Irish
Priest, Fr Rory O'Brien has constructed a monument in Late Catechist
Michael Timneng's Compound in Wombong, Njinikom Sub Division in Boyo
Division in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. This compound is about 700
metres from the tarred Bamenda-Fundong road, branching off from a
junction fondly referred to by the inhabitants as "Downtown Wombong".
This is in honour of the Late Michel Tim, the Pioneer Catechist for
present day St Anthony's Parish Njinikom, established in 1927. The
monument consists of a moulded crucifix, almost human size, housed in a
beautiful little house. the inside walls of the house has the names of
all the pioneer Christians who came from Fernando Po with the late
Michael Tim and who, later became catechumens, were baptised and others
became catechists in turn.
Michael
Timneng, dismissed as a stubborn palace guard from the Kom Palace by
the then Fon Ngam, and submitted for recruitment into the German
Schuttestruppe (German army during World War I). The Fon expected that
Timneng will be killed at the battle front as he was a thorn in his
flesh. Unfortunately for the Fon, Timneng returned unscathed. On his
return he made sure he led the men with whom he had returned from
Fernando Po (Present day Equatorial Guinea) straight to the palace to
pay homage to their Natural ruler. (Timneng whilst fighting mercilessly
to implant God's Kingdom in Kom never, for any moment nor reason,
despised the Fon. The Fon, on the contrary, looked upon this young man
as a threat to his rule and liberty, and always threatened him both
physically and otherwise.
When
Timneng and his small group appeared in the palace the Fon ordered
Timneng to remove his military boots and surrender them to the palace.
It was commonplace in those days that if the Fon or any prince admired
any thing whether it belonged to anyone or not it had to be surrendered
to the palace. Even your wife!
Michael
Timneng had returned with a wonderful treasure from Fernando Po, one
that was going to transform the lives of many of God's children and
bring relative sanity and discipline into the Kom Kingdom. It was a
Catechism in German. On their departure from Fernando Po, Timneng had
been identified as the only one among the inmates that could read some
German. He was then given this book to go and continue to teach the
Catholic Doctrine to his people, the job the German Pallotine Fathers
had started in Fujua before the First world war broke out.
His
assignment turned out to be very perilous as he suffered persecution
through detention, torture and poison attempts several times from the
Fon Ngam. Like Christ in the beginning of his Ministry, read from the
scroll at the temple, "... he sent me to give the good news to the poor,
to tell the prisoners they are prisoners no more, to set the
downtrodden free. Go tell everyone that God's Kingdom is at hand".
Michael
Tim's new doctrine attracted the Fon's wives, princesses and princes in
their hundreds. Many of these wives had only been forced into marriage
with the Fon. One of the first Princesses to escape was a certain Bi
wa'a. All the captives in the Kom Palace escaped to the Church.
Njinikom, which became synonymous with the Church became the England for
slaves during the abolition of Slave Trade. Just as any slave who set
foot on English soil became free, so did any captive from any where,
once in Njinikom, became free.
Guided
and guarded by the Holy Spirit Michael Tim survived murderous torture
from the hands of Ngong Fundoh, the Fon's hangsman (who ended a baptised
Christian (cf St Paul) christened 'Johnny'), poison attempts by the Fon
himself to imprisonment on tromped-up charges like Christ, by some
irreligious white colonial administrators.
Noteworthy
of all is his translation of the doctrine and prayers from German to
Kom language and his ability to read and interpret the Bible though he
was barely literate in German, another feat of the Holy Spirit.
Timneng
got married to Martha Chitu a young catechumen from Djichami and they
produced 14 children many of who died at very tender ages. The survivors
who lived up to reasonable ages include Cecilia Nayah (who married
Maurice Nkinyam and bore two Children), Casmir Komfum, Nke (RIP 2005),
Sylvester Tim (my father) RIP 1987, Patrick Madi'itia (rip 2013),
Cornelius Ghembesinitia,(rip 2006) Tih Francisca, Petronilla Ambu yinda
(now Mrs Nsei Petronilla), and Sebastiana Sah'ngwain whojoined the
Franciscan Sisters in Shisong and later left. (RIP 1975).
Michael
Tim himself passed onto eternity in December 1968. It is not really
clear when Timneng was born, but was estimated he was born around 1869.
It
was not until the appointment of Father Rory O'Brien as Parish Priest
of St Charles Borromeo Parish Fuanantui that some attention was raised
towards the role Timneng Played in implanting the Catholic Religion in
Kom. he set about to immortalise this brave soldier of Christ and the
result is what we see today. the whole compound has been transformed
into a pilgrim centre.
We
the grandchildren of Michael Tim, wish to appeal to the Church
Hierarchy to see how a beatification process could be started for this
soul we believe could eventually become a saint for his life seems to be
in no way different from that of several saints we have read..
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