November 2021. Archbishop of Bamenda, Andrew Nkea Fuanya has instituted an annual Portsmouth Sunday in Bamenda. You can read his announcement here, see the poster and watch a clip from the cathedral in Bamenda.
Archbishop Andrew also wrote to the people of Portsmouth Diocese for Bamenda Sunday - you can read that letter here.
March 2021. A nursery school which was originally funded by Portsmouth Bamenda Funds is up and running again. Having been brought to ruins in the current conflict, it is now a new ‘state of the art’ growing and oversubscribed school. It has solar lighting, classrooms, a small library and group study areas.
Under the leadership and guidance of a young priest Fr Lesley Fonye (pictured here), these children have been rescued from remote and difficult areas in the Bamenda region. They are supported by a hand full of staff and several volunteers. The plan is to train and support the children towards being self-reliant and income generating, giving them a sense of purpose and opportunities to utilise their skills and talents.
There are now over 200 children enrolled across the nursery and primary levels who are learning farming, handiwork and sports/ games activities whilst also getting to grips with the core components of the school curriculum. By inspiring them to study and make the most of their natural resources, Fr Lesley and his team are bringing new life and hope to these children and to the local area.
Parishioners from two parishes in the Bournemouth Deanery are currently working together (March 2021) on a personal endeavour to fund raise for the resources and equipment for the educational, agricultural and personal needs.
January 2020. Bishop Egan writes letter to Archbishop Andrew Nkea, the archbishop of the Diocese of Bamenda, expressing his Christmas prayers and greetings. In it, Bishop Egan promises him the prayers of everyone in our Diocese of Portsmouth, for his wellbeing and ministry, for the clergy and people of Bamenda, and especially for an end to violence and for a good way forward. Continue reading here
December 2020. Latest AdHoc Committee report on activities for the period June 2019 to November 2020. Read the report here
October 2020. Response letter from the Minister for Africa, James Duddridge MP to Bishop Philip Egan.
Read the letter here
On 21 September, International Day of Peace, women from a wide coalition of churches in Cameroon released a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire after violent conflict in the Anglophone region. Read the article here
September 2020. Sr. Jethrosent photos from Njinikom hospital showing some if the internally displaced mothers who have benefited from the funds raised by the parish of St. Colman`s and St. Paul`s, Portsmouth
May 2020. See the latest video bringing thanks from women provided with maternity care and telling how they are trying to support themselves. This forms part of the feedback from the Ad Hoc Commission (a collaboration between the departments of Health, Social Welfare and Justice & Peace which was brought together to respond to the needs of the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in the crisis) on the use of some Bamenda Funds generously provided from Guernsey.April 2020. A big thank you from the Ad Hoc Commission team and those affected by the crisis. Click on this link to see how your generosity has been helping to provide the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) with food and non food items.
April 2020 - Bamenda's new archbishop sends a message of peace in his first Easter message Read here
September 2019 - Pre-Consultation for the National Dialogue 2019: The Bishops of the Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference have written an open letter regarding the terms of the talks (link). Emeritus Archbishop Tumi has called for independence to be on the agenda. Separatist leaders in the diaspora have declined to attend unless the talks are held on neutral territory with a foreign mediator since their fellow leaders were arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment. Read here
August 2019 - Cameroon: Eyewitness calls for international pressure to end crisis
July 2019 - Archbishop Cornelius Describes Kidnapping by Separatist Fighters in Cameroon. Archbishop Cornelius Fontem Esua says he was abducted by separatist fighters in a locality called Njinikejem while on a trip to preach peace in regions where a separatist war has raged for the past two years. Read more
June 2019 - A comprehensive report on the Donation from the Diocese of Portsmouth: Following your generous response to our appeals for the work of the Ad Hoc Committee, £20,000 has already been sent. See here for the report on how the initial funds have been spent
March 2019 - Our brothers and sisters in Bamenda Archdiocese are continuing to suffer in the current socio-political crisis. Human rights atrocities are occurring on a daily basis and hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced from their homes. Our friends are asking for:
1) Our prayers;
2) Increased international awareness and political pressure to call for a peaceful resolution to the troubles and
3) Financial help for the work of the Ad Hoc Committee which has been set up to respond to the humanitarian need.
Please see our template letter - could you send it to your local MP to raise awareness? You can look up your local MP from this link
Alternatively see our poster - could you display it somewhere or respond to it yourself?
March 2019 - Archbishop Cornelius and Bishop Bibi write on the sacredness of human life at the beginning of this Lenten season
"When human beings forget about their sacredness and dignity, they consequently often behave as irrational beings and become a prey to one another. This seems to be the case in the situation in which we now find ourselves. Since the beginning of the crisis of the Anglophone Problem …. there has been increasing and rampant profanation and disrespect of human life and the dignity of the human person.... Life seems to be valueless and meaningless. The question on every lip is: what is life?" Click here for the full Pastoral Letter
February 2019 - Bamenda Prison
December 2018 - Catholic Church caught in the crossfire of worsening Anglophone crisis Read more
December 2018 - A letter has been received from Archbishop Cornelius with attachments setting out the work the Church is carrying out during the crisis in the Anglophone region and Bamenda in particular. The Portsmouth and Bamenda Committee is looking at further ways of assisting during these difficult times .In the meantime people may wish to consider making a donation (see donation button ) or gift aiding. Read the letter here
Bamenda Sunday We prayed for Archbishop Cornelius, the clergy and people of our sister Diocese in Cameroon, the Archdiocese of Bamenda. We also had a second collection, for all the projects and support our Diocese wishes to give to the Church in Bamenda. Bishop Philip said the 10 am Mass in the Cathedral and blessed a commemorative plaque to mark Archbishop Cornelius’s 35th anniversary of ordination as a bishop.Read more
November 2018 - A message from Bishop Michael from Bamenda to Portsmouth Diocese on Bamenda Sunday
Bishop Philip Egan visit to Kumbo, February 2018
"Before he became the Archbishop of Bamenda, Archbishop Cornelius was the Bishop of Kumbo where he worked tirelessly building up the Church in that place and not least renovating the beautiful cathedral in Kumbo. Whilst staying with the Archbishop in Bamenda, I wanted to see Kumbo in part for these reasons but also in order to visit the Stella Matutina sisters who have a community there. It was quite a journey – you can get a sense of it from this brief video, taken from the Archbishop’s jeep! Whilst in Kumbo we also met the Piarist Fathers and we went to a major regional hospital run by the Franciscan sisters, with a recently opened cardiac unit. There were a couple of priests in hospital whom we went to see and pray with. We also went over to the very first church built in that region and to the Minor Seminary, which is full of students. It was a long day, punctuated by a nice lunch in the Bishop’s Residence, but a beautiful journey through the highlands and along the famous Ring Road. Meanwhile, please pray for the mission of the Church in Cameroon at this time, and also for our own Bamenda priests serving here in our Diocese, as well as the mission of the Church here in our very different – and difficult - cultural context."
Bishop Michael Bibi visits the Diocese for Bamenda Sunday, November 2017
Bishop Michael Bibi, Auxiliary Bishop of Bamenda, our Twin Diocese, spent a few days in the Diocese in the run up to Bamenda Sunday, 5th November. Our Diocese has been ‘twinned’ with Bamenda for over forty years.
He first paid a visit to Corpus Christi, Wokingham where he celebrated Mass with Fr David O’Sullivan on both the Feast day of All Saints and on All Souls Day.
Corpus Christi parish have said that it was wonderful to welcome him to their parish and how he enjoyed celebrating the All Saints Mass with the children of St Teresa’s School and meeting them afterwards. Read more about his visit here
- October 2017 - Declaration of the Bishops of BAPEC Read here
- March 2017 - Ordination of Auxiliary Bishop Michael Miabesue of Bamenda Read here
- July 2017 - Father Bonaventure Ndong reflections Read here
- May 2014 - Father James Abseils down the Spinnaker Tower for Project Hope Read here
- July 2013 - The Bamenda – Portsmouth link “The live wire of the Social Welfare/Caritas service of Bamenda” Read here
- November 2008 Pope Benedict XVI to Visit Cameroon in March 2009 Read here
