Seeking Peace in Cameroon’s Anglophone Regions, Mamfe Diocese Launched Marian Year

The Cameroonian Bishop traced the decision for a year-long prayer session to a diocesan meeting saying, “I told the Christians that as a diocese we must pray for peace. So, we sat down in our pastoral council and decided upon a Marian Year for Peace.”

The purpose of the Marian Year for Peace, the Bishop explained, is “to increase the faith of Christians and their devotion to the Virgin Mother, asking for her intercession to save our nation from the current crisis.”

“The Blessed Virgin Mary in the battle of Lepanto was the main source of intercession for the war to be won by the Christians. During the First World War the prediction about the end of the war was done by the Blessed Virgin Mary,” he said.

“So, we have all those places where Our Lady appeared (to) bring peace to the people. It is also our hope that she does the same for Mamfe and for Cameroon,” Bishop Nkea told ACI Africa.

During the year-long prayer session, Christians are expected to participate in seminars, workshops and pilgrimages in order to have a better understanding of the Catholic devotion to Mary and her role in the salvation of mankind and bringing peace, the Bishop said.

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“During this Marian Year we are going to lay emphasis on catechesis in various parishes on the importance of the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary,” Bishop Nkea told ACI Africa and added, “We are going to also focus on the virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her patience, her love and her acceptance of suffering, because we are going through a lot of suffering.” 

“We want to (make) profound the way Our Lady accepted suffering, the way she accompanied her son Jesus Christ in his passion,” the Bishop said and added, “We are also accompanying our brothers and sisters in their passion, we ourselves are going through suffering but we want to use Our Lady as our model in the face of this crisis.”

According to the Prelate, the calendar of activities that will run till October 13, 2020 has been availed to all parishes in his diocese.

“Parishes, institutions, groups of religious and lay faithful now have a chance to go for a pilgrimage at the shrine in Mboka. Every weekend there will be a group there on pilgrimage to pray for peace,” he disclosed and added, “We are confident that these intensive prayers we are making for one full year will bring peace to our nation.”

While encouraging every Christian family to pray for peace during the Marian year, the Cameroonian Prelate said that an invocation: “Mary Queen of peace, Pray for us” is recited 10 times every day at the end of each decade of the Rosary.

“We are invoking Mary Queen of peace to help bring peace to our country,” Bishop Nkea concluded.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.