lay leaders and the laity in general will grow in their knowledge of the faith, and this will go a long way to enhance the work of evangelization.

 

  1. The Archdiocesan Education Secretariat

 

The Archdiocesan Education Secretariat, in general, ensures that schools and colleges in the Archdiocese are run smoothly on behalf of the proprietor, who is the Local Ordinary. It does this by ensuring the recruitment and employment of tutors and teachers in the whole Agency for Basic and Secondary Education. It carries out administrative duties and coordinates the work of the Principals of Catholic Colleges and Managers of Catholic Nursery and Primary Schools in the Archdiocese. It has the duty of following up the teachers in Archdiocesan Schools at both the Basic and Secondary levels to ensure that proper and effective teaching goes on. The Secretariat makes a periodic report of its activities twice a year and presents it to the Archdiocesan Education Council, to the National Catholic Education Secretariat (SENECA) and to the Government. Above all, the Catholic Education Secretariat sees to it that the directives of the Ministers of Basic and Secondary Education and those of the Archdiocesan Education Council are implemented in all Catholic Schools.

 

The Agency runs 39 Nursery Schools and 148 Primary Schools. There are 13 Catholic Colleges in the Archdiocese of Bamenda, 5 of which are owned and run by Religious Congregations.

 

An important aspect in the Catholic Education programme in the Archdiocese is the Catholic Education Week – an annual celebration during which we highlight the importance of Catholic Education. It always involves a number of activities to be carried out by the pupils and students in our schools, ranging from debates, symposia, sporting activities, human investments to the closing Mass. It is usually held in November of each academic year. All our primary schools and colleges take active part in celebrating public events such as the 11th February, which is the National Youth Day, 20th May, which is the National Day, Bilingualism Week, and many others.

 

The financial situation of the nursery and primary schools is yet very precarious and difficult, given that the Government subsidy has witnessed a steady decrease, and has become more and more irregular. The financial difficulty of our schools has been worsened by the crisis in the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon. This makes payment of teachers very difficult. The schools usually end in huge deficits. Nevertheless, we keep the Nursery and Primary Schools for the purpose of evangelization. However, some of the colleges are doing fairly well since they run the academic year smoothly and pay the salaries of teachers.

 

Attending to the need of upgrading our school structures to make them more decent, modern, attractive and learning-friendly, a great transformation has been made in most of our schools in the urban areas. Giant and befitting structures have been raised as primary schools in St. John’s Parish, Foncha Street, All Saints Parish, Bayelle and St. Teresa’s Parish, Azire. Renovations have also been made to the existing school structures in the urban areas. The same spirit of improvement and renovation would have been extended to the rural areas, but that is presently impossible because of road inaccessibility brought about the crisis which has greatly affected the Archdiocese.

 

For close to two years (2017 and 2018), schools did not run in the Archdiocese Bamenda as a consequence of the armed conflict in the Northewest and Southwest Regions. However, after several appeals and negotiations, schools gradually took off amidst a tense socio-political climate. At present, however, though still facing security challenges and threats, Catholic schools in the Archdiocese have witnessed an increase in numbers, partly accounted for by the fact that many government schools are not allowed by the separatist fighters to operate.

 

With the ray of light given, and with the need to accommodate the growing number of students who have shown up to our Catholic colleges, four new catholic colleges have been created:

 

  • Joseph’s College, Mankon
  • All Saints Catholic College, Bayelle
  • Andrew’s Technical College, Alakuma
  • Our Lady Queen of Peace College, Akum

 

These colleges, created at the heart of Bamenda town were an attempt to rescue many of the students who escaped from colleges out of Bamenda since 2017 due to persistent kidnappings in these schools by separatist fighters who wanted school boycott as a weapon against the state in the handling of the Anglophone crisis.

 

These Colleges give Catholic education to children in distant and remote areas of the Archdiocese, as well as students from other dioceses of Cameroon in search of quality education. What is more, the schools have created job opportunities for many university graduates who, hitherto, roamed the towns and villages of the Archdiocese.

Below is a picture of the situation of our schools:

 

          Nursery Schools

Academic Year Boys Girls Totals

Pupils

 Male Teachers Female Teachers Totals

Teachers
2014/2015 507 538 1,045 – 46 46
2015/2016 613 585 1,198 – 50 50
2016/2017 612 761 1,373 – 42 42
2017/2018 576 563 1,138 . 50 50
2018/2019 581 595 1,176 – 45 45
2019/2020 – – 1,461 – 53 53
202/2021 798 800 1,598 – – –
2021/2022 1,178 1,145 1,923 – – –

 

 Primary Schools

Academic Year Boys Girls Totals

Pupils

 Male Teachers Female Teachers Totals

Teachers
2014/2015 14,741 14,383 29,124     693
2015/2016 14,155 13,334 27,489     648
2016/2017 12,350 13,329 25,679 279 288 567
2017/2018 13,620 12,932 26,552 – – 648
2018/2019 13,461 12,558 26,055 – – –
2019/2020 – – 25,368 – – 733
2020/2021 13,388 12,792 26,180 – – –
2021/2022 12,648 12,145 24,793 – – –

 

  • Secondary Schools
Academic Year Boys Girls Total Enrolment Decrease Enrolment Increase
2014/2015 1,578 2,332 3,910    
2015/2016 1,676 2,500 4,176   266
2016/2017 2,137 3,024 5,161   985
2017/2018 2,379 3,187 5,566   454
2018/2019 2,633 3,387 6,020   454
2019/2020 – – 6,431   411
2020/2021 3,276 3,864 7,140   709
2021/2022 2,919 3,784 6,703 437  

 

 

  1. The Archdiocesan Social Welfare/Caritas Service

 

The Social Welfare/Caritas Coordination Service of the Archdiocese of Bamenda was created in May 2007 with the appointment of Benedicta Muffuh as the Archdiocesan Coordinator of the Service. The Service was charged with the promotion of the social welfare of the people and the better organization of the Charity of the Local Church of the Archdiocese according the Encyclical Letter, Deus Caritas Est, of Pope Benedict XVI and the other relevant documents of the Magisterium.

 

The Job Description of the Social Welfare/Caritas Service includes mobilizing, animating and sensitizing the grassroots communities to develop in communitarian charity and also encouraging them to engage in income-generating activities that will uplift their standards of living, ensuring the development of the whole person and caring for the wellbeing of the poor and vulnerable.

 

From its creation to date, the coordinator of the service engaged in networking with the National office BASC/Caritas and the CODASC/Caritas of other dioceses. Formation of Social Welfare/Caritas Commissions at Parish, and Mission Station levels which began in 2007/2008 with the sensitisation of 51 priests in the then six deaneries of the Archdiocese has been bearing enormous fruits. Since then, Social Welfare/Caritas Commissions have been formed and trained in 30 parishes and 50 Mission Stations. The Coordinator relates with the following existing Social Welfare services in the Archdiocese run by the Religious:  The Njinikom orphanage, the Bamendankwe Deaf/Dumb School, 3 Treasure Centres, and St. Joseph’s Adult and Children’s Home (SAJOCAH), Bafut. The Service seeks out and organizes meetings with Street Children in the Mankon urban area.

With the socio-political insurgence in Anglophone Cameroon since 2016, and its consequent difficulties, CARITAS has defied all odds to reach out to the suffering masses, assisting them with health care, food, in collaboration with the World Food Programme and other humanitarian agencies. On a monthly basis, the CARITAS reaches out to the various parishes of the Archdiocese to offer this assistance. CARITAS Bamenda has been working relentlessly to coordinate humanitarian activities in favour, especially of those persons and communities affected by the crisis. The body has also been drawing up records of homes destroyed, tracing and reuniting members of families that were displaced by the war, and counselling victims who had lost loved ones or had their homes, crops and property destroyed, providing food and medical care to the needy, besides several related humanitarian activities.

 

Of historical significance with regard to the civil conflict in Cameroon was the participation of CARITAS office in the United Nations’ Security Arria Formula in New York which took place on 13 May 2019. The subject with regard to Cameroon was the volatile and dehumanizing situation of the war in Anglophone Cameroon. Fr. Paul Njokikang, its Director at the time, participated in the session, and, in a moving presentation, recounted the deplorable situation – the killings, the destruction of homes, crops and property of civilians, as well as the precarious situation of the refugees, mincing no words as he named the agents/actors of the violence on the field.

 

As concerns the challenges faced by CARITAS in its operation, we have insecurity, insufficient funds to meet the needs of the thousands of displaced persons, kidnappings and abductions of personnel by the warring factions.

 

  1. The Archdiocesan Justice and Peace Service

 

The Justice and Peace Commission was established in December 2002 in accordance with the provisions slated in the Provincial Pastoral Plan. It was first established as a Commission, and functioned as such for 4 years, and was later reorganized as an Archdiocesan Service in the year 2006 with the technical competence to organize and train justice and peace workers in the field and other groups of persons to assemble and evaluate information and results of research on justice and peace concerning the development of peoples and the violation of human rights.

 

The Apostolic Constitution, Pastor Bonus, of 28th June 1988, in its Articles 142 (1), (2), (3), and, 143, defines the objectives and mandate for the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, which is broken down by the Provincial Pastoral Plan in a simplified manner. According to this Plan, the aim of this service is to help in the building up of a just and peaceful society by promoting all that enhances the dignity of the human person, by combating all that violates the dignity of the human person, by combating and denouncing all that degrades and destroys the human person. Its aim is:

  • To teach and encourage Christians to use Gospel values of justice, fair play, tolerance, and fraternity in all dimensions of their lives.
  • To form consciences of people according to the Social Teaching of the Church.
  • To educate citizens on their rights and privileges as well as their duties and obligations.
  • To identify human rights violations and address them collectively.
  • To mediate and help conflicting parties to take the right course of action.
  • To ensure that justice and peace are reflected in all structures of evangelization.
  • To sensitize members of the Church to be ready and willing to die in defense of the poor and oppressed in cases of grave and blatant injustice.
  • To ensure that Seminaries, Novitiates, Catholic Institutes, Small Christian Communities and Families promote, spread and apply the knowledge of Catholic Social Teaching on justice and peace.
  • To ensure that agents of evangelization should be properly educated on possible Christian responses to unjust socio-economic and political situations that challenge the society.
  • To ensure solidarity action on issues of justice and peace in the form of cooperation and mutual help within the Church and other churches and with people of good will.

The activities of the Service are generally based on Papal and Episcopal Social Teaching of the Church, International, and Regional Instruments (Treaties and Conventions), as well as National and local legislation through trainings, workshops, conferences, debates, symposia, interactive radio programmes, publication of educative material, and research and studies on relevant and important topics and events, all contributing to the development of persons, structures and systems. Activities of this reporting period were classified under 3 thematic areas: the promotion and protection of human rights, peace-building and post-conflict reconstruction, and the promotion of good governance.

 

As a result of the activities carried out over the years, the Service has achieved outstanding successes in various areas: conflicts have generally reduced, and this brings to light its active non-violent strategies in building peace and trust amongst families and communities. Its work to end modern day slavery (Trafficking in Persons) was recognized at international level and the service head earned an award from the United States Department of State as a 2013 Trafficking in Persons Hero.

 

Challenges encountered during this reporting period are related to forming committed Christians in the parishes to work for justice and peace. The upsurge of religious sects is another challenging area where rights of vulnerable people are abused in the name of a certain religious obedience. The Service intends to multiply our efforts in training and building up capacities of Christians and people of good will in the values of justice and peace so that we can collectively build the kingdom of justice and peace.

 

  1. The Archdiocesan Youth Ministry

 

          The Archdiocesan Youth Ministry is coordinated by the Archdiocesan Youth Chaplain. The youth groups are organized in an Archdiocesan Youth Federation whose main aim is to coordinate the activities of young people in the Archdiocese. The Youth Chaplain is assisted by a Youth Formation Team and a Youth Council, Deanery and Parish Youth Chaplains or Advisers. Each Parish is supposed to have a Youth Apostolate Commission, which promotes the participation of the young people in the life of the Church. Each year, they celebrate the World Youth Day, presided over by the Archbishop. This celebration normally takes place on Palm Sunday every year. Before the celebration, the Youths come some days before and have the opportunity to have some educative talks based on the theme of the World Youth Day and the Pope’s Message on that occasion. This normally ends with a Penitential Service through which they have the opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation and a Eucharistic celebration in which more than one thousand youth participate.

 

Every year, they have two Youth Camps: The Junior and Senior Youth Camps. The former has as participants the Altar Servers and Cadets of Mary, while the latter is usually attended by adult youth, mostly in secondary and high schools, or those involved in business or other forms of activities that give them a daily sustenance. These camps are normally very enriching since the participants are given talks that deepen their knowledge of the faith, and which also assist them in their moral upbringing. The numbers of the young people who attend these camps have been on the increase obviously due to the richness of the input given to them. However, a major setback has been the armed crisis in the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon, which deterred and hampered such gatherings, and made worse by the outbreak of the corona virus pandemic in 2020. For this reason, the youth camp did not take place in 2020 given health the restrictions in a bid to contain the virus. However, to the relief of the youths, the camp was organized, and effectively celebrated in 2021.

 

At the level of the parishes and deaneries, the young people are very involved in the life of the Church and present themselves as the “Now of God.” They have their weekly meetings, Parish and Deanery rallies which go a long way to help them in their upbringing in the Catholic Faith. However, there is still a lot to be done to improve the quality of the Youth Ministry at the Archdiocesan level.

 

  1. The Archdiocesan Health Coordination Office

 

This service was created on 31 October, 1999. There is an Archdiocesan Health Coordinator and a Medical Doctor who consults in the outreach health centres. The Archdiocesan Health Centres are directly the responsibility of the Coordination Office and are visited monthly for Doctor’s consultation and more often when deemed necessary. Staff meetings of the Health Coordinating team are held monthly. Supervision of 24 Health Facilities in the Archdiocese is carried out twice yearly. The purpose of supervision to the Health Facilities is to ensure the proper management, organisation and functioning of the facilities to ensure that quality care is given to patients at all times, to ensure that Health Centres have adequate supplies and equipment and are structurally adequate for the services being offered, to see to it that Health Centres have clean water, good environmental sanitation and hygiene, to ensure that Health Centres are adequately staffed in accordance with the needs of the location and target population.

In the Archdiocese of Bamenda, Maternal and Child Health is improved, the incidents of preventable communicable diseases, especially HIV/AIDS and malaria are drastically reduced. Expansion of Health Care facilities in the Archdiocese by building new structures or enlarging present structures according to demand from the local population has taken place within the last nine years. Quality health care is administered to patients both physically and spiritually in all Health facilities of the Archdiocese of Bamenda. The Spiritual welfare of staff and patients is considered a priority for persons in charge of Centres.

 

The Archdiocesan Health Coordination Office carries out the following activities:

  1. Scheduling of meetings with Heads of Health Facilities every 3 months for the implementation of the strategic plan for Health Care in the Archdiocese and the promotion of Primary Health Care, as the desired model of Health.
  2. Organisation of a system for bulk purchasing of drugs storage and distribution of same. Monitoring of usage of essential drugs, and financing of same on a cost recovery basis in the Health institutions in the Archdiocese of Bamenda.
  3. Promotion of Health Committees is encouraged for easy communication between the Health facility and the local population.
  4. The implementation of the Pastoral Plan regarding health in the Archdiocese through the formation of Health Commissions.
  5. Meetings are scheduled twice yearly with 4 Health Coordinators of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda for reporting purposes and improvement of health services in the Province.
  6. Scheduled meetings with Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province Health Assistance (BEPHA) management.
  7. Monthly meetings with the person in charge of Catholic Health Services and Medicines for Humanity support services in the Archdiocese.
  8. Archdiocesan Health Council meets twice yearly.
  9. Administration management seminars are organized on request.
  10. Availing of short courses like obstetric emergencies HIV/AIDS counselling training.
  11. In-service training to update long serving nursing staff.
  12. Archdiocesan Health Education seminars are held quarterly in order to update staff of all health facilities.
  13. HIV/AIDS Education and Counseling training is organised with the relevant teams. The HIV/AIDS Education is given in the form of “Behaviour Change” seminars and is carried out in some Parishes of the Archdiocese. The Lay Counselling Training programme takes place over three days per month for 7 months. The purpose of the training is to train people to accompany people who are HIV+ or are terminally ill from AIDS or any terminal disease.

During the period under review, the following successes have been achieved:

  1. There is a marked improvement in quality health care given to patients in the Archdiocese Health Centres, and this is due to the part-time services of a Medical Doctor on the coordinating team of the Archdiocese.
  2. There is an improvement in Primary Health Education in villages.
  3. There is a marked reduction in instances of HIV infection.
  4. There has been proper follow up of patients of the Corona Virus.
  5. Creation of a Health Facility, Our Lady of Fatima Health Centre at Station, Bamenda.

 

However, we are still faced with the following challenges:

  1. Encouraging nursing staff commitment to patient care and spiritual welfare.
  2. Implementation of Strategic Plan for Health in the Archdiocese of Bamenda.
  3. Establishment of Primary Health Care in all areas where our Health Facilities are situated.

 

We have the following vision for the future:

  1. That our Health Facilities in the Archdiocese be places of physical and spiritual healing for patients.
  2. To employ a surgent for St. Blaise Hospital which is our main Health facility in the Archdiocese.
  3. The addition of modern structures in St. Blaise Hospital.
  4. The construction of a Health Centre In Bayelle Parish.
  5. That the drug supply unit be expanded so that it can efficiently serve the needs of the health facilities in the Archdiocese.

 

  1. The Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province Health Assistance (BEPHA)

 

The Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province Health Assistance (BEPHA) scheme was effectively started in 2007 in order to make health care more accessible and more affordable. It is a mutual health insurance scheme initiated by the Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda as their contribution towards the alleviation of misery in our communities, with specific reference to the domain of health. It is based on the principle of solidarity in order to help the poorer members of the community who cannot afford to pay their health bills or have quality health care because of the worsening financial situation. BEPHA has the following objectives:

  1. To assist people to have access to quality health care.
  2. To encourage people to pre-save for their health and that of their family members and other relations.
  3. To encourage people to seek early medical attention in order to safeguard against aggravated health conditions.
  4. To check inflated health bills and avoid exploitation of patients.
  5. To help relief families from straining financially on health problems and, thus, exhausting the family income meant for feeding, education, etc. on their sick ones.

 

BEPHA is open to all without distinction of race or creed. Ordinary members register in groups of, at least, four people with a registration fee of one thousand (1.000) francs CFA, and each member pays an annual premium of four thousand francs. When a member falls sick, seventy-five per cent (75%) of the hospital bill is paid by BEPHA and the member pays only twenty-five per cent (25%). The person must be treated in a health centre or hospital which has been accredited as a Provider by signing a contract with BEPHA. Attached to the scheme is a Medical Adviser who scrutinizes and approves the bills. The establishment of the scheme has been supported by MISEREOR, the German Bishops’ Conference Commission for the Fight against Hunger and Sickness, which has sponsored our technical advisers.

 

Each Diocese of the Province has a Coordinator, a Manager and a Medical Adviser. At the level of the Province, there is a Coordinator and a Medical Adviser. The Provincial Coordination Office is in Bamenda.

 

In recent years, the aid from MISEREOR has been stopped. Hence, the scheme has to fend for itself, and that is a great difficulty at hand, given that, as it currently stands, the scheme cannot sustain itself.

 

  1. The Archdiocesan Family Life Apostolate

Activities of the Family Life Apostolate in the Archdiocese can be traced back as far as the coming of the faith into this area, considering the efforts of individual Priests encouraging young men and women to get married in Church in order to form Christian Families.

 

Right from 1980, organizations like the CFM (Christian Family Movement), FLACAM (Family Life Association Cameroon) and Marriage Enrichment and Marriage Encounter for the pastoral and spiritual care of Christian families, have been part of the Family Life Apostolate in the Archdiocese of Bamenda. In 1983, the Family Life Association of Cameroon (FLACAM) was constituted to carry out formation in Natural Family Life Planning. This structure worked alongside the CFM (Christian Family Movement), bearing many beautiful fruits. Marriage Enrichment was developed from the curriculum of World Wide Marriage Encounter in an attempt to meet the practical realities of the Christians in the Archdiocese, taking into consideration its cultural background. Since then, family life activities have spread to many parishes in the Archdiocese and beyond. Many couples, Religious and Priests have worked, and continue to work as teachers, animators and promoters of Family Life Ministry.

 

The Archdiocesan Family Life Office is run by a Director couple who promotes and coordinates all the arms of the Family Life Apostolate and has the following responsibilities:

 

  1. Promotion and coordination of the various categories and aspects of the Family Apostolate: The CFM, Marriage Encounter, Marriage Enrichment courses, the Faithful House, New Families of the Focolare, etc.
  2. Promotion of Natural Family Planning, abortion rescue measures, marriage preparation and marital counselling.
  3. Formation of Family Apostolate Commissions according to the Provincial Pastoral Plan at all the levels of the Archdiocese: Small Christian Communities (SCC), Mission Stations, Parishes, Deaneries and Archdiocesan.
  4. Capacity-building: Identifies and proposes training opportunities for staff and leaders at all levels.
  5. Supervision and performance management: Carry out various coaching sessions for staff, and information-sharing with other structures of the family Apostolate and partners.
  6. Guide the various arms in the development and attainment of their performance and their specific group development objectives.

 

Considering the challenges facing the Christian family in the modern world, there is still a lot to be done to get this very important ministry to the Christian family function properly. There is a lot of ignorance about this Apostolate and neglect which does not provide a favourable atmosphere for the implementation of activities of the Family Life at all levels. For some time now, the Family Life office has not been functioning properly because of the lack of a competent and dedicated couple to direct the office. There is urgent need for a competent Director Couple, as well as the necessary financial resources. There is urgent need for massive sensitization of the Christians, Priests and Religious on the importance of the Family and the prioritization and promotion of the family life activities.

 

The Extraordinary Synod on the Family called by Pope Francis in October 2014 gave some insights and directives on how to handle some of the problems facing the Christian family.

 

  1. The Archdiocesan Social Communications Services

 

We live in a world where the media plays a crucial role in the way people think, believe and act. So, in conformity with the relevant directives from the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, the Archdiocese of Bamenda has set up a number of Services for Social Communications. These consist of the Archdiocesan Radio and Television – Radio Evangelium, the Printing Press – ARISE (Archdiocesan Information Service), and the Archdiocesan Book Centre. Social Communications is one of the 18 Commissions of the Pastoral Plan for the work of evangelization.

 

  • The Director of Communications

 

The Director of Communications is responsible for the formation of the Social Communication Commission at all levels of the Archdiocese (Small Christian Community, Mission Station, Parish, Deanery, Archdiocesan). Each of these services has their manager, but all of them fall under the direct supervision of the Director of Communications.

 

The Social Communication Commission in the Archdiocese begins at the level of the Small Christian Community (SCC) right up to the Archdiocesan level where, at each level, those with interest and talent for communications are elected to document, report and give news about their respective communities. The Director of Communications coordinates all these activities. The Director also sees to it that there are regular formation sessions and meetings of these commissions at various levels. There are weekly meetings for the commission at the level of the SCC, Mission Station and Parish since they need to put information together that would be needed by the people when they assemble on Sunday. The Archdiocesan Director, together with some skilled personnel, go round the various Deaneries once a year to give a full formation to the different Parish members of this commission.

 

It is the duty of the Director of Communications to see to it that Catholic News, Morning Devotion and various reports of the Communications Commission are broadcast not only in Radio and TV Evangelium, but in other Radio Stations in the Archdiocese of Bamenda and beyond. She is the official liaison person of the Archdiocese in all matters of communication.

9.2.   Radio and TV Evangelium Bamenda

 

The Radio and Television are important and one of the most popular instruments of communication. In fact, almost every household in Cameroon has a radio and/or TV set. Hence, Radio Evangelium has been a veritable means of transmitting the good news to the Christians of the Archdiocese of Bamenda since 2012 when it went operational, and it is very much appreciated by the population. It continues to cover big and small events, taking the Good News to Parishes, Mission Stations, Small Christian Communities and homes.

 

The station boasts of 46 programs which are rich in content and meet the needs of the listeners. They include spiritual, educative, cultural, health, and call-in, interactive programmes which offer the listeners an opportunity to go beyond listening and become full participants.

 

Owing to the success of Radio Evangelium, the TV department went operational in 2020 and it proved a great help to the Faithful, especially during the outbreak of the corona virus pandemic and its hike in April 2021, proving a hindrance to the celebration of the Holy Week. The TV department continues to be improved upon to meet the standards and quality of a Catholic Television Network.

 

  • The Archdiocesan Information Service (ARISE)

 

This Service consists, mainly, of the Printing Press for the production of the educational, catechetical and liturgical material, as well as other publications for the various institutions and parishes of the Archdiocese. It is a non-profit making enterprise at the service of the Archdiocese of Bamenda. The main aim of ARISE is to make its own contribution in the evangelizing mission through the print media. It assures the printing of the Sunday newsletters, Magazines, books for schools, souvenir cards, invitation cards, hospital cards and books, funeral programmes, wedding programmes, calendarium, posters, calendars, just to name a few. The entire personnel of the press have been formed to discharge their duty in the spirit of the Gospel, through their availability to serve those who come to them. Structural and technical renovations, as well as managerial and personnel changes were recently made to upgrade the services offered by ARISE.

 

  • The Archdiocesan Book Centre (ABC)

 

There is a great need of Christian literature in order to nourish and deepen the faith of the Faithful. In fact, there is a great thirst for the knowledge of God and spiritual nourishment by the young people. Consequently, a good number of them fall victims to sect and secret societies. Some of them get involved in the reading of indecent and pornographic literature. In order to answer this need, on Sunday 13th April, 2008 the Archbishop Emeritus of Bamenda officially inaugurated the Archdiocesan Book Centre (ABC). In a Pastoral Letter, he introduced ABC as an “Apostolate” to bring Christ to others through the written word. It sells a wide variety of Christian Literature, especially those published by the Paulines and other Church items like Sacred Vessels and Vestments. The Book Centre also makes available text books for Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, as well as textbooks needed by the students of the Catholic University of Cameroon (CATUC) – Bamenda.

 

  • The Archdiocesan Biblical Apostolate

 

The Second Vatican Council teaches, in the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum, that “the Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures as she venerated the Body of the Lord, in so far as she never ceases, particularly in the sacred liturgy, to partake of the bread of life and to offer it to the faithful from the one table of the Word of God and the Body of Christ. She has always regarded, and continues to regard the Scriptures, taken together with sacred Tradition, as the supreme rule of her faith” (Dei Verbum, n. 21). Through the Biblical Apostolate, we want to help the Christians to give the divine Scriptures the same veneration that they give to the Body of the Lord and to offer it to them as “the one table of the Word of God and the Body of Christ”. Pope Benedict XVI describes it as “a means of letting the Bible inspire all pastoral work” (Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Verbum Domini, n. 73). In order to give the Sacred Scriptures the importance it deserves, our Provincial Pastoral Plan considers Gospel or Bible Sharing as an essential and integral part of the activities of the Small Christian Communities, and recommends the formation of the Biblical Apostolate Commission at all levels of the Archdiocese: SCC, Mission Station, Parish, Deanery and Archdiocesan.

 

A priest has been appointed as the Archdiocesan Coordinator of the Apostolate. He is responsible for the formation of the Biblical Apostolate Commission at all levels, and organizes formation sessions and seminars at different levels in order to assist the Lay Faithful to know and understand better the Scriptures, and to put it into practice in their everyday life. There is Gospel Sharing or reflection on the Word of God according to the Seven-Step method developed by the Lumko Pastoral Institute every week at the level of the Small Christian Community in order that the Word of God may become the source and inspiration of the life and activity of the Christian community. More recently, the Three-Step method of sharing (Look, Love, Listen) has also been introduced.

 

  • The Archdiocesan Vocations Apostolate

 

In the Archdiocese of Bamenda, the Archdiocesan Youth Chaplain used to be in charge of the Vocations Apostolate, but, since 2006, a priest was appointed to take charge of the Archdiocesan Vocations Apostolate. One of the main duties of this Apostolate is to encourage vocations to the Priestly and the Religious Life. In each of the Parishes, there is a Vocations Group. This group is coordinated by the Archdiocesan Vocations Director and the other members of his team made up of Priests and Religious. The Archdiocesan Chaplain is responsible for the formation of the Vocations Apostolate Commission at all levels of the Archdiocese according to the Provincial Pastoral Plan.

 

Every year, they organize the Archdiocesan Vocations Camp. However, this camp could not be organized in 2019 and 2020 due to the security and health concerns of the Anglophone Crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic. During these camps, young boys and girls are introduced to the work and ministry of Diocesan Priests and of the various Religious Congregations found in and out of the Archdiocese of Bamenda. Most of the vocations that we have in the Archdiocese of Bamenda are the fruit of the organisation of these yearly camps. There has been a steady increase in vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life over the past years thanks to the work done by the Archdiocesan Vocations Director and his team and the various members of different congregations who participate in the camps.

 

  • Archdiocesan Technical Services

 

In the Archdiocese of Bamenda, we have initiated some technical services that are meant to facilitate the work of evangelization and reduce expenditure in the realization of projects. These services include the Archdiocesan Construction Department, the Archdiocesan Catholic Mission Technical/Mechanical Centre, the Archdiocesan Wood/Carpentry Department and the Archdiocesan Bakery. We shall briefly present these services.

 

  • The Archdiocesan Construction Department

This department was established in 2012. The department is made up of a team of the following persons: The Project Director and an architect and others at the discretion of the Local Ordinary. Its function is to oversee and follow up the proper execution of all construction projects of the institutions and Parishes of the Archdiocese. After the presentation and the approval of the projects by the Archbishop, this office begins with the designing of projects, the choice of site of projects, the acquisition of material for projects, and guarantees the general supervision of projects to completion.

With the establishment of this Office, good work is guaranteed in all aspects form choice of site to purchase of material and the completion of the structure at hand. The work of this department has helped a great deal to control wastage and assure quality realization of the projects of the Archdiocese.

  • The Archdiocesan Wood/Carpentry Workshop

The Archdiocesan Wood/Carpentry Workshop is an annex of the Construction Department with which it was established at the same time. It is made up of carpenters working under the supervision of the Manager of this department. Its purpose is to produce good quality furniture for our Parishes, Institutions and Services at a very low cost. Most of our Church benches, School tables and Chairs and other furnishings are acquired thanks to the service of the carpentry workshop.

Because of the number of building projects that are going on, the demand on them is so much that they are unable to do all the furnishings required of them. Thanks be to God that with the creation of St Andrew’s Technical College, this problem is already being solved. St. Andrew’s Technical College has all that it requires to meet up with the demand of furniture in the Archdiocese.

 

 

  • The Archdiocesan Catholic Mission Technical Centre

For an effective evangelization to take place, transportation is one of the basic necessities. Most, if not all our Parishes, institutions and Services in the Archdiocese of Bamenda have cars to facilitate their pastoral ministry. This Centre was established and run by the Mill Hill Brothers as a Diocesan Garage a long time ago for the maintenance of cars and equipment of diocesan institutions and parishes. But it has since developed into a training centre for young mechanics, many of whom, after three years of formation, find a job in town or start their own garages. It is run by a team of technicians in mechanics supervised by a manager and his assistant.

The main purpose of the Catholic Mission Technical Centre (Garage) remains the repair of diocesan vehicles and equipment at an affordable price. It assures the getting of motor spare parts at good prices, and ensures that Archdiocesan cars are repaired properly. This has helped a great deal to sustain the lifespan of most Archdiocesan cars. In collaboration with the Archdiocesan Vehicle Pool, it assists in buying, especially second-hand cars, for Parishes, Institutions and various services.

 

  • The Archdiocesan Bakery

This is not a technical service in the strict sense of the word, but it is meant to facilitate the work of evangelization and reduce expenditure. With the creation of more secondary schools, and the increase in the number of students in the Archdiocese of Bamenda, it became necessary for the Archdiocese to have its own bakery in order to produce good quality bread at reasonable prices for the various colleges. For this reason, the Archdiocesan Bakery was started on the 5th August, 2008 with the main objective to supply bread to our colleges under clean and healthy conditions. This Bakery is run by a manager, assisted by a team of 13 workers.

When the Bakery started, local ovens were being used for production but now they have electric machines that have facilitated their work and enabled them to meet up with the needs and demands of the various Institutions. Some Christians around this vicinity also purchase bread

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