Official visit abroad

-Meets Cardinal Sean O`Malley of Boston
It was the first high profile official visit of His Lordship Rt. Rev. Dr. Andrew Nkea, Bishop of the Diocese of Mamfe, after his recent episcopal ordination, to the Cameroonian Community in the United States of America. The Pontifical High Mass at St Anne Church Salem, Boston, was followed by high level talks with His Eminence Sean Cardinal O’Malley of the Archdiocese of Boston, Massachusetts.
Bertrand Etukeni Agbaw-Ebai, Boston, Massachusetts

Mgr. Andrew Nkea celebrated two masses in Boston

Catholic Christians from the Cameroonian Community of the State of Massachusetts in the city of Boston converged at 4:05pm, May, 10th at Logan International airport amidst euphoria to receive the first ever Cameroonian Bishop appointed by Pope Francis on his maiden international official visit to the Cameroonian community in the United States of America. On board the United Airlines of America, was the Bishop of the Diocese of Mamfe received by Rev. Fr. Maurice Agbaw-Ebai[former Diocesan Chancellor of Mamfe], members of the Catholic Women Association [CWA], stampeding crowds and curious White American on-lookers as the jubilation did not only create an atmosphere of ecstasy but equally drew attention from the airport security.
    The D-Day of the Bishop`s visits was the celebration of the holy mass on May,11th  at the St. Anne Catholic Church Salem in the city of Boston, where all Cameroonians of age came to celebrate with the Prelate from Mamfe. In the readings [1&2] taken from the Acts of the Apostles and the first Letter to St. Peter and the Holy Gospel according to John, The Bishop who has been nicknamed the “Preaching Bishop” took the whole congregation spell-bound for more than an hour as every word that came out was a soul touching revelation accompanied by thunderous applause. As if it was the Sermon on the Mount, the scenario was an exemplary one used by the Bishop in a unique style to illustrate his first official stop in Boston.

Being the fourth Sunday of Easter which is the Sunday of the Good Shepherd, the Bishop came to encourage his sheep in faith and hope in Jesus Christ. In short Bishop Nkea was at his best as he reawakened the link of the Cameroonian Community in the US with a clarion call to duty back home. As expectations grew to a crescendo, the Bishop added that every Christian is a sheep that follows Christ, the Good Shepherd, notwithstanding the fact that the image of the sheep might sound offensive to Cameroonian ears. The Bishop made known a new form of financial support for the diocese through a monthly commitment of $US 20 by the peoples of Mamfe Diocese and the friends and benefactors. He did not want to bring “Ekpe” into the Church, he humorously quipped! Fr. Maurice Agbaw-Ebai was commissioned by the Bishop to implement this “Church tax” in the Boston for the Diocese of Mamfe.   
    In line with the Bishop`s visit, the Cameroonian Community used the occasion to raise funds to support the projects for Mamfe Diocese and pledged their unflinching and total commitments to heed to the call from Bishop Nkea in the realization of his pastoral mission by making the Diocese “Something more beautiful for God”. The Bangwa community where the Bishop hails from set the template during the fund raising to the satisfaction of all to the tune of thousands of dollars, checks and pledges; the newly created CWA branch in Boston, the Manyu community under the umbrella of NOMA; various ex-students such as LESA, OPSANS, SOBANS, BIROCOL, etc, and individual family heads, all massively came out to support the Diocesan projects of Mamfe.

Bishop Nkea meets Sean Cardinal O`Malley of Boston MA
    A high point of the Bishop’s visit in Boston was the audience he had with His Eminence Sean Cardinal O`Malley of Boston MA. Cardinal O’Malley is the only North American in the Council of Cardinals that advises Pope Francis on the reforms currently going on in the Roman Curia and the Vatican City. As expected, the audience on Wednesday, 14 May at the Holy Cross Cathedral Rectory was behind closed doors. But inside sources said it was a very warm meeting that culminated in the establishment of a missionary cooperation plan between the Archdiocese of Boston and the Diocese of Mamfe, along lines of the further education for priests; sabbatical arrangements; support for pastoral projects; and fidei donum opportunities.
    Earlier in the day, Bishop Nkea met the Very Rev. Fr. William Leahy, SJ, president of Boston College. This meeting was also an opportunity for the Bishop of Mamfe to foster the already existing bond between Mamfe Diocese and Boston College, opening up new vistas of collaboration and mutual support.
    On Sunday, 18 May 2014, Bishop Nkea presided at two masses at St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Church, a sister parish of Mamfe Diocese in Boston. His US visit took him to Chicago, New Jersey, New York, Washington DC, Alabama and Dallas.