The Church celebrated its centenary in the South in 1990. Its can
boast of a vibrant Christianity, a large number of priests and religious,
with good structures for their formation (e.g. the recently opened
Catholic Institute in Yaoundé). With some priests and seminarians,
one detects a degree of clericalism. In the North, evangelisation
is only 50 years old.
The Spiritans arrived in 1916. They were most numerous around 1960,
and still numbered 85 in 1992 when the two Districts of Yaoundé
and Doumé joined together. In 1997, there were around 50.
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Most come from
8 different European Provinces, above all France and Holland. There
are also 10 confreres from FAC and Nigeria.
In the Centre and the South, the parochial apostolate is the same
as in the rest of the region; special emphasis is put on spiritual
direction of individuals, human advancement and rural development,
and the struggle against injustice and corruption. In the North, the
confreres are no longer concentrating exclusively on people of traditional
religion, but are also turning their attention towards the Moslems.
Development works are also given much attention.
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The priority commitments
of the District are those of primary evangelisation: in the Sahel
region of the North, with the Pygmies in the East, in an area where
communications are very difficult in the diocese of Bafia. Under the
same heading must come the ministry in the large towns (Yauondé,
Douala, Maroua), with special attention given to the young people.
The appointment of young confreres and the availability of those who
are more experienced remain indispensable if these works are to continue.
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