25 Years as Capuchins

Today there was a Jubilee Mass for two Italian Capuchin friars celebrating 25 years of priesthood, most of it in Cameroon.  Brothers Angelo Pagano and Agostino Colli, OFM Cap. were ordained in Italy in 1988.  The Mass was celebrated by the Cardinal Archbishop Emeritus Christian Wiyghan Tumi and also concelebrating were the Archbishop of Bamenda, the representative for the Bishop of Kumbo, and 36 other priests.  On a Friday morning, the parish church was completely full including the altar and the balcony, and the Mass and ceremonies lasted over 3 hours and included the usual processions and speeches.  Of course, feasting followed.  While here in Cameroon, Frs. Angelo and Agostino have developed the Capuchins in Cameroon (there are now 57 Capuchins of whom 48 are Cameroonian).  These Capuchins serve the local parish, Sacred Heart, support the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis who run the hospital and cardiac center, support the chaplaincy of the hospital, built a school (see below) and several other apostolates, and I am sure perform many other ministries that go unsung.  They sponsor several patients per year for cardiac surgery and interventional care and for this we are specifically grateful.

St. Anthony of Padua School

There are many schools in the Kumbo area.  However, schools in Cameroon, including government schools, charge tuition.  Students must also obtain their own supplies and uniforms.  Textbooks are not common in many places and most learning occurs in their absence.  As far as I can tell, science labs are also uncommon.  The Capuchins who serve this area have built a school oriented toward educating poor children.  For those of us who know of Franciscans, it is no surprise that they named it St. Anthony of Padua.

This school has recently made tremendous progress.  I visited in November of 2012 and again in November 2013, and the transformation was impressive.  The land was donated in 1993 by the Fon (traditional ruler of the region).  It originally served as an school for single mothers and then as an elementary school.  As children completed elementary school, the need for affordable secondary education became evident.  In 2010 the school opened as a secondary school in which many children pay reduced fees.  As it is a boarding school, there are students from all over Cameroon and the school now has more than 500 students.