9-Day Novena of CMA:

Catholic Men to Engage Nationwide Prayers for Peace in NW & SW

-The National Days of Prayer will run from 23 to 31 July 2018, in all

catholic dioceses that have a Catholic Men’s Association, CMA.

  Okie Johnson

The Catholic Men Association, CMA Cameroon is bracing up to begin a national days of Prayer for Peace to return to the Northwest and Southwest Regions and in Cameroon as a whole. This was amongst several resolutions taken during a three-day National Enlarged Executive Meeting, holding at the CMA national secretariat in Buea, from 6 to 8 July 2018 and chaired by the CMA National president, Mr. Okie Johnson Ndoh.

The meeting focused on three main areas; putting a blue-print on the spiritual life of the CMA, sustainability of the association and crusading for peace in the two Anglophone regions.

            Delegates resolved that a 9-day Novena for peace will hold across all the branches of the CMA from the 23rd to the 31st July 2018. It will culminate in a Votive Mass for Peace.

To match words with actions, the enlarged CMA executive promised to meet the Bishops of the Bamenda Episcopal Province, during their Provincial Conference, BAPEC, on 19 August 2018 in Bamenda, to hand over their support for persons internally displaced as a result of the crisis in the two Anglophone regions.

            “The CMA cannot be indifferent to the sufferings of the displaced populations of these two regions. For this reason therefore we have to join in the efforts of the Bishops of the BAPEC who have since been in the fore front of relief assistance to the internally displaced persons and crusading for peace to return to the two Anglophone regions,” intimated the CMA National President, Okie Johnson Ndoh, in his remarks during the Buea conclave.

            Okie Johnson as well enjoined members of the school of St. Joseph to grow in spirituality and for all CMA members to engage in activities that portray their spirituality.

The appeals of the CMA National President were corroborated by the National Spiritual Director (Chaplain) of the School of St. Joseph, Rev. Fr. Kizito Forbi, who presented various documents that would help to boost the spiritual life of students of the school. These include a three-year National Work Plan, a Novena handbook/burial rite, among other spiritual documents.

            Considering that the CMA needs to carry out activities for its sustainability, Mr. Okie Johnson re-echoed on his policy speech during the February 9th elections, wherein he promised to build a CMA that is geared towards actions that speak. He encouraged each diocese to engage in sustainable activities like agriculture which will generate income that will benefit not only the diocese but also the national CMA.

            Other high points of the three-day enlarged executive meeting included the handing over of signed copies of the CMA Statutes by Bishops of BAPEC to all diocesan delegates. Information concerning the national uniform indicated that the uniform has been modified and improved in quality in line with the Statutes. The fabric, according to the National President, would be made available to members in September 2018.

            It is worth nothing that the meeting was the second since the new national executive of CMA was elected during an extraordinary elective general assembly in Bamenda on 9 February 2018.

            The enlarged national executive meeting in Buea was attended by various diocesan Chaplains of the CMA who also concelebrated Holy Mass with the delegates.

            Members of the school of St. Joseph are found in 17 dioceses in Cameroon and the Association is being gradually introduced to other dioceses in the country.

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