The Auxiliaries of the Apostolate were founded by Cardinal Mercier in France. They are neither an Institute of Consecrated Life nor a Society of Apostolic Life. These are mostly lay women who want to dedicate themselves to the service of the Particular Church, living their consecration in the world. The call is addressed to an individual lay woman by her Bishop, a call which establishes her in an apostolic vocation. As a lay woman, the Auxiliary shares exactly the same conditions as those among whom she lives, personally assuming her own responsibilities and providing for her own needs like any other lay person. As a consequence of this call, it is necessary that the Auxiliary of the Apostolate surrenders her entire life to God and does not marry; neither is she allowed to have children of her own. Since it is a diocesan vocation, it is normally in the diocese that an auxiliary receives the necessary formation before the call and continues to receive throughout her whole life.
There are three members of the Auxiliaries of the Apostolate living and working in the Archdiocese of Bamenda. They work in the office of the coordination and animation of the Catholic Women Association on the archdiocesan, provincial and national levels, the Education Secretariat, the Archdiocesan Book Centre, the Archbishop’s House, Bamenda and the Archdiocesan Bakery.
English