NEWS, SERVICES

ECONOMIC AND MATERIAL SITUATION OF THE ARCHDIOCESE

  1. Parish Finances from 2014 to 2021

 

Generally speaking, since the last Quinquennial Report, our financial situation has improved, especially with the increasing creation of awareness in the minds of many Christians to assume their duties and responsibilities in the Church. Following the recommendation of St. John Paul in the Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Ecclesia in Africa, that each Christian community should “be organized so that, as far as possible, it can provide for its own needs” (Ecclesia in Africa, n. 104), there is a drive through the organization of the Small Christian Communities to make our Parishes more and more financially self-reliant. In fact, many more of them have become self-reliant within the last five years or so.

 

One of the means which the Archdiocese embarked on towards making itself financially self-reliant is through the building of the All Saints Business Centre in All Saints Parish, Bayelle. This was a move by which sheds were built and leased out to businessmen, who, in turn, pay rents to the Archdiocese. So far, the Archdiocese has not started reaping the benefits of this endeavour.

 

On the other hand, the expenditures are equally increasing. Therefore, our Archdiocese is far from becoming self-reliant. This is a major obstacle to the work of evangelization. The growing financial crisis, the need to target new areas of primary evangelization, transportation and taking care of pastoral agents in terms of accommodation, health and feeding, the need to build new presbyteries, schools, train catechists, and so on, still remain a major difficulty. The poor population that forms the majority of Christians cannot, in effect, raise enough finances to meet these needs.

YEARS ORDINARY INCOME RUNNING EXPENSES BALANCES SELF-RELIANCE
2014 219,670,630 249,902,841 -30,232,211 88%
2015 229,195,000 226,925,000 2,270,000 101%
2016 275,544,179 309,164,612 -33,620,433 89.01%
2017 281,405,710 255,074,729 26,330,981 110.03%
2018 324,307,686 349,924,068 -25,616,382 96.06%
2019 349,924,068 261,667,480 88,256,588 133.07%
2020 381,575,544 341,190,629 40,384,915 111.08%
2021 401,613,128 376,494,095 25,119,033 106.01%

 

  1. “Opus Securitatis” Micro Finance Scheme

 

Right from the beginning, the Church in this Ecclesiastical Province has been involved as a key partner in the social welfare and poverty alleviation of the people. History has it in record that the first Cooperative Credit Unions in the North West Region were started by the Mill Hill Missionary Priests in Ashing, Boyo Division and in Kekaikelaki in Bui Division in the early 1960s. Consequently, in a circular dated 18th December 2013, we informed the Christian community of the Archdiocese of Bamenda about the decision taken, after consulting the Archdiocesan College of Consultors, to start a Micro Finance scheme called “OPUS SECURITATIS (OPSEC) Community Solidarity”. “Opus Securitatis” means “Work of Security”, understood in our present context as a project or work for the financial security of all our Parishes, Institutions, Services, Christians and people of goodwill. It is a Category 2 Micro-Finance establishment created in accordance with the OHADA Uniform Act of 15 December 2010 bearing on Cooperative societies.

 

“OPSEC Savings and Loans” is a Cooperative Credit Union. Its aim is to encourage parishes, institutions, services and individuals to do fruitful investments, thereby promoting financial self-reliance. Generally, the mission of this credit scheme is to safeguard the little income the members have, and to continuously develop and improve the livelihood of its members, its institutions and services through the provision of proximate and efficient micro-finance and cooperative services.

 

So far, it has strengthened the financial capacity of its members by increasing their access to Micro credit facilities, providing security to all funds entrusted to it through transparent management and accountability, thereby promoting the financial, material and spiritual wellbeing of all members. All the parishes of the Archdiocese have opened accounts in this institution, and most of the financial transactions of our institutions are being handled through this scheme. What is more, some of the projects which the Archdiocese is currently embarking on are being financed by loans from this scheme.

 

  1. Immovable assets and landed property of the Archdiocese
    • Fixed Assets

 

The Archdiocese of Bamenda has the following immovable assets:

 

  • Buildings: Archbishop’s House, St. Clare’s Convent, St. Therese Convent and the Chalet, The Twelve Classrooms Building for the Catholic University, Bamenda.
  • The Buildings and equipment of the St. Blaise Clinic.
  • Office Equipment, the Library
  • The Machines and building of the Archdiocesan Bakery
  • The Machines of the Archdiocesan printing press
  • The Tools, Machines and building of the Archdiocesan Garage and Carpentry Workshop.
  • Stock: This item consists of about 108 items offered for sale at Archbishop’s House, mainly religious books, items of worship, and bookkeeping stationery.

 

  • Landed Property

 

  • Landed Property of all the 52 parishes and quasi parishes, and the institutions which belong to the Archdiocese of Bamenda;
  • Land around the Archbishop’s premises and the land of the Pastoral Centre;

 

  • Projects

 

The following Projects have been executed during the period of this report:

 

  • Archbishop’s House extension
  • Parish Hall at St. John the Baptist Parish, Ntaghem
  • New Primary school building at St. John the Baptist Parish, Ntagehm (storey building)
  • New Primary School building at All Saints Bayelle (Storey Bulding)
  • New Primary School Building at St Theresia’s Parish, Azire (storey building)
  • Construction of a new Primary school at Ngomgham, Sacred Heart Primary School.
  • Construction of a presbytery at Our Lady of Fatima Parish Nta’afi.
  • Renovation of the Catholic Primary school structures and Ngomgham Parish.
  • Additional classrooms and a New Storey building dormitory at Our Lady of Lourdes College, Mankon
  • Extension of the presbytery at St. Theresia’s Parish, Azire
  • New presbytery at All Saints Parish, Bayelle
  • Construction of a new church at Alatening, Akum Parish.
  • St Paul’s College auditorium
  • Renovaiton and extention of the Immaculate Conception Grotto, in the Cathedral
  • Renovation of the Cathedral Hall.
  • Girl’s Dormitory for St. Paul’s College, Nkwen
  • Maternity section and Laundry at St. Blaise Hospital.
  • Chapel and Hall at the Pastoral Center, Bamendankwe.
  • Construction of the St. Andrew’s Technical College
  • Perpetual adoration chapel at Azire Parish.
  • New Church building in Bawock, Bali-Nyonga Parish.
  • New Church Building in Mile 27, Ndop Parish
  • Our Lady of Fatima Health Centre, Nta’afi

 

 

The following Projects are being executed:

  • Joseph’s Primary School Big-Mankon Cathedral
  • Construction of a Home for retired and sick priests.
  • Joseph’s Guest House
  • CATUC main block
  • CATUC Hostels
  • Presbytery at St. Lucy’s Quasi Parish, Ntaturu.
  • Perpetual Adoration Chapel at Ngomgham
  • Presbytery in Akum Parish
  • Parish Hall in Bambili Parish
  • Fence around the Mission in Bali-Nyonga Parish
  • Presbytery in St. Francis of Assisi Quasi Parish Ntsewhi
  • Presbytery at the University Chaplaincy, Mbelem
  • Our Lady of Fatima Shrine, Bamenda
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