The Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of our Lady of the Holy Rosary (MSHR), Cameroon Region, from December 17 to 18, 2025, joined the family and well-wishers in Kumba Diocese to celebrate the life of one of their own, Sr. Teresa Marie Epie, popularly known as Sr. TM, who was the very first Cameroonian MSHR, and first African MSHR to live up to the age of 99.
“We thank God for the gift of long life which he bestowed on our dear Sr. TM,” accentuated Sr. Martina Ogar, Regional Leader of the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary, Cameroon Region, in an address after the December 18, 2025, funeral Mass at the Sacred Heart Cathedral, Fiango – Kumba.
Sr. Ogar and others had wished and prayed that Sr. TM reach the age of 100 years, come May 18, 2026; and plans were underway towards this significant milestone, “but God’s ways are not our ways, and so heaven has to gain at our expense,” she surrendered.
According to her, Sr. TM was the epitome of what the Religious life stands for. “She was kind at heart, a very jolly and generous person, who would share the little she had with everyone. Humble, simple, and down-to-earth, a woman of wisdom, an icon of perseverance, and a committed servant of God,” she recalled.
In a homily during the December 18, 2025 funeral Mass, the Most Rev. Agapitus Nfon, Bishop of Kumba Diocese, described the life of Sr. TM at 99 as a blessing and “a faith-filled life with enduring love for God and hope in the Resurrection,” as he called on Christ’s faithful to celebrate the life of the iconic figure, and not grieve so much like “ungrateful people”.
“Dying at 99 is a blessing, and as we know from Psalm 90 that our lifespan is 70 or 80 for those who are strong, then dying at 99 is exceptionally strong and a blessing,” he underscored, calling on all to surrender with faith and gratitude to God and say, like the noble and holy man, Job, “the Lord has given, the Lord has taken back, may His Name be praised”.
To him, even at 99, Sr. TM’s life still had so much to teach; “It was her patience, perseverance, tolerance, determination, her faith in God, and love for the Consecrated life, and above all, her love for Christ that kept her going,” he noted, adding that it was a thing to admire, to thank and praise God for.
In a tribute, Sr. Franca Onyibor, Congregational Leader of the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary, based in Ireland, described the fallen missionary, Sr. Teresa Marie, as “an icon of God’s mission. To her, the death of Sr. TM, who was a valued member of the Congregation, while sorrowful, marked a beautiful homecoming to the loving embrace of the Lord whom she loved and served so faithfully. Her death is “a final YES to God’s call to return to our eternal home,” she added.
The Congregational Leader described Sr. TM, who over 60 years dedicated her life to serving God’s people, as one who genuinely loved people, particularly the marginalized, as evident in her hospitable nature and attentive listening to their stories, and who often shared her own stories in return.
She lauded the deceased for her courage to have embraced the missionary vocation at a time when it was very uncommon among her own people, in the Bakossi land. “You persevered in this faith journey through countless acts of kindness, hours spent in prayer, teaching children, visiting the sick and the poor, and giving of yourself without reservation. Your cleanliness – truly ‘next to Godliness,’ became one of the core values you instilled in all who shared life with you,” she affirmed.
As the first Cameroonian MSHR, the Congregational Leader, in the tribute, appreciated Sr. TM’s enthusiasm for vocation animation within the Congregation, which was clearly demonstrated in her diligent manner of preparing for Aspirants’ Live-in, as well as the songs, arts, and hygiene skills she imparted on the young women.
In the words of Sr. Onyibor, Sr. Teresa Marie enriched community life with her great sense of humour, humility, and active presence, especially among the Sisters. She endured the pain of sickness over the years, which, for the Congregational Leader, “taught us lessons of resilience, trust in God, and courage in the face of suffering.
The late Sr. TM’s delightful sense of humour, which made her bring out the funny aspects of even a serious situation, “sometimes with a bit of sarcasm,” was further testified by her grand-nephew, Rev. Fr. Charles Ajebe-Sone, in a homily during the first vigil Mass of December 17, 2025, at the St. Francis Mission Station, Fiango.
In an interview with Radio/TV Evangelium, Kumba, Sr. Ebele Onwuatuelu, MSHR, a community member of Sr. Teresa Marie, up to her death, described her as a “community person,” very generous and one who enjoyed the company of her Sisters in the community.
Rev. Fr. Vincent Mesue, Education Secretary of Buea Diocese, who knew Sr. TM personally, in an interview with Radio/TV Evangelium, Kumba, described her as “a very simple woman” and one who could radiate joy even in a very tense atmosphere.
Speaking to Radio/TV Evangelium, Kumba, Mr. Meruku Martin Elondo (70years old), revealed that he became used to Sr. TM in the 90’s while she was taking him and his wife-to-be in a marriage doctrine. According to him, when Sr. TM retired from active service, she handed to him all the books she had been using for catechism, so that he could continue using them to teach the faith.
In a vote of thanks at the end of the December 18 funeral Mass in Kumba, Sr. Martina Ogar, on behalf of the Congregation, expressed profound gratitude to the Chief Shepherd, Bishop Agapitus Nfon, who had officiated at the Mass, for the love and care he showered on Sr TM, while she lived, and especially for ensuring that she availed of daily Masses.
She was equally indebted to the Very Rev. Fr Bernard Ngalame, Vicar of the Diocese for his presence, Very Rev. Fr. Raphael Kolle, Canon of the Cathedral and Vicar for Religious, for ensuring the smooth flow of all the vigil and funeral Masses, all concelebrating priests, religious men and women, the biological and extended family of Sr. Teresa Marie Epie; the Sango Epie’s family members to the third generation after Sr. TM and the Ajebe-Sone’s family for the love and care they showered on Sister TM when she was alive.
She prayed that the bond between the family and the congregation would stay strong even after the death of Sr. TM.
She was grateful to all the Christians of Kumba Diocese and beyond, the OPSANS, LESANS, FESANS, and all whom sister TM had impacted in some way, prayer and action groups, and all who had come to mourn with the Congregation and family.
Sr. Teresa Marie had spent the better part of her religious life in Kumba, and it was hoped by many, including the MSHR family, that her mortal remains would be laid to rest among the people with whom she had lived and served, in the Diocese of Kumba.
Contrary to public opinion, Sr. TM, some months before her death, had expressed to the Regional Leader her wish to be buried at the Congregation’s Cemetery, at Ngomgham, Bameneda. This was disclosed by Sr. Ogar during the December 18 funeral Mass at Fiango – Kumba.
“Where they bury our Sisters, I will be buried there,” she re-echoed Sr. TM’s words.
There had been a series of Masses celebrated for the peaceful repose of Sr. TM at different hours throughout the night since her removal from the Hope Clinic Mortuary, Kosala, on December 17. Hence, straight after the final funeral Mass at Kumba, Sr. Teresa Marie’s mortal remains were conveyed to the Akum Hospital Mortuary in the North West Region, awaiting December 20, 2025 when it was again removed and conveyed to the Immaculate Conception Parish Ngomgham, for the last funeral Mass, after which she was taken to the MSHR Cemetery at the premises of the Candidacy, and laid to rest.
The final funeral Mass in Ngomgham, Bamenda, was officiated by the Very Rev. Mongsr. Anothoy Viban, on behalf of His Grace, Andrew Fuanya Nkea, Archbishop of Bamenda, who was unavoidably absent, and concelebrated by a score of Priests from within and outside the Archdiocese.
Also present were several Consecrated Persons, LESANS, OPSANS, FESANS, among others, who had gathered to sympathize with the family and Congregation.
Sr. Teresa Marie Epie, MSHR, was the daughter of the Veteran Catechist, Sango Pius Epie, a man who, after the departure of the Pallotine Fathers from Cameroon, helped to spread the Gospel to the Forest Regions of Southern Cameroons – Ikassa, Kumba, Mamfe, and, in particular, Bakossi land, where he left very indelible footprints that will hardly be erased as far as the Catholic Church in the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda is concerned.
May the soul of Sr. Teresa Marie Epie and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in perfect peace. Amen.
By Sr. Sylvie Lum Cho, MSHR (Sister Communicator) and Fr. Blessed Ambang Njume (Radio/TV Evangelium, Kumba Diocese)
