Beyond the Clouds by Fr. Jacob Nampudakam, S.A.C. | Page 46

2004-2010 • General Consultor of the Society
Years back, I accompanied the then-Rector General, Fr. Fritz Kretz, on his
visitation to the Region of the Most Holy Trinity, Cameroon. Our community is
in Kribi, which lies very close to the Atlantic Ocean. After lunch, when taking
a little walk around the house, I noticed a small bush. To my surprise, it
marked the tomb of a German Pallottine Brother. He was only 24, and likely
perished from malaria. Though his stone rested alone, he was not.
Going to the remote missions on distant continents was an adventure for
Christ. Unprotected and unaccustomed in every way, so many of these young
men left for the Eternal shore too soon. Yet of those who lived, one of the
strongest of them all was Bishop Henryk Vieter. He founded not only the
Pallottine's presence in Cameroon, but the Catholic Church itself. An
extraordinary priest and missionary, he is buried in the capital city of
Yaoundé. I went to his tomb in May 2018, and prayed for the beatification of
my confrere.
There are also similar missionary tombs in Broome, North Western Australia,
where the Pallottines were well known for their service of Aboriginal people. If
we traverse the Indian Ocean to Queenstown, South Africa, we will also find
the final resting place of many confreres.
It’s somewhat comparable to the lost generation sent to the front lines of the
first two World Wars, left to be shot down by another his age. Only in our
case, our soldiers were the young soldiers of Christ; who laid down their life so
that others may live, and the Kingdom of God may be established.
How many millions of youth were given the false fantasy of war, sacrificing
their lives to defeat the forces of unimaginable evil. Let us make no distinction
among them as friends or enemies. It was likely not their choice; they were
thrown into a situation of no return. In the eyes of evil, their life was only
worth a bullet.
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