A Glance at History.  On February 16, 1968, the Provincial Council of the Daughters of Charity in Switzerland responded positively to the request of His Eminence Nkongsamba NDONGMO and decided to open the Catholic Mission in Dchang, Cameroon. The contract was signed by Bishop NDONGMO on July 25, 1969 and by Mother CHIRON on July 28, 1969.

Our Celebration.  Last February 15, 2020 we thanked God for 50 years of service of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in Cameroon.

Fifty years of service mean the abundance of graces manifested in people who were at the beginning of the work and in the generations of poor persons who were served.

Fifty years represent the years of observation, adaptation and organization, making service more and more effective.

Fifty years signify the many years of grace that include the gift of love, sacrifice, enthusiasm, courage and lives of so many people.

Fifty years mean the many decisions made for the glory of God, the good of the Church and the loving service for poor persons.

All this we reflected on and prayed for during the special Triduum held in our parish, which consisted of the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, a short catechesis on mercy and a sharing about our charism as well as the celebration of the Eucharist on the eve of the ceremony.

The Holy Eucharist celebrated on February 15 in our parish was presided by the Bishop with the participation of numerous clergy, local civil authorities, Sister Emmanuelle and Sister Maggie from the Province of Switzerland (former missionaries in Cameroon), most of the Sisters of our Province, delegation from various religious congregations, family members of our Sisters, our employees, parishioners, and those we serve – 50 persons living in situations of poverty who  received personal invitations. The Liturgy that was prepared by the Youth groups from the parish was beautiful. The Bishop gave a homily on mercy and sacrifice. At the beginning of the Eucharist, the Sisters from Switzerland recalled the history of the arrival of the first Sisters in Cameroon and the beginning of their mission. Before the final blessing, one of these first Sisters gave a testimony.

After the Eucharist, we proceeded to the courtyard of our school for refreshments. The meal time was enriched by songs from the choir and dances from the children and guests. At the end, the Bishop cut the Jubilee cake. Special decorations in the church and school yard were displayed as well as blouses with the logo of the Jubilee Year. In the evening, the Sisters from Switzerland visited our works and they noted the many changes that have taken place since they left Cameroon; the questions posed to the Sisters and memories that were shared were endless.

The next day, Sister Emmanuelle and Sister Maggie, accompanied by the Visitatrix, visited the community of the Daughters of Charity in Foumban. We said goodbye to each other… until we meet again, certainly sooner than the next 50 years!

Sisters from Cameroon