THE CREATION OF THE DIOCESE & UPGRADING TO AN ARCHDIOCESE
Pope Paul VI by the Bull Tametsi Christianarum of 13th August 1970 erected the Diocese of Bamenda with territory detached from the Diocese of Buea and appointed Fr Paul Mbiybe Verdzekov as pioneer bishop. At that time, the newly erected Diocese of Bamenda comprised the following Civil Administrative Divisions:
Bamenda later named Mezam Division
Gwofon, later named Momo Division
Wum, later named Menchum Division
Nso, later named Bui Division
Nkambe, later named Donga Mantung
On 18th March 1982, Pope John Paul II created the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province by the Bull Eo Magis Ecclesia Catholica, making Bamenda an Archdiocese and Metropolitan See of the new Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province. By the same Bull, he erected the Diocese of Kumbo with territory detached from the Diocese of Bamenda, assigning it at the same time, along with the Diocese of Buea (1950), as Suffragans to the Metropolitan See of Bamenda. Later on in 1990 Mamfe was created a Diocese and added as Suffragan to this See. Some very significant institutions in the local Church also gained added status after the creation of the Diocese of Bamenda.
On February 10th 1971, Dom Ambrose Southey, then Abbot of Mount Saint Bernard Abbey, declared the Cistercian Monastery of our Lady of Bamenda to be a Priory. Father Adrian Farmer was elected the First Prior. In August – September 1971, all the Franciscan Tertiary Sisters in Cameroon were canonically constituted into a Province, with the Provincialate at Shisong (Diocese of Bamenda). In 1973 a Provincial Major Seminary (today the St Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary- STAMS) was opened in Bambui. On 10th February 1978, the Dominican Contemplative Convent was moved from Bafmeng to Bambui. In 1979 Fr Christian Tumi Rector of the Major Seminary was appointed Bishop of Yagoua. On February 11th 1982, Dom Mark ULOGU, a Nigerian, was elected as the first African Abbot of the Cistercian Abbey, Mbengwi. On 12 August 1985 Pope St John Paul visits and celebrates Holy Mass at the Bafut Airport. On 23 August 1999, the 27th Provincial Episcopal Conference adopt the Provincial Pastoral Plan. On January 22nd 2002, Archbishop Paul Verdzekov wrote to the Holy See requesting the appointment of a Co-Adjutor Archbishop with the right of Succession. On December 14th 2004, the Holy See made Public the appointment by Pope John Paul II of the then Bishop of Kumbo, the Right Reverend Cornelius FONTEM ESUA as the Co-Adjutor Archbishop of Bamenda Archdiocese with right of succession.
Born on the 22 January 1931, Archbishop Paul retired on 22 January 2006, his 75th Birthday to the little village of Ntasen where he later died 4 years later on 26 January 2010.
At the time of its creation in 1970, the Diocese of Bamenda had 22 Parishes. In 1982 when it was raised to an Archdiocese, it had 30 Parishes. From June 2013-May 2014, the Archdiocese celebrated her Centenary Year. On the 21 May 2011, Very Reverend Fr Agapitus Enuyehnyoh Babah NFON, priest of the Diocese of Kumbo and then Rector of STAMS Bambui, was ordained Auxiliary Bishop of Bamenda by Card Christian Tumi.
On 7 May 2016, Bishop Agapitus was installed as the pioneer bishop of the Diocese of Kumba. So, today the Archdiocese of Bamenda is the Metropolitan See of the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province with Buea, Kumbo, Mamfe, and Kumba as Suffragan Sees.
Today, the Archdiocese of Bamenda consists of 43 parishes, quasi parishes and pastoral zones grouped into 7 Deaneries of Mankon, Njinikom, Widikum, Wum, Ndop, Bambui, and Bafut.
