Simon Mpeke

After his ordination, Father Simon Mpeke was appointed vicar at the Ngovayang mission, where he exercised his ministry for twelve years (1936-1947). Influenced by the theology of his time, he initially firmly opposed local traditional religious practices. In 1947, he was appointed vicar, and then in 1949, parish priest of the large parish of New-Bell in Douala. In this rapidly expanding multi-ethnic neighborhood, he deployed immense pastoral activity, supporting Catholic Action movements, developing schools, and showing boundless generosity to the young and the poor. In 1953, his encounter with the spirituality of Saint Charles de Foucauld, facilitated by his exchanges with Sister Magdeleine of Jesus (founder of the Little Sisters of Jesus) and Father René Voillaume, profoundly transformed his missionary vision. He participated in a retreat of the Iesus Caritas Priestly Union in Versailles and joined the institute. In 1956, he became one of the founders of this union in Cameroon and its first leader in Africa. Feeling a pressing call to evangelize the populations of Northern Cameroon, he obtained the agreement of his bishop and left in February 1959 as the first Cameroonian fidei donum missionary priest in his own country. After a short stay in Mayo-Ouldémé, he settled in 1960 in Tokombéré, in the current diocese of Maroua-Mokolo. It was there, in the midst of the mountain populations called "Kirdis," that he would give the full measure of his apostolic zeal.

In Tokombéré, Simon Mpeke chose to live in total destitution, sharing the extreme poverty of the inhabitants. He walked barefoot like them, which earned him the nickname of the "barefoot missionary." His humility, charity, and constant smile quickly won him the hearts of the population, who affectionately called him "Baba Simon" (Father Simon). He did not content himself with preaching the Gospel; he actively committed himself to the human advancement of this marginalized people. He created schools, health structures, and fought against misery and injustice. He also combated local prejudices, notably the idea that illness is a divine punishment. On Easter Day 1964, he baptized his first 12 Kirdi catechumens, marking the birth of a fervent Christian community. Exhausted by a life of total self-giving and deprivation, he died on August 13, 1975, in Édéa. His reputation for holiness spread immediately throughout Cameroon and beyond.

The cause for the beatification of Simon Mpeke was introduced by the Diocese of Maroua-Mokolo. The diocesan inquiry was validated by Rome, and the file was transmitted to the Congregation (now Dicastery) for the Causes of Saints. During his apostolic journey to Cameroon in March 2009, Pope Benedict XVI explicitly cited Father Simon Mpeke as an example for all priests and consecrated persons, praising this "barefoot missionary" who spent all his strength in selfless humility in the service of souls and the material relief of his brothers. On May 20, 2023, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of Simon Mpeke, officially conferring upon him the title of Venerable. He thus became the first Cameroonian diocesan priest to reach this stage toward beatification.

The spirituality of Baba Simon is deeply Eucharistic, contemplative, and rooted in the spirit of Charles de Foucauld: the search for the face of God in silence, daily work, and universal brotherly love. He is considered a prophetic precursor of interreligious dialogue and inculturation in Africa. Instead of rejecting the traditions of the Kirdis outright, he sought within them the "seeds of the Word," affirming that their traditional festivals, such as the festival of the wine of God (Ozom ga jigla), bear witness to an authentic relationship with the Creator. He also succeeded in building bridges of fraternity and mutual respect between the Kirdis and the Muslim populations of the region. His work continues today in Tokombéré through the Baba Simon College, a hospital, and various human development projects supported notably by the association "École pour la Vie," created in 1990 in connection with the Diocese of Créteil.