Cameroon Jubilee Magazine

1866 2016MillHillMissionaries St Joseph’s Missionary Society | 150 Years of Love and Service

– 150 Years of Love and Service – How it all began – 94 Years in Cameroon

Prayer for Missionary Vocations Almighty God and Father, you once chose the apostles to become the first missionaries, whose mission it was to make your Son, Jesus Christ, and his message of salvation known to distant peoples and nations and to establish your kingdom throughout the world.

At present there are still many people, who do not know Jesus Christ and his message of hope and love.

Therefore, we ask you to choose from among us many Missionaries, who as members of the Mill Hill missionaries are willing to leave their home and country and to offer their entire lives, in order that you and your Son may be known and loved by all peoples, races and nations.

Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

St Joseph, patron of the Mill Hill Missionaries,

After one-hundred and fifty years it is good to stop, look back at everything that has been done and give thanks to God for all the graces he has worked through the Mill Hill Missionaries. This magazine tells of some of the graces God has worked in and through St Joseph’s Missionary Society, from its beginnings in a house in north London to mission on five continents.

Reflecting on one-hundred and fifty years of missionary love and service leaves me with just one response: thank-you God! For us in Cameroon, this celebration is also a chance to remind ourselves that in just six years’ time we will be celebrating the centenary of the arrival of the first Mill Hill Missionaries in Cameroon. As you will see, Cameroon has formed and continues to form a vital part of the story of the Mill Hill Missionaries. When I read through the list of all the Mill Hill Missionaries who have worked in Cameroon since 1922 and saw the list of their works, again my response was simply: thank-you God! Four generations of missionaries have ministered with love and service in this country, keeping alive the vision of Cardinal Vaughan to build up a strong local and self-sustaining Church with its own clergy and hierarchy. Four generations of Mill Hill Missionaries have worked to bring the joy of the gospel to those most in need of it, inspired by our motto: amare et servire. Four generations of missionaries have come to Cameroon and today a fifth generation is preparing to leave Cameroon, to follow in the footsteps of their missionary predecessors and take the good news to the ends of the earth.

Thank-you for celebrating this anniversary with us. Thank-you for your continued prayers and support. All the Mill Hill Missionaries in Cameroon hope and pray that this celebration will ignite a deeper missionary spirit in the heart of us all.

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How it all began A remarkable family and a wonderful mother Cardinal Herbert Vaughan, founder of the Mil Hill Missionaries and the third Archbishop of Westminster, London, was born on 15 April, 1832 and died at St. Joseph’s College, Mill Hill, London, on 19 June 1903.

Cardinal Vaughan came from an exceptionally staunch Catholic family. The Vaughan family had remained steadfast to their Catholic faith throughout the three hundred years’ of relentless persecution

which followed King Henry VIII’s break with Rome and the annihilation of Roman Catholicism in England.

Colonel John Vaughan of Courtfield, Herbert’s father, was of strong religious principles and outlook, he inherited the Vaughans’ ancestral home, situated in Courtfield near the border of England and Wales. At the age of 22 years he married Louisa Eliza Rolls described in 1830 as a beautiful, charming, rich and talented lady. She was the daughter of Mr. John Rolls, 3

Eliza Vaughan, Cardinal Vaughan’s mother.

Colonel John Vaughan, Cardinal Vaughan’s father.

a family of devout evangelicals. She became acquainted with catholic devotion and practice during her studies in France and became a convert to the Catholic faith shortly before her marriage. She was a deeply religious and remarkable woman.

Six years into wedlock, John Vaughan declared that he found everything he ever desired in his wife. Still much later in life, he noted that every single step he took in marriage had been on the road to happiness from the time he met Eliza, his choice. In twenty-three years of marriage she had fourteen children and lost one child after delivery in 1837. Thirteen of the children, eight boys and five girls, survived.

A saintly woman, Eliza’s spiritual and marital life was extraordinary, as she was wholly dedicated to the welfare of her husband and her large family. She was

a fervent devotee to the Holy Eucharist and for twenty years, in addition to daily Mass, spent an hour every evening in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, imploring God to call her children to serve him either in priestly or religious life.

God’s response to her prayers far exceeded her wildest imagination as eventually four of her five daughters entered convents and became religious sisters, and of her eight sons, six became priests, with three of them becoming bishops and the first, Herbert, a cardinal archbishop.

Another exemplary family with a strong Mill Hill connections is Bishop Rogan’s. The Rogans, had five children: four sons and one girl. All the four boys went to Mill Hill and were ordained as priests, with some of them consecrated bishops; the lone girl entered a convent and became a contemplative nun.

The children of Eliza and John Vaughan grew up surrounded by love and laughter and were taught to have a great concern for the poor. Eliza was known for her generous gifts to the needy in the neighbourhood, but also for helping the sick, washing the bedridden, and changing their sheets. In later life her eldest son Herbert Vaughan recalled the profound effect she had on her offspring – and particularly about her example of prayer. He wrote, “For long years before her death, she used to talk to me about prayer and I remember how it was that she was so charmed by what I now know was divine love. I used often to watch her from the gravel walk in the flower garden and marvel to see her so absorbed in prayer.” Sadly, Eliza died young on 24 January 1853 after the birth of her youngest child, John.

It was a year before the ordination of Herbert. Two months after her death his father wrote to Herbert:

Fr Herbert Vaughan, founder of the Mill Hill Missionaries

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Cardinal Wiseman gives Fr Vaughan letters of introduction.

“Today I was watching before the Blessed Sacrament and thanking God that I could offer him the sacrifice of her whom I so devotedly and truly loved. I poured out my heart in gratitude for His having given me Eliza as a model and as a guide – for having linked me to her in a still subsisting spiritual connection, and for having taken her from me that my heart may follow her to Heaven… I see her constantly as I saw her before the Blessed Sacrament. Oh, I thought her exquisite in her pure human loveliness when I watched her beautiful face in prayer.” Eliza was interred in a vault under the chapel at Courtfield.

Two sons of John Francis and Eliza Vaughan, Francis and Reginald, both married and had families and so the Vaughans continued to occupy Courtfield. In 1950, however, the house and about 50 acres of the estate were acquired by the Mill Hill Missionaries. For a number of years Courtfield became the training centre for the Mill Hill Missionary brothers. The brothers built an extension to the property. With the decline in vocations to the brotherhood, Courtfield became a mission animation and retreat centre. For many years hundreds of people enjoyed coming for retreats and conferences, in a place hallowed by the memory of the Vaughans. Meanwhile, however, the Vaughan family still lived and farmed in the vicinity. When, in the 1990s it was no longer possible for the Mill Hill Missionaries to run Courtfield the Vaughan family took possession once more of their ancestral home.

natural leader, with a bold adventurous spirit. He loved the countryside pursuits of hunting, shooting and fishing, and was a fine horseman. He was sent as a boy to a Jesuit College in England and Belgium. His decision at the age of 16 to become a priest was not easily taken and came as a shock to his father who had envisioned a brilliant career for his son. His mother, however, saw this as an answer to her prayers. He thought at first of being a missionary in Wales – to bring back the Welsh people to the Catholic faith. Later, that vision was immeasurably broadened.

In 1851 he went to Rome to begin his studies for the priesthood. A colleague of this time wrote of his admiration for this young man “who renounces prospects as brilliant as almost any man in England can command, to be a priest... [He] seems as happy as the day is long in his studies and devotions.” Two years later, however, he received a great blow on receiving news of the death of his beloved mother. After a spell at home with his grieving father he returned to Rome and was ordained priest in 1854. He had been suffering much ill health, and for this reason was allowed to be ordained at the early age of 22.

It was in Rome that Herbert Vaughan established a long friendship with Henry, later Cardinal, Manning.

The Catholic Hierarchy had been restored in England and Wales in 1850, and Nicholas Wiseman became the first Archbishop of Westminster. Henry Manning was one of many distinguished converts received into the Church in this period; his wife had died, and he was ordained a priest. Wiseman and Manning had developed the idea of founding a missionary community of secular clergy. Manning founded a group of committed priests, the Oblates of St Charles Borromeo, who would be devoted to missionary work within the local Church. Fr Herbert Vaughan joined the Oblates, but was asked to help with the formation of apostolic

Young Fr Herbert Vaughan and the call to mission Herbert was the eldest son of John Francis and Eliza Vaughan. He was expected to inherit Courtfield and carry on the family name and tradition. He was a Cardinal Manning encouraged Fr Vaughan’s plans.

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priests who would be devoted to the work of the conversion of England.

He was made Vice-President of St Edmund’s College, Ware. Typically, Vaughan set about his assignment with great thoroughness. He undertook a tour of the main European seminaries to acquaint himself with the current views concerning the formation of secular clergy. He was particularly impressed with the College of Propaganda in Rome “where men of all classes and nations, languages and climates dwell in one seminary.” This he thought should be the model for the work of formation in St Edmund’s. However, these new-fangled ‘romanizing’ ways were not to the liking of many of the senior clergy, and the Oblates were obliged to withdraw.

Foreign missions About this time Herbert Vaughan grew increasingly interested in foreign missions. He was aware of the vast extent of the British Empire at that time, and of the various Protestant missionary societies involved in evangelising work throughout the Empire. He saw how explorers and traders were risking their lives in the pursuit of wealth and glory and was saddened that Catholics did not seem to show the same kind of zeal for the spread of the Gospel. His wish now was to become himself a missionary and to gather like minded men around him in the work of the foreign missions.

Again he set off to explore models of a missionarysending seminary that could be transplanted to England. Eventually, while on a visit to the Isle of Wight with Cardinal Wiseman, Fr Vaughan raised the matter of the foreign missions. Wiseman then confided that at the outset of his life as a Bishop, he had been counselled by an Italian priest, called Vincent Pallotti.

This saintly priest (since then he has been canonized)

Pope Pius IX blessed Fr Vaughan’s fundraising trip.

told the future Cardinal that he would never know spiritual peace until he had established in England a college for foreign missions.

With this encouragement, Herbert Vaughan went home to Courtfield and for days prayed at the tomb of his mother, asking her guidance as to how he should begin. An answer came to him with the force of revelation. “Begining very humbly and very quietly.” It took two more years of prayer and discernment before Vaughan put before his Oblate superior, Fr Manning, his proposal for a foreign missionary seminary.

Manning agreed, but the other Oblates did not.

A period of ill health then took Vaughan to Spain where he received further advice about his plans from two Jesuits. Both encouraged him in his dreams and he was persuaded to resubmit his plans to Manning.

Eventually Manning agreed. Further advice from Jesuit advisers in London persuaded him to ask Cardinal Wiseman to present his plans for the approval of the English hierarchy.

The young priest addressed a gathering of the Bishops in July 1863: all but one Bishop gave their blessing, though they could offer no material support.

Further support came from the continental Congress of Catholics at Malines (Brussels).

Raising funds

St Vincent Pallotti said that England needed a missionary college.

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Vaughan planned a journey to the Americas to raise funds for the establishment of his missionary college.

Cardinal Wiseman supplied him with letters of introduction to Heads of State and others who might be of assistance in the Americas. In Rome he received the blessing of Pope Pius IX and letters from the Cardinal Prefect of Propaganda to various Church leaders. He set sail from Southampton on 17 December 1863. Cardinal Wiseman, now an invalid, wrote to him, “Did I not feel the sublimity of your cause, I would hardly allow

you to embark on the double ocean of this work and the Atlantic. But I feel an inexpressible confidence that God will prosper this work, such as I have never felt in any other.”

Fr Vaughan travelled through Panama to California, and from there to Ecuador, Peru, and Chile. It was painful for him to be in the position of a beggar, but his vision of the mission ahead emboldened him and overcame his misgivings. Having rounded the Cape he headed for Brazil, and then for home.

Holcombe House in the village of Mill Hill, near London, was located – but the owner was unwilling to sell. The intercession of St Joseph was again invoked.

After several refusals, Fr Vaughan bought a two-foot high statue of St Joseph and wrapped it in brown paper.

He called at the house, and before he could be ejected, he asked if he could leave his parcel and call for it later.

On the last day of a novena to St Joseph, word came that the owner would sell.

St Joseph’s College

The College at Mill Hill, London St Joseph helps to find a home On his return journey across the Atlantic, Herbert Vaughan was planning the next phase of his project; the missionary priests who would be ordained from his college would be secular priests bound together by a common rule, and with a commitment to missionary work beyond Europe. He dreamed of new missions in Asia and Africa; perhaps Rome would assign a mission in Japan? The new missionaries would work under the direction of the local bishop.

Friends at home began searching for a suitable property and Vaughan went to Ireland in search of candidates for the new college. Eventually a property,

On the 5 February 1866 Vaughan published a letter to the Catholics of England entitled ‘A Statement on Behalf of the College for Foreign Missions.’ In this he appealed for young men of any nationality with generous apostolic hearts who would work in overseas mission areas until a good local clergy was established.

Aware of the myriad problems facing the local Church in England at that time (growing immigrant population, most of whom were converging on the big industrial cities and mining areas) he asserted that making sacrifices for the ‘foreign missions’ would nonetheless bring great blessings on the Church at home. On 28 February 1866 he arrived at Mill Hill in a cart with some basic furniture and with him his first student.

Two weeks later the freehold on the property was sold to Vaughan for the sum of £5,000. On 19 March,

St Joseph’s College, Mill Hill, London

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Lady Herbert of Lea: one of the first ‘Friends of Mill Hill’.

Feast of St Joseph, Archbishop Manning declared that St Joseph’s College had now opened. A few months’ later it was reported that there were four students, ‘and more coming.’ A few years later it was clear a bigger property was required, and a new purpose-built college was built in the adjacent field. By now the students were of various nationalities.

Vaughan sought out missionary vocations in Belgium, France, Tyrol, and the Netherlands. On December 27 1869 the first priest was ordained for the new Congregation, Fr Cornelius Dowling from Cork, Ireland.

The first ‘Friends of Mill Hill’

of the merit of the work is yours. For without you, I should humanly speaking have failed in carrying it out.” To this day, she is known as the ‘Mother of the Mill’.

Another convert-supporter was Caroline Mary Hanmer, a friend of Manning, who came to live in a cottage near the entrance to the college where she stayed for 40 years. She founded a group to supply missionaries with the material necessities for their apostolate, and cared for the health of the students.

Both these ladies were buried in the college cemetery, near to where Herbert Vaughan was laid to rest.

In addition to support received from aristocrats and other prominent Catholics were the vast number of ordinary Catholics who were fired with the missionary spirit of Herbert Vaughan, and rallied to the support of the Society. Particularly in the Northwest and Northeast of England, but also in Scotland, Wales, and Ireland – Catholics were recruited to become ‘Zealators’ to pray for the missions, and raise funds through the ‘red boxes’ which were soon found in almost every Catholic home in the country. It was the accumulation of ‘the pennies of the poor’ that raised the ongoing sums to ensure the survival of the college and the young missionary Society. Mill Hill Missionaries still depend upon the contributions of thousands of ordinary Catholics to support its on-going missionary activities.

Mill Hill’s First Missions

From the beginning, lay people were deeply involved Baltimore, USA in supporting the work of the new missionary society. With the ordination of the first members of St Joseph’s The Vaughan family were connected to a network of Missionary Society the big question was, where were old Catholic families who had kept the faith through they to begin their missionary work? Fr Vaughan centuries of persecution. There were also zealous sought an answer from the Cardinal Prefect of Propaconverts: among these was the distinguished Lady Herbert of Lea. Her husband was Minister of War in the Crimean conflict, and she was a close friend of William Gladstone, Florence Nightingale, and Cardinal Manning. With the latter, Lady Herbert was responsible for having Florence Nightingale and her nurses sent to the Crimea to tend the wounded soldiers. From 1866 she supported Vaughan in many charitable and missionary activities. She gave thousands of pounds from her personal fortune to the new missionary society, and encouraged her many influential friends to do likewise.

In 1874, Herbert Vaughan wrote to her: “You know ... the great share The first Mill Hill Missionaries in Baltimore, USA. 8

ganda in Rome who was responsible for all foreign missions. Surprisingly, he was asked to send his men to the USA, to the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Millions of Afro-Americans were being released from slavery.

Among them were many people of African descent who had been exiled from Haiti, and these were predominantly Catholic. The Archbishop had appealed to Rome for missionaries who would dedicate themselves to the Afro-American apostolate.

On 5 December 1871 Vaughan and four young missionaries arrived in Baltimore and began their work in St Francis Xavier Parish. From there they spread out to other parts of the American South. Their work prospered, and eventually led to the formation of a new missionary society devoted exclusively to this apostolate: they became known as the Josephites – and look on Cardinal Herbert Vaughan as their founder.

Not long after his return from the United States Herbert Vaughan was appointed Bishop of Salford, where he ministered for the next twenty years. However, he remained the Superior of the young missionary society.

India In 1875 a group of Mill Hill Missionaries were sent to the Archdiocese of Madras in South India where they were to work among the Telegu-speaking people.

Eventually a new diocese was created in the Telegu area with a MHM as the first Bishop. Thousands of the region’s poorest people were given instruction and baptised. A seminary was opened to prepare the Telegu priests of the future. Projects were undertaken to alleviate poverty and provide education. The work prospered, and today there are now three new dioceses with Telegu bishops and priests.

In the more northern part of India the first MHMs had been sent out as chaplains to the British Army;

Holcombe House, the first Mill Hill College in London.

many of the soldiers were Irish or of Irish descent.

Some were with the army during the invasion of Afghanistan. Later, they were entrusted with the pastoral care of all troops in the Punjab, the North West Frontier regions, and the territory of Kashmir and Kafristan. A school was founded in Kashmir on land granted by the Maharaja, and staffed by MHMs.

Pakistan In 1947, British rule in the Indian subcontinent came to an end with partition and the creation of the new country of Pakistan. Pakistan was a predominantly Muslim country; however, for the work of evangelisation there were new constraints. Missionary outreach was especially through the provision of schools and medical services. In both education and medicine the Presentation Sisters and Sisters of Jesus and Mary were faithful collaborators of the MHMs. Missionaries were involved in reaching the poorest and most abandoned: Fr Frank O’Leary founded the Jospice movement in Rawalpindi to care for the terminally ill, and Fr James van de Klught, a drug rehabilitation Centre in Peshawar. In 1977, MHMs began working among the marginalised tribal peoples of the Province of Sindh. They were involved in channelling aid in various disaster situations, in credit unions, and in schemes to release indentured labourers from conditions of nearslavery.

Indigenous Priests

Fr Thomas Jackson MHM, with soldiers at Kandahar in Afghanistan

A major concern of our missionaries was to establish an indigenous clergy; Cardinal Vaughan had always envisaged his men becoming superfluous as they gave way to local, secular clergy. The Society was involved in the setting up of the regional major seminary in Hyderabad to form future priests to serve in the various dioceses of the State of Andhra Pradesh. This work grew and flourished.

In 1988 a decision was taken to begin for the first time the recruit9

ment of vocations for St Joseph’s Missionary Society among the peoples they had served as missionaries.

This project has borne great fruit – with a large number of Indian Mill Hill Missionaries. Given the difficulty of non-Indians gaining visas to work in India, and the fact that there are huge un-evangelised areas of the country, some of these young Indian MHMs are now working among tribal peoples in their own country – places where they have to learn new languages and cultures. Their work, and that of other Indian MHMs overseas, is supported by a network of lay mission helpers.

Borneo

and one in Brunei; only a handful of MHMs remain and the clergy are now almost exclusively indigenous.

To complement their work, and to maintain the link, young Mill Hill Missionaries are being sent to Malaysia, including some from Cameroon.

Other missions Other missions were among the Maoris of New Zealand, in the Philippines, Chile, Ecuador, Brazil, Australia, and the South Atlantic. Mill Hill in Africa

Mission to Africa

The Borneo mission began in 1881: MHMs were assigned to Sarawak and British North Borneo (today part of the Federation of Malaysia). They also began work in the Sultanate of Brunei. They faced tremen-

In 1895 the first group of MHMs set off for Africa. The White Fathers had arrived in Uganda some years earlier, most of them French-speaking. Protestant missionaries from Britain were also active. It was

Fr A Merkes MHM, one of the first missionaries in India.

Bishop Hanlan MHM, and the first Missionaries in East Africa

dous challenges in the equatorial climate, the dense forests, huge rivers, and the variety of tribal peoples – some of them known as fierce ‘headhunters.’ In the early 20th century there was an influx of Chinese labourers who were brought in to help exploit the many natural resources. The Mill Hill Sisters arrived to assist the MHMs – especially in the work of education and health care.

The Second World War saw the Japanese occupation, the internment of all the British and Dutch missionaries, and the murder of eight Tyrolese MHMs. After independence, the Muslim influence increased especially in the northern part of this mission area – in what is now known as the State of Sabah. This led to the expulsion of most of the missionaries. However, the maturity of the lay-people meant that the local Church grew stronger. Today, there is a vibrant local Church with three dioceses in Sarawak, three in Sabah,

popularly thought that Protestants were ‘the British mission’ (known locally as Bangareza). The Catholics were thought to belong to the French mission (Bafransa.) The MHMs were meant to show that the British could also be Catholics!

They landed in Mombasa on the Kenyan coast, and began their epic journey on foot to Kampala on the shores of Lake Victoria. Among them were their leader, Bishop Hanlon, Fr Thomas Matthews and Fr James Prendergast. Mill Hill had been entrusted with a huge area known as the Upper Nile mission; the eastern part of this territory is today part of Western Kenya. Today there are several dioceses, four in Uganda and eight in Kenya covering this same area.

The mission in Uganda underwent the great upheaval of the Idi Amin years; many missionaries were expelled, but most of our MHMs remained throughout the years of hardship and uncertainty. A

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new mission was undertaken in the far north among the nomadic people of the Kotido region. In 1959 another new mission among nomads was begun among the Maasai of Kenya. Later still MHMs began working in the coastal area of Kenya.

The Congo At the beginning of the 20th century, the Belgian colonial regime in the Congo Free State had acquired a reputation for extreme brutality to the native population. Reports of what was going on were widely circulated by Protestant missionaries. In response, King Leopold II of Belgium initiated some reforms, and also invited the ‘British’ missionaries of Mill Hill to work in his African colony. They were assigned to a remote part of this vast densely-forested country.

Access to the new mission of Basankusu was only possible by river – many days travel up the Congo and then further up a tributary river. Disaster soon overtook the early missionaries – some dying of fever, others from drowning. Nonetheless, new missions were established and schools set up. After independence and the country sank into chaos: some of our missionaries were killed. In the following years the situation has hardly improved, but Mill Hill remains.

Sudan and South Africa Mill Hill began its mission in Sudan in 1938 and remained there during many troubled years including the creation of the World’s newest country: South Sudan. They worked in the diocese of Malakal but were forced to leave in the last few years after the resumption of a brutal civil war. As soon as the situation stabilises, Mill Hill plans to return.

Mill Hill’s newest mission is to South Africa where since the early 1990s a multinational team of MHMs have been working to help the process of peace and reconciliation.

Mission to Cameroon Cameroon had been a German colony a few decades before the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, and German Pallottine missionaries had begun to evangelise. However, at the outbreak of War, the French and the British ousted the Germans, and the missionaries were expelled. Hundreds of African conscripts to the German army were interned on the island of Fernando Po – a Spanish colony off the coast of Cameroon. There many of them became Catholic Christians. After the war, the larger part of the country came under French

Bishop Rogan MHM with Frs Leonard Jackobs MHM and Leo Onderwater MHM at Njinikom after Confirmation in 1932.

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Father Michael Moran MHM

Father Benedict Robinson MHM

Father William Scully MHM

control, and the British obtained control of what became known as West Cameroon or British Cameroon.

At the end of the war the former conscripts returned home and took with them their Christian faith. They were few in number, but the faith that they had received needed to be nurtured, grown and expanded.

This was the situation the first Mill Hill Missionaries found when they arried.

responsibility for that part of Cameroon which had been occupied by the British Government.

In his reply to Cardinal Van Rossum, dated 28 April 1921, the Superior General said, “I have duly received your letter of April 12th, in which your Eminence says that it is the wish of the Sacred Congregation de Propanganda Fide as so many commands requiring only our obedience”.

Father Henry then proceeded to select the members Coming to Cameroon of the pioneer team for the Cameroons Mission, four The initiative to come to Cameroon came from the in number. They were: Holy See. In April 1921, Cardinal Van Rossum, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation De Proganda Fide, Father John William Campling, group leader, addressed a Letter to Father Francis Henry, second Father Benedict Robinson Superior General of Saint Joseph’s Missionary Society Father William Scully of Mill Hill, proposing that Mill Hill assume missionary Father Michael Moran.

On Tuesday, 28 February 1922, a public departure ceremony for these four missionaries was held in Saint Nicholas’s Pro-Cathedral, Liverpool, presided over by Bishop Henry Hanlon MHM. After the bishop’s blessing “then came the actual farewell – the kissing of the feet of the departing missionaries. Standing in a row in the sanctuary, the missionaries were embraced by their fellow priests, by the students and many of the local clergy, and by their relatives and friends… Even strong men found it difficult to restrain their tears, as the farewells went on Catechists Mathias Effiem, Pius Epie, Simon Peter Nguti, Paul Mbiybe Tangwa, Joseph Tako and Ferdinand Ako

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Bishop Peter Rogan MHM, first bishop of Buea

during the singing of the triumphant Departure Hymn and the feelings of all found relief in the singing of “Faith of our Fathers” in which all the pent-up emotions were expressed… on the following day, March 1st, for the Cameroons” (St. Joseph’s Advocate, 1922).

On Sunday morning, 26 March 1922, they landed on the Cameroon shores at Victoria, Limbe, to begin their mission of evangelisation in the British Cameroons.

Upon arriving to their new mission the pioneering Mill Hillers, led by Mgr. John Campling, soon made a long journey on foot to visit the area that had been entrusted to the Society. In some places they met people who had already received some instruction in the faith from the former conscripts.

Having entrusted the evangelisation of this part of the British Cameroons to the Mill Hill Missionaries, Pope Pius XI later confirmed that action with the Bull Hoc apostolice on 12 June 1923, in the second year of his pontificate, with Mgr John Campling as the first Prefect Apostolic.

about Mr. Mathias Effiem: “there is a good native Mathias who, when the Germans left, became Head Catechist and he is worth his weight in gold. He took Catechism and instruction. I should say that it is chiefly due to him and God’s grace that all the Christians have kept so true and staunch to their faith”.

The Mill Hill Missionaries held the early Catechists in very high esteem as can be seen from their maga-

Beginnings Right from the very beginning, the Mill Hill Missionaries laboured in very close collaboration with their powerful co-workers, the Catechists. In his second letter from the Cameroons to the Superior General, dated 19 April 1922, Mgr. Campling had this to say Bishop John Campling, leader of the first MHMs to Cameroon.

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Bishop Jules Peeters MHM, second bishop of Buea.

zine articles about such men as Mathias Effiem and Pius Epie, and worked hand in hand with them. This collaboration between the Mill Hill Missionaries and the local catechists saw the Prefecture Apostolic of Buea steadily advance in growth, becoming an apostolic vicariate in 1939, and a diocese in 1950.

The establishment of Catholic schools was always recognized by the Mill Hill Missionaries was an essen-

tial and indispensable part of their evangelising mission. They personally taught the catechism in schools they also established catechetical training centres where they trained a good number of committed Catechists who worked hand in hand with the Mill Hill Missionaries.

The sitting up of a network of primary and secondary schools and teacher training colleges ranks high among the achievements of the Mill Hill Missionaries in the development of the local church in the now Ecclesiastical Province and of the wider Cameroon.

From the beginning MHMs opened schools, among them Sasse College, which is the first secondary school in the whole country. Mill Hill Sisters followed – becoming involved in education and health care. Mill Hill Brothers helped to build new churches, convents, and schools, and passed on their building and mechanical skills to local people.

Expansion The Prefecture Apostolic of Buea entrusted to the Mill Hill Missionaries 94 years ago by the Holy Father has grown in leaps and bounds and now comprises an ecclesiastical province with five dioceses, with the Diocese of Kumba being the last to be created on 7 May 2016.

Bishop Rogan with some Mill Hill Missionaries and Mill Hill Sisters. The sisters worked in Cameroon until 1964.

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Besides their missionary endeavours in Anglophone Cameroon, Mill Hill Missionaries expanded their missionary outreach to the Francophone Diocese of Ngaoundéré in 1974 where they opened a number of parishes.

The marvellous growth and achievement of the Church in the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda are largely due to the heroic and selfless dedication of Mill Hill Missionaries and of those Institutes of the Consecrated Life that have been working alongside the Mill Hill Missionaries over the years.

The Holy See entrusted the Cameroons Mission the Mill Hill Missionaries under a juridical system which was later organically codified in 1929 based on what was known as the ius commissionis. Under that system, the then Prefecture Apostolic of Buea was entrusted exclusively to Mill Hill Missionaries.

Right from the very beginning, Mill Hill Missionaries directed all their energies resolutely and singlemindedly towards one goal, namely, the growth to maturity and to self-reliance of a local church, with its own diocesan clergy. In the language of the time, Mill Hill wanted to plant the Church so firmly in Cameroon that we would eventually become unnecessary, as it were, and be free to move on to other un evangelical areas which are marginalised and among people of great need.

of 1988 and with the encouragement of Propaganda Fide, the Society took a decision to start recruiting vocations from Africa and Asia where their work of evangelisation had seen the church grow to become vibrant and mature and ready to send missionaries beyond Africa and Asia to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

The new Mill Hill Missionaries of African and Asian origin, following in the footsteps of their predecessors, continue the missionary vision of Cardinal Herbert Vaughan of reaching out to people who are in great need of God’s love and mercy. Today, we thank God that the new venture of recruiting vocations and forming new missionaries have borne fruits.

There are now 15 Cameroonian Mill Hill Missionaries serving in different parts of the world. Many more young men continue to be attracted to the charism of the Mill Hill Missionaries and are undergoing formation at our formation house in Nkwen-Bamenda and outside of Cameroon. The young men in formation, are being formed for mission: bringing the Good news of God’s love and mercy to those who are in greatest need.

Since 1922 when the pioneering Mill Hill Missionaries came to Cameroon to date, four generations of Mill Hill Missionaries have engaged and continue to engage in the work of evangelisation under the motto of amare et servire.

Cameroonian Mill Hill Missionaries

The Future.

With the single intention and focus of working for the growth and maturity of the Local Churches where we were serving in Africa and in Asia, the Mill Hill Society had no intention of recruiting vocations for priests and brothers from the mission territories where the local churches were young and in need of their own diocesan clergy. However, in the Mill Hill Society Chapter

Cardinal Vaughan’s missionary society has changed so much in those 150 years but its dedication to his vision and mission grows every stronger. In 2014, young members from Africa and Asia met in London and prayed at his grave and in the cathedral he built: a sign, if ever one were needed, that new missionaries will continue his vision well into the next 150 years.

The young Mill Hill Missionaries from Africa and Asia with the Superior General in London, 2014.

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94 Years of Love and Service in Cameroon First Generation of MHMs in Cameroon 1922-1935 Mgr John Campling Mgr Peter Rogan Fr Maurice McEvoy Fr Michael Moran Fr William Kelly Fr William Scully

Fr Peter Ham Fr Leonard Jacobs Fr Ivo Stokman Fr Franz Figl Fr Anton Schmid Fr Cornelius Hoevenaars

Fr Leo Barry Fr Benedict Robinson Fr John Scott Fr Francis Altmann Fr Francis Woodman

Second Generation of MHMs in Cameroon 1935-1950 Fr Anthony Bruens Fr Gerard van Roozendaal Fr John Janssen Fr Peter Doeswijk Fr Janus van Dal Fr Arnold Kerkvliet Fr Franz Altmann Fr Anton Akkermans Fr Leo Onderwater Fr Anton van de Vlugt Fr John Ardts Fr Francis McGrath Fr Daniel Spraggon

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Fr Tjeu Nabben, Fr Wijnand Nelissen Fr Michael Murphy Fr John Brekelmans Fr Francis Kelly Fr Michael Begley, Fr Bill Boetzkes Fr Alois Schgรถr Fr Samuel Carney Fr Tom Burke Kennedy Fr Tom Fitzsimons Fr William Doran Fr Jaap Kroon

Fr George Gussenhoven Fr Charles Harrasser Fr Peter Heijmans Fr Ben Kolkman Fr Francis Wagenaar Fr John Preston Fr Lorenz Oberarzbacher Fr Jan Thiellier Fr Joop Jansen Fr Nicholas van Bilderbeek Fr Arthur McCormack Fr Cornelius Bekema Fr Jules Peeters

Third Generation of MHMs to Cameroon 1950-1980 Fr Herman van ‘t Hoff Fr Toon van Amerongen Fr Peter Jacobs Fr Herman Bots, Fr John Altink Fr Joe Bock Fr Herman Wolters Fr Cornelius Broers Fr Peter Glancy Fr Co Hoogenboom Fr Gerard Ballering Fr Noel Cannon Fr John McKeogh Fr Stephen Caulfield Fr Henri Peeters Fr John Goedhart Fr Michael Kelliher Fr Marinus Damen Fr George Gussenhoven Fr Matthew Nabben Fr Otto de Wolf Fr Gerald O’Sullivan Fr Alois Mitterer Fr Lawrence Flinn Fr Cornelius Brohm Fr Theo Beemster Fr Henry Wehkamp Fr John Kolkman Fr Joseph Holzknecht Fr Terry O’Farrell Fr Fons ter Beke Fr Peter Nabben Fr John Molenaar Fr James Boyle Fr Patrick J. Ryan Fr James van Bleisem Fr Sydney Farmer Fr John McCluskey Fr James Nielen Fr George Saraber Fr Francis Monaghan Fr Hans Kronbichler Fr Antony Murphy Fr Felix Gilfedder Fr Henny Slot Fr Theo Geurtsen Fr Harold Pacey Fr Jan Rekelhof Fr Leo van Son

Fr Tjeu Stienen Fr Frans Wagenaar Fr Martin Keizer Fr Giel de Rooy Fr Cornelius Schouten Fr Bernard Stopel Fr Tony L. Janssen Fr Henk Aveskamp Fr John Leijen Fr Cornelius Oprins Fr John Courtney Fr William Zwarthoed Fr Matthew Minto Fr John Ord Fr Sylvester Ponjé Fr Patrick Power Fr Patrick J. Ryan Fr Simon Staats Fr Huub Stockmann Fr James Tol Fr Aloysius Zacher Fr Ignatius Sullivan Fr Maurice McGill Fr Lambert Kiggen Fr Anthony Jansen Fr Henri Peeters Fr Peter Droog Fr James Dolan Fr Willem Zwarthoed Fr Nol Verhoeven Fr Georg Hanser Fr Frans Meulemans Fr Patrick Harrington Fr Willem op de Weegh Fr Walter Stifter Fr Bernard Fox Fr Oswald Holzer Fr Hermann Gufler Fr Patrick Littlewood Fr Gerard Boum Fr John Conroy Fr Thomas Fitzsimmons Fr John Haak Fr Louis van Emmerik Fr Peter Edwards Fr Robert O’Neil Fr Jeremiah Doona Fr Henry Riesthuis Fr Michael McConville

Fr John Brummelhuis Fr Ben Beemster Fr Martin Koopmans Fr Patrick Ryan Fr George Saraber Fr Michael Highland Fr Hans Willeit Fr Martin van der Werff Fr Peter Mair Fr Piet Koster Fr John Kelder Fr Erwin Hain Fr Ben Stukart Fr Tony Amort Fr Alois Mitterer Fr Anthony Morgan Fr John Thompson Fr Nicholas Groot Fr Joseph Boekema Fr Daniel Callinan Fr Harry van Dongen Fr Tom Twomey Fr Tony Turbett Fr Frederick ten Horn Fr Francis McCarthy Fr Henry Olislagers Fr Peter Watson Fr Thomas Mulligan Fr Bernard Stukart Fr Bill Tollan Fr John Wrenn Fr Aloys Reichegger Br Anthony Blom Br Fidelis Rensing Br Jos Trimbach Br Frans te Bulte Br Huub Welters Br Eddy Slawinski Br Engelbert Sorá Br Florian Rizzi Br Anthony Perfler Br Alois Prechtl Br Piet Hosman Br Joseph Priller Br Karl Dallasega Br Toon Blom Br Denis Bakkum Br Theo van der Velden

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Fourth Generation of MHMs to Cameroon 1980Fr Frans Schouten Fr Kevin Hughes Fr Brian Oswald Fr Thomas Sinnott Fr Noel Feeny Fr James Juma Fr Liam Cummins Fr Gerald Doyle Fr Frederick Groot Fr John McAuley

Fr Eugene Pereira Fr Andrew Mukulu Fr Abner Dimo Fr Henry Delfin Fr Richard Njoroge Fr Christopher Hancock Fr Stephen Giles Fr Dominic Nyachoti Br Duncan MacGilvray Fr Noah Monday Mbabazi

Fr Tiberius Vuni Fr Benedict Ohanga Oduor Fr Vijay Kumar Fr Nicholas Abba Fr Stephen Botto Fr Lawrence Otieno Fr John Rose Ciril Fr Norbert Odunga Fr Poulson Pasala

Mill Hill Missionaries in Cameroon in 2016 Fr Richard Njoroge Fr Arnold Verhoeven Fr Henri Peeters Fr Patrick Harrington Fr Hermann Gufler

Br Huub Welters Br Duncan MacGilvray Fr Christopher Hancock Fr Elvis Shudzeka Berka Fr Dominic Nyachoti

Fr Benedict Ohanga Oduor Fr Noah Monday Mbabazi Fr Tiberius Vuni Fr Lawrence Otieno Fr John Rose Ciril

Mill Hill Missionaries Noted for Trekking Mgr. John Campling Bp. Peter Rogan Bp. Jules Peeters Fr Ivo Stokman Fr Anthony van de Vlugt Fr Francis Figl Fr Alois Mitterer Fr Michael Moran Fr Peter Ham Fr William Kelly, Fr William Scully Fr Leonard Jacobs Fr Ben Stopel Fr William op de Weegh Fr John Kolkman (died on trek)

Fr John Rekelhof Fr John Brummelhuis Fr Peter Nabben Fr Janus van Dal Fr John Molenaar Fr John Altink Fr Henry Slot Fr Cornelius Broers Fr Jeremiah Doona Fr Peter Doeswijk Fr Hubert Stockman Fr Bob O’Neil Fr Cornelius Schouten Fr Bill Boetzkes Fr Thomas Burke Kennedy

Fr Arnold Kerkvliet Fr John McKeogh Fr Anthony Jansen Fr William Zwarthoed Fr Lambert Kiggen Fr Joseph Holzknecht Fr Peter Droog Fr Martin Koopmans Fr Cornelius Oprins Fr George Hanser Fr Francis Monaghan Fr Norbert Odunga Fr Vijay Kumar

Mill Hill Missionaries Noted in the Field of Education Fr Arthur McCormack Fr Jan Ardts Fr Gerard Bouma Fr Silvester Ponjé Fr Francis Woodman Fr Nico van Bilderbeek Fr John Courtney Fr George Cunningham Fr Harry van Dongen Fr Peter Koster Mill Hill Sisters Fr Francis McGrath 18

Fr Henk Olislagers Fr John McDermott Fr John Preston Fr Jan Haak Fr Gerard Heins Fr Jaap Tol Fr Matthew Minto Fr Frank McCarthy Fr Simon Staats Fr Marinus Damen Fr Jaap Nielen Fr Jaap van Bleisem

Fr Jan Willem Stumpel Fr Peter Leliveld Fr Thomas Mulligan Fr Bill Tollan Fr Anthony Murphy Fr John McCluskey Fr Maurice McGill Fr Henri Peeters Fr Peter Watson Fr Thomas Twomey Fr Lawrence Flinn

Mill Hill Missionaries Noted for Seminary Formation Fr Aloysius Zacher Fr Maurice McGill Fr John McCluskey

Fr Henri Peeters Fr James Nelien Fr Stephen Botto

Fr Christopher Hancock Fr Richard Njoroge

Mill Hill Missionaries Noted for Finances Fr Anthony Jansen Fr Anthony Barnicle Fr Erwin Hain

Fr Martin van der Werff Fr Hermann Gufler Fr Patrick Harrington

Fr Huub Stockmann,

Mill Hill Missionaries Noted for Technical Works and Training Br Joseph Trimbach Br Francis te Bulte

Br Hans Raffainer Br Eddy Slawinski

Mill Hill Missionaries Noted for Catechetical Initiatives Fr Anton Schmid Fr Toon Bruens

Fr Arie Kerkvliet Fr Jan Kelder

Mill Hill Missionaries Noted for Agricultural Projects Fr Gerard Ballering Fr Nicholas Groot

Fr Fidelis Rensing Fr Martin Koopmans

Fr Harry van Dongen Fr John Kolkman

Mill Hill Missionaries Noted for Building Work Mgr. Jules Peeters Fr Siem Staats Fr Leo van Son Br Theo van der Velde

Fr Nicholas Groot Fr Bert Kiggen, Br Huub Welters Br Francis te Bulte

Fr Francis Meulemans Fr Walter Stifter Fr Hans Willeit Br Anthony Blom

Mill Hill Missionaries Noted for Road Building Fr John Brummelhuis ‘John the Road’ Br Francis te Bulte

Mill Hill Missionaries Noted for Administration Fr Silvester Ponjé Vicar General Buea Diocese Fr Joseph Boekema Vicar General Bamenda Archdiocese Fr Michael de Rooy Vicar General Kumbo Diocese Fr Bernard Stopel Vicar General Kumbo Diocese Fr Peter Watson Vicar General Kumbo Diocese

Fr Arnold Verhoeven Vicar General Mamfe Diocese Fr Frans Meulemans Vicar General Ngaoundéré Diocese Fr Georg Hanser, Mill Hill Society Representative Fr William op de Weegh, Mill Hill Society Representative Fr Bill Tollan, Mill Hill Society Representative

Fr Maurice McGill, Mill Hill Superior General and Society Representative Fr Andrew Mukulu, Mill Hill Society Representative Fr Richard Njoroge, Mill Hill Society Representative Fr Christopher Hancock, Judicial Vicar Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province

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Mill Hill Missionaries Noted for Building, Catechesis and Technical Works Br Jos Trimbach Br Frans te Bulte Br Huub Welters Br Eddy Slawinski Br Engelbert Sorá

Br Florian Rizzi Br Anthony Perfler Br Alois Prechtl Br Piet Hosman Br Joseph Priller

Br Karl Dallasega Br Toon Blom Br Denis Bakkum Br Theo van der Velden Br Duncan MacGilvray

Mill Hill Missionaries Noted for Publications and Photography Fr Ben Stukart

Fr Leo Onderwater

Mill Hill Missionaries from the United Kingdom Fr Anthony Turbett † Fr Arthur McCormack † Fr Benedict Robinson † Fr Bernard Fox Fr Christopher Hancock Fr Daniel Spraggon † Fr Denis Healey † Br Duncan MacGilvray Br Edward Slawinski Fr Felix Gilfedder † Fr Francis McCarthy † Fr Francis McGrath † Fr Francis Monaghan † Fr Francis Woodman † Fr George Cunningham † Fr John Campling † Fr John Conroy Fr John Courtney †

†=deceased 20

Fr John McAuley Fr John McCluskey Fr John McDermott † Fr John Ord † Fr John Preston † Fr John Scott † Fr Michael McConville Fr Patrick McDonald † Fr Harold Pacey † Fr Francis Kelly † Fr William Kelly † Fr John Taylor Fr John Thompson † Fr Joseph Bock † Fr Kevin Hughes Fr Laurence Flinn Fr Leo Barry † Fr Matthew Minto †

Fr Patrick Littlewood(RIP) Fr Patrick Power Fr Peter Edwards † Fr Peter Glancy † Fr Peter Watson Fr Samuel Carney † Fr Stephen Botto Fr Stephen Caulfield † Fr Stephen Giles Fr Sydney Farmar † Br Thomas Cusack † Fr Terence O’Farrell † Fr Thomas Fitzsimons † Fr Thomas Mulligan † Fr William Doran † Fr William Scully † Fr William Tollan

Mill Hill Missionaries from the Tyrol (German Speaking Region) Fr Alois Mitterer Br Alois Prechtl † Fr Aloysius Schgör † Fr Aloysius Zacher † Fr Anthony Amort † Fr Anthony Kneidinger † Br Anthony Perfler Fr Anthony Schmid †

Fr Charles Harrasser † Br Engelbert Sorá † Fr Erwin Hain Br Florian Rizzi † Fr Francis Altmann † Fr Francis Figl † Fr George Hanser Br Hans Raffeiner

Fr Hermann Guffler Fr Johann Kronbichler Fr John Willeit Fr Joseph Holzknecht † Br Karl Dallasega Fr Laurence Oberarzbacher † Fr Peter Mair Fr Walter Stifter

Mill Hill Missionaries from Ireland Fr Anthony Murphy Fr Francis Kelly Fr Gerard O’Sullivan † Fr James Boyle Fr James Dolan † Fr Jeremiah Doona † Fr John McKeogh † Fr John Wrenn †

Fr Maurice McEvoy † Fr Maurice McGill Fr Michael Hyland Fr Michael Kelliher † Fr Michael Moran † Fr Michael Murphy † Fr Noel Cannon † Fr Noel Feeney

Fr Patrick Harrington Fr Patrick J. Ryan Mgr. Peter Rogan † Fr Thomas Burke-Kennedy † Fr Des Ignatius Sullivan † Fr Thomas Sinnott Fr Thomas Twomey † Fr William Kelly †

Mill Hill Missionaries from India Fr Brian Oswald Fr Eugene Pereira

Fr John Rose Ciril Fr Nicholas Abba

Fr Poulson Pasala Fr Vijay Kumar

The new face of Mill Hill Cameroon: members and students

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Mill Hill Missionaries from the Netherlands Fr Anthony Akkermans † Fr Anthony Bruens † Br Anthony Blom † Fr Anthony Jansen † Fr Anthony Louis Jansen Fr Alphonsus ter Beke † Fr Anthony van de Vlugt Fr Arnold Kerkvliet † Fr Arnold Verhoeven Fr Bernard Kolkman † Fr Bernard Stopel † Fr Bernard Beemster Fr Bernard Stukart † Fr Christian van Dal † Fr Cornelius Bekema † Fr Cornelius Broers † Fr Cornelius Brohm † Fr Cornelius Hoevenaars † Fr Cornelius Oprins † Fr Cornelius Schouten † Br Denis Bakkum † Br Engelbert Sinkeldam † Br Fidelis Rensing † Fr Francis Meulemans Fr Francis Schouten Br Francis te Bulte † Fr Francis Wagenaar † Fr Frederick Groot † Fr Frederick ten Horn Fr George Gussenhoven † Fr George Saraber Fr Gerard Ballering † Fr Gerard Bouma † Fr Gerard Heins † Fr Gerard van Roozendaal †

Br Godfried Koppers † Fr Herman Bots † Fr James van Bleisem † Fr John Altink † Fr John Ardts † Fr Henri Peeters Fr Anthony Morgan Fr Henry Aveskamp † Fr Henry Olislagers † Fr Henry Riesthuis Fr Henry Slot Fr Henry van Dongen † Fr Herman van ‘t Hoff † Fr Herman Wolters † Fr Hubert Stockmann Br Huub Welters Fr Ivo Stokman † Fr James Kroon † Fr James Nielen Fr James Tol † Fr John Brekelmans † Fr John Brummelhuis † Fr John Goedhart † Fr John Haak † Fr John Janssen † Fr John Kolkman † Fr John Leijen † Fr John Molenaar Fr John Rekelhof † Fr John Thiellier † Fr John Wehkamp Fr Joseph Boekema Br Joseph Trimbach † Br Jules Peeters † Fr Lambert Kiggen †

Fr Leonard Jacobs † Fr Leonard Onderwater † Fr Leonard van Son † Fr Louis van Emmerick † Fr Marinus Damen † Fr Martin Keizer † Fr Martin Koopmans † Fr Martin van der Werff † Fr Matthew Nabben † Fr Matthew Stienen † Fr Michael de Rooy † Fr Nicholas Groot † Fr.Nicholas van Bilderbeek † Fr Otto de Wolf † Fr Peter Doeswijk † Fr Peter Droog † Fr Peter Ham † Fr Peter Heymans † Fr Peter Hoogenboom † Br Peter Hosman † Fr Peter Jacobs † Fr Peter Koster † Fr Peter Leliveld † Fr Peter Nabben Fr Simon Staats † Fr Sylvester Ponjé † Fr Theo Geurtsen Fr Theodore Beemster Br Theodore van der Velden † Fr William Boetzkes † Fr William op de Weegh Fr William Zwarthoed † Fr Wijand Nelissen †

Mill Hill Missionaries from the United States of America Fr Daniel Callinan † Fr Anthony Barnicle †

Fr Robert O’Neil Br Godfried Koppers

Mill Hill Missionaries from the Philippines Fr Abner Dimo

Fr Henry Delfin

Mill Hill Missionaries from Kenya and Uganda Fr Abner Dimo Fr Henry DelfinFr James Juma Fr Andrew Mukulu Fr Richard Njoroge

Fr Elvis Shudzeka Berka Fr Norbert Odunga Fr Benedict Ohanga Fr Dominic Nyachoti

Fr Tiberius Vuni Fr Noah Monday Mbabazi Fr Lawrence Otieno

About 245 Mill Hill Missionary priests and brothers , 26 lay associates and 26 Mill Hill Sisters have served in Cameroon since 1922: a total over 300 Mill Hill Missionaries.

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Mill Hill Missionary Associates David Barton Hans and Liam Beentjes Angelique Bertels Kathryn Bourke Caroline Brooks Stephen Coll Margit Dunder Hildegard Gstrein

Hans and Elizabeth Heijnen Ruth Hopkins Mary Hughes Keith Johnson Jacqueline Kouwenhoven John Naughton Euphemia Roeling Anne Shelley

Mary Spencer Cormac and Martin Walsh Jacques and Jose Vos Anderea Hewitt Paul Snoeren Cora Snoeren Toon van Kaam

Parishes Opened by Mill Hill Missionaries in NW and SW Cameroon Bojongo, Bernard Robinson, 1922 (1894) Sasse, John Camplinng, 1922 (1907) Bota, William Kelly, 1922 (1908) Shishong, Michael Moran, 1923 (1913) Soppo, Maurice McEvoy, 1925 Baseng, Peter Ham, 1926 Ossing, William Scully, 1926 (1912) Njinikom, Leonard Jacobs, 1927 (1913) Ikassa, Peter Doeswijk ,1929 (1904) Tiko ,Francis Altmann, 1929 Okoyong, Anthony van der Vlug, 1933 Mankon, Francis Woodman ,1935 Fiango, Joseph Bock, 1936 Mbetta, Matthew Nabben, 1936 Tabenken, Cornelius Hoevenaars, 1937 Bafut, Francis Kelly, 1938

Babanki-Tungo, Thomas BurkeBuea, Anthony van der Vlught, Kennedy, 1938 1962 Djottin, Ivo Stockman, 1938 Kumba, John Altink, 1963 Mbonge, Francis Wagenaar, 1943 Njinidom, Thomas Fitzsimmons, Muyuka, Peter Jacobs, 1943 1964 Tombel, Leonard Jacobs, 1945 Akwaya, Alois Mitterer, 1964 Nkar, Wynand Nelissen, 1948 Mbiame, Jeremiah Doona, 1965 Wum, Anthony Akkermans, 1948 Bafmeng, Martin Keizer, 1965 Bambui, John McDermott, 1951 Meluf, Cornelius Schouten, 1965 Widekum, Leonard van Son, 1951 Bayelle, Otto de Wolff, 1966 Bangem, George Cunningham, Ntambeng, Harold Pacey, 1967 1952 Nyandong, Sylvester Ponje, 1968 Nkambe, Matthew Steinen, 1955 Ndop, Herman Wolters, 1969 Mamfe Town, Anthony Fundong, Joseph Holznecht, 1971 Amerongen, 1956 Batibo, Robert O’Neil, 1973 Bali, Bernard Kolkman, 1956 Fuli, Jeremiah Doona, 1975 Tatum, Michael de Rooy, 1957 Ako, Francis Meulemans, 1984 Victoria (Limbe), Peter Jacobs, 1957 Jakiri, William Zwarthoed, 1986 Djottin (Re-opened), Arnold Kerkv- Elak-Oku, Oswald Holzer, 1986 liet, 1958 Sabongari, Hermann Guflee, 1987 Akum (Bagangu), John McDerBaba I, Francis Meulemans, 2009 mott, 1960 Ilung, Dominic Nyachoti, 2011 Kumbo, Jules Peeters, 1960 Fonfuka, Tiberius Vuni, 2013

Bishop Peeters overseeing the building of Kumbo Cathedral

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Mill Hill Missionaries in Sasse College, founded by Bishop Rogan and built by Bishop Peeters

Schools, Colleges and Training Centres Mill Hill Missionaries have Opened Njinikom/Shishong Catechists’ School, Anthony Schmid, 1936 Sasse, St. Joseph’s College , Aloysius Schgör, Michael Murphy, Peter Koster, Arthur McCormack, George Cunningham, 1939 Sasse, Holy Family Seminary, Arthur McCormack, 1943 Njinikon/Bambui Teacher Training College, John McDermott, Arthur McCormack, 1944 Baseng Teacher Training College, Nicholas Bilderbeek, 1944 Bojongo Teacher Training College, Arnold Kerkvliet, Thomas Mulligan, 1955

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Tatum Teacher Training College, John Ardts, Gerard Bouma, Lawrence Flinn, 1957 Bamenda Sacred Heart College, Thomas Mulligan, 1961 Soppo/Mutengene Teacher Training College, Matthew Mint, 1962 Soppo Bishop Rogan College, James Tol, 1964 Kumbo St. Augustine’s College, James Nielen, Anthony Barnicle, Fidelis Rensing, 1964 Kom St. Bede’s College, Anthony Jansen, James van Bleisem, Robert O’Neil, 1964

Nchang Teacher Training College Henry van Dongen, 1964 Nguti Pastoral and Social Centre, John Kelder, 1966 Fontem Seat of Wisdom College, George Cunningham, Jan Willem Stumpel, 1966 Catholic Mission Garage Big Mankon, Br Joseph Trimbach, 1955 Catholic Mission Garage Mutengene, Br Francis te Bulte, 1974 Catholic Mission Garage Kumbo, Fr James Nielen, 1966-1967

The Friends of Mill Hill Who are the Friends of Mill Hill?

Missionaries and the Friends of Mill Hill. A unity that, inspired by the example of Dr Foncha, continues to grow from strength to strength.

As we saw in the story of the foundation of Mill Hill, Cardinal Vaughan and the first missionaries depended on lay people to support them in their work of spreading the Gospel among those who had yet to hear the What do the Friends of Mill Hill Do? Good News of Jesus Christ. The role of these first’ Friends share in the mission of the Mill Hill MissionFriends of Mill Hill’ continues to live on in our own aries by spreading the Good News and living charity Friends of Mill Hill in Cameroon. in the home, workplace and community.

Friends of Mill Hill are missionaries. They join Friends share in the mission of the Mill Hill Missionthemselves to the mission that Jesus gave to the aries by praying for Mill Hill Missionaries throughout Church by supporting the work of Mill Hill. Friends of the world, especially those working in difficult circumMill Hill know that every Christian is called to be a stances and for students in formaiton. missionary. Friends of Mill Hill are missionaries Friends make sacrifices for the material needs of through their prayers and sacrifices for the Church's missionaries and Mill Hill students by fundraising. mission. Friends of Mill Hill are missionaries though They also take active part in the Chruch’s global the care and support Cameroonian Mill Hill Students collections for mission: the Holy Childhood Collection who are preparing to be missionaries, to leave their and Mission Sunday Collection. own country to preach the Good News to the ends of Friends make friends with individual Mill Hill the earth.

Missionaries and students, showing interest in their Friends of Mill Hill are challenged by Dr John Ngu work. Friends make friends with each other and meet Foncha, an outstanding Friend of Mill Hill whom they in groups three times a year. Friends read about remember with admiration. Dr Foncha was inspired mission, talk about mission and kindle enthusiasm by what he had gained from the Mill Hill Missionaries: for mission. baptism, Catholic education, friendship and his own Friends have Red Boxes into which they regularly true missionary spirit. In that spirit he contributed put what they can afford to sacrifice. land generously so that Missionaries from Cameroon Friends celebrate Mass together. Every November would be able to organize themselves and set up their Friends celebrate Mass for the deceased Friends of Mill own formation programme, which has already borne Hill and Mill Hill Missionaries. abundant fruits with Cameroonian Mill Hill MissionFriends of Mill Hill, since the time of Cardinal aries working throughout the world.

Vaughan, are true friends who we can count on to help Behind St John’s Church, Foncha Street, Dr John us in our mission to make Christ known to the ends Ngu Foncha and Br Engelbert Sorà, MHM, lie buried of the earth. side-by-side, symbolising the unity between Mill Hill You want to know more about us? Join us!

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Messages of Goodwill From Christian Cardinal Tumi

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Dr and Mrs John Ngu Foncha proud to be Friends of Mill Hill!

We the Foncha Family have always worked closely with our Mill Hill Missionaries and are delighted to send this message of support on the occasion of their 150th anniversary.

We know that Pa Foncha would be so happy to see the formation centre on the land he gave producing young Cameroonian Mill Hill Missionaries who are working throughout the world with the same sprit and zeal as those first missionaries, whom he knew so well, who brought the Good News to our land 94 years ago.

Be assured of our our family’s continued support and cooperation in your mission of love and service.

Ad multos annos!

From Mamma Foncha and the whole Foncha family.

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Herbert

94

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From the Diocese of Mamfe On the Occasion of 150 Years of Existence and 94 Years of Mission in Cameroon On behalf of the entire Priests, Religious men and women and all Christ’s Faithful in the Diocese of Mamfe, and in my personal name, I wish you extend hearty congratulations to the Mill Hill Missionaries for their existence as a Missionary Society.

I am particularly grateful to God for the Mill Hill Missionaries and their heroic missionary journeys throughout the world. I am singularly grateful to these Missionaries because I owe my Christian history to them, as I was baptized by one of them. I have known and worked with the Mill Hill Missionaries for a long time, both in various parishes in Buea Diocese and above all, I spent more than four years studying in Rome and living with the Mill Hill Fathers in the Mill Hill Procure. The community spirit was paramount and we shared on social evenings, a family drink which spurred us to share stories, good humour and “small congossai”.

We could experience to veracity of the words of the Psalmist, “How good and how pleasant, brothers living in unity. There the Lord gives his blessing, happiness for ever”.

This is only my personal history with the Mill Hill but the history of our entire Local Church within the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda is rooted within the traditions of the Mill Hill Missionaries. We remember with nostalgia the great missionaries who spread the gospel message in our country since 1922 and how the climbed the hills, went down valleys, passed through forests and even gave their lives for the spread of the Gospel. May God bless and reward them with eternal life. We look at the Mill Hill men who are still around and we thank God for their stamina, their strong faith and their endurance. Each Mill Hill Man around is like the flame of faith still burning within our Local Church.

To the entire Mill Hill Society, I say Hearty Congratulations and May God continue to bless them all abundantly. +Andrew NKEA, Bishop of Mamfe.

From the Diocese of Kumba Congratulatory Message to the Mill Mill Missionaries Through the Mill Hill Missionary Fathers and Brothers with the founding foresight of Herbert Cardinal Vaughan in 1866, 150 years ago, inspired by the Holy Spirit to love and to serve, (amare et servire), the command of our Lord, "Go into the whole world, proclaim the Good News", brought them, to many countries and 94 years ago, to the English speaking territory of Cameroon which covers the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda, which now comprises five Diocese, namely Buea, Bamenda, Kumbo, Mamfe and Kumba. None of these Dioceses can write a history without the Mill Hill Missionaries. The mother Diocese of all the Dioceses, Buea, had the Mill Hill Missionaries as her first two Bishops, Bishop Peter Rogan and Bishop Jules Peeters and the other four Dioceses of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda are more or less the projection of Bishop Jules Peeters.

The life of the Diocesan Priests in our Church Province is modelled on the spirituality and way of life of the Mill Hill Fathers and that is why it is convenient and possible for them to live together.

We owe a lot to the Mill Hill Missionaries for the growth of the faith and the work of evangelisation in our five dioceses. Their pastoral work for the past 94 years as well as in other places for the past 150 years did not unfold without challenges, difficulties and obstacles, to the extent that many of them died to love and to serve God by bringing the Good News.

On behalf of all the priests and the lay faithful of the Diocese of Kumba we wish to heartily congratulate the Mill Hill Missionaries, living and dead, for their selflessness in the spirit of humble service and love to bring the faith to us through their work in the parishes and in our renown secondary schools in the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda. May our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the author of time and who gave the mandate to the Mill Hill Missionaries through the intercession of St. Joseph their Patron for the past 150 years continue to shower His blessings upon them and their work. +Agapitus Nfon Bishop of Kumba 30

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From the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary Congratulations to our fellow missionaries on the occasion of this special Jubilee of St. Joseph’s Mill Hill. We thank you for your Missionary vision of continuing to pioneer and reach out to the marginalised. We Thank God for all the years we have journeyed side by side right from the first day our Sisters arrived on Mission in Cameroon sixty years ago. You are part of the history here and we are happy to be part of yours. God bless each one of you.

From the Sisters of St Therese of the Child Jesus of Buea We join you to thank God for 150 years of service in the Church and 94 years particularly in our local church that is the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province. We remain grateful to you immensely for touching our lives in profound ways. You encountered many challenges as you shares the Word with us. Your faith has been steadfast like that of St Joseph. The Mill Hill Fathers and Brothers remain a part of us forever.

Congratulations for the these many years of faithful service. Be assured of our prayers as you continue in your pastoral commitments.

Ngu Grace SST Superior General

From the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus Goodwill Message to Mill Hill Missionaries The Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus, Cameroon Mission, warmly felicitate with the Mill Hill Missionaries on the celebration of your 150th anniversary of foundation.

Congratulations for the great ministry you have carried on all over the world and especially in Cameroon.

Your missionary spirit, dedication, love and service has touched and changed the lives of many not only spiritually but otherwise.

May God Almighty bless you for your good work. May He be your strength in the years ahead.

Happy Anniversary!

Sr Agnes Olayode Mission Superior

From the Conference of Religious of Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province We the religious of the Conference of Religious of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda congratulate you on this occasion of dual importance. We join you to thank God for the founding spirit of your founder and 94 years of faithful service in our local church. We remain deeply grateful for the firm foundation you have given to our Church.

May the good Lord continue to shower your endeavour with success.

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Faith of Our Fathers and Response of Our Mothers: 150 Years Mhm 94 Years in Cameroon Not everyone is good in history – in dates and times and events!

Not everyone remembers the past, No oral or written tradition ignores ancestry, foundation or origin.

You cannot break from the past and live said Yaya in Kenjo Jumban’s The White Man of God. No one knows where he/she is going unless you know where you come from, others say!

Come Twenty Twenty Two, Bamenda Archdiocese will shake again!

Until then, it is time to shake – shake in jubilation!

Come Second June Twenty Sixteen Cameroon will shake in Bamenda; Until then it’s time to reminisce and rehearse the sentiments of Nineteen Ninety Seven When grand pa Archbishop Paul Verdzekov made the famous quote in His Homily in Bamenda: In Christianity time has a fundamental significance… and in that Seventy Fifth Anniversary Of Mill Hill Missionaries in Cameroon the echoes at the end of the Mass of this great hymn left Many in tears: Faith of our fathers living still… we will be true to thee till death.

So went a popular entrance song when I grew up as a teenage choir master: We are gathered today as one family, to offer a word of thanksgiving, For the good things the Lord has given to us, O Lord we say – thank you!

Mill Hill is a Hundred and Fifty Years – O Lord we say Thank you!

Mill Hill is Ninety Four Years in Cameroon – O Lord we say Thank you!

Mill Hill has many friends, supporters and families – O Lord we say Thank you!

Mill Hill has two times seven missionary priests from Cameroon – O Lord we say Thank you!

Mill Hill has over half a century students in formation for mission to love and to serve – O Lord we say Thank you!

Mill Hill Missionaries worked in Ngaoundere, Kumbo, Bamenda, Buea, Mamfe, Kumba – O Lord we say Thank you!

Mill Hill is largely admired, appreciated and supported in Cameroon – O Lord we say thank you!

For what has been – Lord, Thank You – for what will be, Lord, YES! Fr Emmanuel Nuh Mbeh, MHM 17th May 2016

Mill Hill Missionaries from three Continents working in Cameroon.

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The Mill Hill Missionaries Our Mission To go out to be followers of Christ in dialogue with people different from ourselves, proclaiming in our daily lives, in Word and Sacrament, that the Kingdom of God, present in all cultures, has been revealed in a unique way in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.

To create deeply spiritual Christ-like communities everywhere, and offering our own spiritually rooted international fellowship, as a sign that the Kingdom is present and operative in our world today.

To challenge society as a whole, through dialogue, to be transformed by the Holy Spirit along the path of the basic values of the Kingdom, justice and peace, forgiveness and reconciliation, global solidarity and respect for human rights.

We have heard the words of Christ to his disciples: Go therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you.

Together, as a Society, we are committed to acting on these words.

We believe that the Kingdom of God is the pearl of great value and that the Gospel is the power of God saving all who have faith. To receive this gift ourselves, we set out hearts on God's Kingdom and righteousness.

To share this gift with others, we have freely left our homes, our relatives and friends and become, like the apostles, witnesses to Christ proclaiming the Good News to peoples "far away". True to our missionary vocation, we are ready to leave our country and our own culture. We do so in order that the Gospel of Christ may bring together people of different races and may become incarnate in every culture and nation.

Primary Evangelisation—In many areas, there are still large numbers of people who do not know Christ and who have never heard the Gospel. Mill Hill Missionaries have a preference for pioneering work: to open up new fields, to respond boldy to fresh needs and face unfamiliar challenges.

Justice and Peace & Integrity of Creation—By preference, Mill Hill Missionaries go where the need is greatest, to the people 'most abandoned and poorest in the means of grace', to share with them the Kingdom where justice and peace reign and where God's creation is respected and valued as God's precious gift to all of us to share in.

Mission Animation—Mill Hill Missionaries seek also to discover and unite people committed to God's design for the world, to share with them their mission and to bring them to a greater awareness of their role in God's mission. Within the local Christian community, Mill Hill Missionaries try to help the members realise their missionary calling.

Development Work—In many areas, Mill Hill Missionaries work to bring about the integral development of peoples, not only through relief work, but also by creating opportunities of growth and development towards a better future for the people. The building up and development of faith communities in urban and rural areas are important strategy of evangelisation.

Interfaith Dialogue—One important aspect of the mission of the Mill Hill Missionaries is to approach people of different races and religions, seeking, in a spirit of dialogue, to listen to the Spirit speaking in their cultures and traditions. In this respect, mission becomes a humble attempt to sense God's presence and discern the working of the Spirit among the people.

What We Do The mission and work of the Mill Hill Missionaries find expressions in various forms and ways. The last Chapter in 2005 redefined mission as the heart of the Society and challenged all members to live out the priorities of the Society in their respective ministries, responding appropriately to the challenges of secularisation and globalisation in the local churches where they serve.

A Mill Hill Missionary announcing the gospel through music.

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Where We Work Mill Hill Missionaries are found in almost every continent of the world but more specifically in Africa, Asia, North and South America and in the home regions of Europe. Traditionally, members originated from the West and were from countries which formed part of the home regions: Great Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands and from the German speaking areas of Northern Italy and Austria. Members also came from the North American Region. After training in centres in Britain and the Netherlands, these Mill Hill missionaries were sent to countries in Africa: Cameroon, East Africa, Sudan, DR Congo, and in more recent years South Africa, and to countries in Asia: Pakistan, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia. Mill Hill missionaries are also found in New Zealand and China.

Europe—Europe is the home of the members who originally formed the bulk of the membership. These members came from the Home Regions and these include the North American Region, the Irish Region, the British Region, the Dutch Region and the German Speaking Region. Members in the Home Regions are either enjoying their retirement from active ministry in care homes or involved in pastoral work in parishes or actively promoting the work of Mill Hill Missionaries.

North America—The first Mill Hill Missionaries went to North America to work among the AfricanAmerican communities after they were freed from slavery. The very first mission was in Baltimore, Maryland. From there Mill Hill Missionaries have continued to make their presence felt in St Louis, Los Angeles and New York. Other than involvement in parish ministries, some members are actively engaged in pastoral activities on a full time basis.

Latin America—In the 1970s, Mill Hill Missionaries were present in Chile, Peru, Venezuela, Brazil and Ecuador. The general thrust of these South American missions was the provision of teams to respond to specific local problems. Once these problems were under control, the Mill Hill teams withdrew and handed the missions over to local clergy. At present, Mill Hill Missionaries are active only in Brazil with one member in Bolivia and another in Ecuador. The Mill Hill Missionaries were also assigned responsibility for the Falkland Islands, St. Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic.

However, this responsibly has now been relinquished.

Africa—Mill Hill Missionaries were first assigned to Uganda in 1895. In 1905 they were sent to Congo. By

1922 they were working in Cameroon. In the later half of 1930s they began work in Sudan. These missionaries were sent to these countries under politically motivated circumstances. Despite this, these missionaries were able to concentrate on the training of catechists, catechumenate, care of the sick and the building of schools and churches. Up to this day, there are still Mill Hill Missionaries working in these countries. However, their numbers have declined significantly over the years. More recently, Mill Hill Missionaries were assigned to South Africa, this time in response to the request of a black township. In the 1980s, faced with a declining number of new members from the Home Regions, the mandate was given to recruit from those countries where Mill Hill Missionaries traditionally work. Recruitment began in Uganda, Kenya, DR Congo and Cameroon. In 2008, the African Region was formed comprising the countries where Mill Hill Missionaries are still actively present.

Asia—The presence of Mill Hill Missionaries in Asia began in the late 19th Century and has continued to this day in Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. The mission to South Asia began with the arrival of the missionaries to Andra Pradesh in 1875. One of the first priorities was the training of local clergy. This expanded to the mission in Afghanistan in 1879 and later on in 1884 to Kashmir and the North West Frontier Region of the Punjab which later on became part of Pakistan. Even though the missionaries there started as military chaplains, their attention was turned to the plight of the orphans. In the 1970s Mill Hill Missionaries began their mission to the tribal people in the Sindh Province of Pakistan. Much of the work in Pakistan consisted of establishing Christian agricultural colonies and technical institutions to provide skills to the local Christians. The Borneo mission began in 1881 and with the expulsion of missionaries from Sabah in the 1970s, many chose to continue to work in the Indonesian part of Borneo.

With the completion of their mission there, they moved on to Irian Jaya.

New Zealand—In 1895, the Mill Hill Missionaries were invited to share with the Marist Missionaries the mission to the Maoris of New Zealand. The aim of the Mill Hill mission was to provide a pastoral care that was consistent with Maori customs and culture. It contributed to the nurturing of a self-reliant and self-respecting Maori Catholic community, proud of its heritage. Mill Hill Missionaries continue to be present in New Zealand and is considered to be one of the many success stories of her mission.

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In 1972 Mill Hill and the dioceses of Buea and Bamenda celebrated 50 years since the arrival of the first Mill Hill Missionaries. In this photograph we see Bishops Paul Verdzekov, Jules Peeters and Pius Awa standing bend Fr Noel Hanrahan, the Mill Hill Superior General.

The Friends of Mill Hill are true friends and give particular support to our students preparing for the missionary priesthood.

Therefore the celebrate with joy each new Mill Hill ordination.

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The Jubilee Class!

These eight young Cameroonians will take their temporary missionary commitment during the celebrations to mark the 150th Anniversary of Mill Hill in Bamenda Cathedral. With them are two of their formators.

Mill Hill is an international society drawing members from all over the world. In this photo we see young Mill Hill Missionaries from Africa and Asia proudly wearing the iconic red sash and their Mission Crosses after making their perpetual missionary commitment.

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Mill Hill Students on pilgrimage to Mbekunyam, pausing for prayer at the spot where Fr Jan Kolkmann MHM died while on trek on 11 October 1985

Could you live a life of love and service as a Mill Hill Missionary?

For more information about vocations as a Mill Hill Missionary or to join the Friends of Mill Hill contact: Fr Elvis Berka or Fr Arnold Verhoeven Mill Hill Missionaries Foncha Street Nkwen-Bamenda NWR Cameroon mhmvocationcam@gmail.com 673 752 205 / 669 474 928 / 674 299 257 St Joseph, Patron of the Mill Hill Missionaries.