ORIGINAL SHRINE, Mary Cole •
Fr. Alois Baumberger, Cameroon
On 18 September I attended Holy Mass at 8 a.m. in the Original Shrine at the start of which Fr Antonio Bracht, the main celebrant, introduced Fr Alois who would soon be returning to Cameroon. He also said he would be blessing ten Pilgrim Mother pictures (not in their frames) that Fr Alois would be taking back to Cameroon. It was only afterwards that I discovered that he was Fr Alois Baumberger, a Swiss priest, member of the Federation of Schoenstatt Diocesan Priests, who has spent all his priestly life working in Africa.—
After Mass and the blessing of the pictures, Fr Alois told us more about himself and why he was taking the Pilgrim Mother with him. From what I can remember he said he had been called out of the “bush” to build up a Marian place of pilgrimage in Cameroon. Fr Alois hopes that the Pilgrim Mother will draw many people to the place of pilgrimage, where a large MTA picture is venerated. The Church in Cameroon goes back to the work of Bishop Vieter, a Pallottine Bishop, who had dedicated the country to Mary, Queen of the Apostles. The people of Cameroon have a great devotion to Bishop Vieter.
Bishop Vieter
I pricked my ears when I heard mention of Bishop Vieter, because I knew that he was the bishop who ordained Fr Kentenich to the priesthood in 1910.
Let us pray that our Mother and Queen may help the suffering people of Cameroon.
Photo: Symbolic photo, Pilgrim Mother
