Br. Singfred Sinior
It was a most spectacular sight, Friday September 8, 2006, Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as the grounds of St. Augustine College Nso (SAC) glittered with highly placed dignitaries, both religious and secular, from far and near, to witness the Episcopal ordination of Mgr. George Nkuo as second residential Bishop of Kumbo. Practically every indigene of Bui and Donga Mantung, the two divisions in whose territories the diocese of Kumbo is found joined their Catholic kinsmen and faithful to accord a rousing witness to the historic event.
Here were the rich, the poor, the powerful and the famous whose voices resonated with anxiety and joy as they greeted friends and acquaintances, gathering for an extraordinary event Notable among Church dignitaries were, His Eminence, Christian cardinal Tumi, the Principal Consecrator, Archbishops Cornelius Fontem Esua of Bamenda and Victor Tonye Bakot of Yaounde; as co-consecrators.
The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI was represented by the Secretary of the Apostolic Nuncio to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, His Grace Antonio Eliseo Ariotti, who was unavoidably absent. A total of 17 Bishops were present while Bishops who could not come either sent representatives or messages of solidarity.
A large pool of priests and religious were in attendance. Pastors and Imams from also featured among the guest list. Top among a array of political heavyweights were, His Excellency Yang Philemon, personal representative of the President of the Republic, Governor Kumpa Isa of the North West Province and his colleague, Fai Yengho Francis of the Centre Province.
All the SDOs and DOs with members of Parliament from Bui and Donga Mantung Divisions also graced the occasion. The Mayor of Kumbo, Njong Fonyuy Donatus and the Mayor of Buea, Mbella Moki Charles with other mayors took part.
The Chairman of the SDF, Ni John Fru Ndi was seated among former ministers such as Nsahlai, Henry Kibuh, Francis Nkwain etc. The Fon of Nso, HRH Nsehm Binglo I and his Kom counterpart, Fon Yuh Vincent, together with other fons and chiefs were there to showcase their ties with the Catholic Church.
In fact, it was a broad spectrum roll call in Kumbo, noted a visitor. At 9.00am the setting at the ceremonial ground, the same spot where Mgr. Cornelius Fontem Esua, the founding Bishop of Kumbo was ordained more than 23 years ago, was indeed very impressive.
Even nature itself seemed to be smiling at its approval as brilliant sunshine against a backdrop of a crystal-clear sky characterised the weather despite the heavy rains that were literally drowning the other towns in the province.
It should be noted that for the previous days, it has been raining heavily in Kumbo. There was an atmosphere of joy and expectancy in the hushed silence of the gathering in church as they waited anxiously for the historic moment to begin. A large number of people were dressed in the "ashoabi" that was specially designed for the event.
The Kumbo diocesan choir, well rehearsed for the occasion began dishing from their bag of tunes a repertoire of beautiful melodies, composed mainly for the event. The prelates and the concelebrating priests together with the Bishop-elect were led to the Altar in a dancing procession by a group of Franciscan Sisters. People stooped their heads higher than normal to catch a glimpse of Mgr. Nkuo as he appeared in the procession putting on a skull cap.
His arrival at the ceremonial ground sparked deafening applause from the crowd of more than 35,000 people. He was flanked by Fr. Andrew Nkea and Roland Berngeh, chancellor of Buea Diocese and Vicar General of Kumbo respectively.
The Consecration Mass also functioned as a glittering showcase of the Franciscan Sisters' dancing prowess in Liturgical Chorography as they thrilled the faithful all along. The lectionary procession was in accord with the Oku tradition and songs. After the Proclamation of the Gospel, Fr. Andrew Nkea presented the Bishop-elect to the consecrating prelate that the former be ordained Bishop. The Bull of his election was read in Latin and English.
Christian Cardinal Tumi, in a soul-searching sermon, held the congregation in rapt attention for more close to an hour, and very even noticed the passage of the time. An examination and responses in the form of promises of the Bishop-elect immediately followed the homily. The Bishop-elect then prostrated himself while the Litany of Saints was sung.
The Laying on of Hands by the consecrating Bishop and the other Bishops, the Anointing of his head and the Presentation of the Book of the Gospels followed. The Investiture with the Ring, the Mitre or the Pastoral staff was another high point of the ordination rites. The Ring symbolises the Bishop's fidelity to and nuptial bond with the Church, his spouse.
The Mitre stands for the bishop's resolve to pursue holiness. It is put on when a bishop is seated; when he gives homily; when he greets the people, when he addresses them or gives the invitation to prayer, when he gives a solemn blessing to the people; when he confers a sacrament; when he is walking in procession.
The pastoral staff or Crosier symbolises the Bishop's role as Shepherd of the Lord's flock entrusted to him. The Bishop carries a pastoral staff in his own diocese as a sign of his Pastoral Responsibility. He may use it in another diocese when he celebrates with the consent of the local ordinary.
After the kiss of peace, Bishop Nkuo, now swathed from head to toe in the regalia of his new office, was led through the aisles of the ceremonial ground to greet the anxious congregation for the first time as Bishop. A gold pectoral cross dangled from his neck and sparkled in the light that showered from the brilliant sunshine as he edged slowly through the crowd amidst shouts of joy.
He could be seen fumbling with the Crosier between his two hands as he tried to bless the people on both sides of him. On observing this, an old man whispered to himself; ?Don?t worry My Lord, you?ll get used to it with time.? Holy Mass continued with Bishop Nkuo presiding from the Liturgy of the Eucharist after his Episcopal Ordination.
At the end of the Mass the ordination attestation was read by Rev. Fr. Zephrynus Mbuh chancellor of Kumbo Diocese and signed by all the Bishops and the Chancellor. The Attestation is a document to show that the elected Bishop was ordained in accordance with the Church's tradition and Rite of Episcopal ordination.
Speeches were presented beginning with the representative of the president of the Kumbo Diocesan Laity Council. Mr Ernest Yubin eulogized the pioneer Bishop of Kumbo, His Grace Cornelius Fontem Esua, enumerating his achievements for the more than 23 years he has been the Shepherd of the People of God in the Church that is in Kumbo. He also extended profound and affectionate regards to the Bishop of Buea, who was absent for health reasons, for offering them another Bishop.
Mr. Yubin expressed the unalloyed welcome of the people of Bui and Donga-Mantung Divisions, Christians and non-Christians alike to the new bishop. The president of the Episcopal Conference of Cameroon, His Grace Vitor Tonye Bakot welcomed Bishop Nkuo into the Episcopal College and promised him the collegiality of all the Bishops of Cameroon.
Archbishop Esua introduced a delegation from the Diocese of Limburg in Germany, which has been in partnership with the Diocese of Kumbo for 18 years. Among them was a blind priest who is a parish priest of one of the parishes in Limburg. He told the congregation that it is thanks to the partnership with this diocese that Kumbo has realised most of her projects.
To Bishop Nkuo, Mgr Esua said the flock of Kumbo, which he is handing over to him, is very hardworking and God-fearing and stressed that sometimes this flock can be very demanding. He praised Fr. Peter Watson, a Mill Hill Missionary serving in Kumbo, who was his vicar in Kumbo and as delegate of the Apostolic Administrator.
In response to the speeches, Bishop Nkuo greeted the congregation in the word of his coat of arms, "God is love" which is also the caption of the Pope Benedict XVI's First Encyclical. He thanked all those present for the sacrifice they made to be there, both in their valuable time and resources, to ensure the success of the event, and finished by pledging his collaboration with all including Muslims and Christians from other denominations.