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A House for Hope: How a Church Rises from the Ashes of Conflict

Hope does not disappoint. (Romans 5:5)

In October 2020, something small but beautiful was born in a dusty, windblown corner of the Archdiocese of Bamenda: The St. John Paul II Mission Station. It was a tiny spark lit on the feast day of its namesake, Pope St. John Paul II, amid a long and bitter struggle. Since 2017, our region in Cameroon has been torn apart by conflict. Villages have been razed, families displaced, and livelihoods destroyed.

Yet, here we are—a growing Christian community of over 600 souls, celebrating daily Mass not in a church, but in a borrowed poultry farm. This community of Christians was born, not out of abundance, but out of prayer, perseverance, and a deep longing to worship God in spirit and truth.

We began with nothing but hearts full of faith. Each Sunday, we continue to squeeze under this makeshift shelter. Half of the congregation stands outside. Rain falls, dust swirls, and the Holy Eucharist continues. Sometimes, the rain is so strong it drives us away mid-Mass. The dry season brings its own torment – suffocating heat, dust and wind swirling around the Eucharist. Vestments are stored in someone’s home. Some days, there is no Mass, because the key is not available. It is not ideal, but it is holy. Our community grows – not just in number, but in unity, love, and prayer’s power.

When I first told the Christians, “Let us keep praying; God will answer us,” it was more than a pastor’s hope – it was a desperate faith born from years of watching communities suffer from the war that began in 2017. With economic hardship deepening and entire villages demolished, it seemed impossible ever to build a church of our own. Realistically, we thought it might take fifty years or even more.

But God had other plans

In this Jubilee Year of Hope, God sent us Build the Faith – a miracle from across the ocean. Build the Faith came into our lives when there was no hope and when all we had were prayers and dreams. You listened. You saw us. And through your generosity, we now dare to believe that what was once impossible is now at hand.

This help does not just mean bricks and mortar. It means recognition. It means our story is seen and heard. It means that in a world where people often look away from suffering, someone looks toward us.

It reminds me of the words of the Prophet Isaiah:

They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. (Isaiah 61:4)

That is what is happening here. Build the Faith is helping us raise a sanctuary out of the dust. A sanctuary not only for worship, but for dignity, for community, and for peace in a region where war has taken so much.

We are not just constructing a church. We are constructing hope; and in this Jubilee of Hope, what a fitting tribute that is.

In Luke 7:5, the Jewish elders speak of a Roman centurion who “loves our nation and built us a synagogue.” Jesus, deeply moved, says of this man: “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” Today, you are like that centurion. You may be far from us in geography, but near to us in faith and love.

To all who give – your names may be unknown to us, but your love is not. It is felt in every brick laid, every roof beam raised, and every child who will one day kneel before the altar you helped build. You are not just donors. You are co-workers in Christ’s vineyard, and for that, we say: thank you. You have not only built a church. You have built faith.

May God bless you abundantly.

 

 

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