19/04/2024
*23rd Anniversary of Priestly Ordination of my Classmates*
In April 2021, 11 of my classmates of the 19th batch admitted to St Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary, Bambui received the sacrament of Holy Orders to serve in Bamenda Archdiocese, and the dioceses of Buea, Kumbo and Mamfe. This week marks the 23rd anniversary of their ordination and while it is not a significant number within the symbolic years of jubilee celebrations, it is worth celebrating! While they celebrate this milestone, this year marks 25 years since I left the seminary. 29 students enrolled on that labyrinthine journey to the Catholic priesthood. Fr Boh Aloysius later joined us in Theology One.
One of the peculiarities of this class is the fact that it was the first batch of students who inaugurated what has become known as the propaedeutic year. It is the time spent between high school and the Major seminary. We spent four months at the John Mary Vianney Center hosted “makeshiftedly” albeit at the former Maria Goretti Girls School in Njinikom before being relocated to its current site in Nsoh, Bafut. The seminal post synodal exhortation, “Pastores Dabo Vobis” – I will give you shepherds after my own heart (Jeremiah 3:15) had just been issued and one of the main lines that became the central theme of our formation and these words reverberated throughout our time in Njinikom came from N. 43: “Future priests should therefore cultivate a series of human qualities, not only out of proper and due growth and realization of self, but also with a view to the ministry. These qualities are needed for them to be balanced people, strong and free, capable of bearing the weight of pastoral responsibilities.”
It is just so fitting that with the recent passing of Msgr. Engelbert Kofon under whose inspirational aegis and guidance we spent those early months of formation, these sons review their priestly ministry in that light. I remember when we visited the Major seminary in Bambui and even when we eventually settled in for formation, we were considered to be “too open and too bold.” Formation in freedom and freedom in formation was one of the cornerstones call it pillars of formation Mgr. Kofon groomed us in. It seemed to clash with a certain undercurrent that we later learnt to be dominant in Bambui namely “lying-low or a culture of fear! Formation became a cat and mouse game.”
Good enough, God blessed us with another great Rector in the Major seminary, Mgr. John Ambe had the burden for eight years to lead the formation team. Remember his endearing question: What is your portrait of the priesthood that he reminded us of Ad nauseam?
And so it seems apropos to ask my classmates on their anniversary: How has the priesthood turned out to be? Has is met your expectations or exceeded your expectations?
No better Saint could have been proposed for this batch than the Cure D’Ars, the saintly parish priest from France! Even though France has become anathema given her nefarious roots to the malaise of our nation, it has some exemplary figures. Remember how Fr Patrick Malange used to spice up the seriousness of “Gosh” with his simplicity and practicality! Gentlemen, relax!
On this 23rd anniversary of their priesthood, I can dare ask: Have you been shepherds and even more poignantly have you been shepherds after the heart of Christ?
At this time in ministry, it is important to be reminded of the perennial lessons enunciated middle age crisis by then Rector Mgr. John Ambe during his enthralling Tuesday Rector conferences. For the priesthood and its supposed loneliness, looking back can be very depressing when there seemingly is nothing tangible. For the married man, his children bring him joy and I can attest this having been blessed with three gorgeous kids! While I am on it, one of our classmates left the priesthood and is happily married now and has three kids! Dr Lavngwa too another one of our classmates has a set of twins and is also happily married. Remember John Che, he too is happily married and has three kids. Our class has been very fertile too. But coming back to the point, as you attain middle age in your priesthood, the danger is to look back and see a catalogue of painful experiences. You realize you are always on transfer roster and to very remote and difficult places, you have never “been to” - remember that age old fe**sh of going abroad on further studies or having not attained Division One Status or professional league status within the ministry! That could be debilitating and nerve racking. That’s one matrix and I can swear it is the wrong matrix. It is time to go back to the drawing board. The problem is not with the answer but rather with the question. If the question is, what does a successful priesthood look like, then it is a wrong question? What does a flourishing priesthood look like is the correct frame. You are called to bear fruits and fruits that last. I dare say words like successful, accomplished should be replaced with flourishing and fulfilled.
May I suggest you meditate on the following stanza of the beautiful offertory hymn In Bread We Bring You Lord by Daniel O’Donnell
Take all that daily toil
Plants in our heart's poor soil
Take all we start and spoil
Each hopeful dream
The chances we have missed
The graces we resist
Lord, in Thy Eucharist
Take and redeem
The one painful thing I have taken note of is the seeming lack of solidarity amongst us who spent so much time together preparing for the priesthood! I wonder what communion or more specifically brotherly solidarity exists between “priest -classmates” in Kumbo and Buea? In those days there used to be class meetings and I remember how we converged in Kumbo for a class meeting! Such fun and such joy. Seemingly with years of ministry in different parts, new friends and relationships have been forged and old ones dished for whatever reasons. In the Cain and Abel story of Genesis, we find a parody of human relationships and so there have been Cains that have destroyed the fabrics of relationships. It is time to rekindle those bonds. I entreat each one of us to adopt the mantra: nobody left behind. It is the mantra of the US Military: No soldier left behind. We should not and cannot be in competition with each other! Priestly solidarity should be easier among classmates but it seems this has become a Herculean task.
We have lost two of our classmates namely Fr Polycarp Wormulamifobam Yukeng and Fr Alexander Nougi Sob. I remember a private conversation I had with him while he was visiting the United States and he bemoaned the acrimonious relationship with our own classmates. He had not been ordained for Buea and had sought refuge in Obala where he was later ordained and would later seek incardination in Buea diocese. It was a rough time for him and understandably so too. There is a certain insulation the priesthood gives and if one is not careful the bulwarks we have built in relationships over years of treading together would be eroded by otherwise better newbies! There is some wisdom in not putting new wine in old wineskins. Let us pray for the absent or better still departed brethren! I wonder how many of us even dare visit their families.
And for us the lay folks. Many of us have remained unconnected! Who remembers the great Amungwafor Ferdinand? One of the saddest realities of this class is the stain of our classmate Djick Christian! Is there no balm in Gilead? Look at the great and talented Orlando Ntani who has finally landed in Buea and teaching at the minor seminary! I have enjoyed a great relationship with Fr Boh who joined us in Theology One and has maintained a true fraternal relationship with me. He is not just a classmate but a friend and brother! He is an hour’s drive from me. There should be a class meeting in Minnesota this year where Fr Peter Paul Ibeagha would join us. Imagine that Fr Augustine Foka (the great Kontchou) is here in the US and neither Fr Boh nor myself has been able to connect with him. Paul Bidzela Nsah lives in Maryland but we have met as we bypassed each other to work. I recently met Eugene Nyuysevidzem in the US and am not sure where he is now! And so on this 23rd anniversary of your priesthood let us seek out each other, pray for each other and solidify that solidarity whose flame we have dimmed unwittingly albeit!
Happy Anniversary Fr. Andrew Ngah, Fr Julius Binyuy, Fr. Romanus Kisi, Fr. Augustine Foka, Fr Emmanuel Fale, Fr Peter Kini, Fr Sergius Shiyntum, Fr Emmanuel Mbeh (Diocese of Kumbo), Fr Peter Paul Ibeagha (Mamfe), Fr Giles Ngwa originally for Buea diocese now for Kumba, Fr. Boh Aloysius originally for Buea diocese now for Kumba, Fr. Emmanuel Epie, Fr. Francis Ncham
