By Patrick Stephen Tokpah
/BONG
The Reverend Father Paul Voisard Memorial Fund, a U.S.-based nonprofit Christian Charity organization, has presented US$2,000 to the Catholic Diocese in Gbarnga, Bong County.
The Reverend Father Paul Voisard Memorial Fund was established in 2011 to support the Catholic Diocese of Liberia’s efforts in enhancing education assistance and aims to provide much-needed resources to underserved students.
According to the Deputy Executive Director for Education and Manpower Development at the Reverend Father Paul Voisard Memorial Fund, Saye Julius Gondoun, said the fund presented is intended to buttress the students who are attending the St. Paul Seminary School at the Catholic Diocese of Gbarnga.
The Reverend Father Paul Voisard Memorial Fund, according to Gondoun, was established to raise funds and help underprivileged students in Africa, especially Liberian students.
He further noted that the Reverend Father Paul Voisard Memorial Fund is intended to appropriately honor the humanitarian legacy of the late reverend, who was a benevolent catholic priest and worked for the Diocese of Gbarnga before the Liberian Civil War.
The Deputy Executive Director for Education and Manpower Development at the Reverend Father Paul Voisard Memorial Fund revealed that with the help from the Catholic Diocese of Columbus, the Mission Office, was able to generate funding to support the educational initiatives mainly in the Diocese of Gbarnga where Father Paul Voisard lastly worked in Liberia.
Gondoun described the fund as initial financial assistance to benefit students at the St. Paul Seminary Gbarnga.
“We leave it to the discretion of the Bishop’s Office or the Administration of St. Paul Seminary to determine the appropriate number of beneficiaries and their selection criteria,” Gondoun added.
Gondoun informed the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Gbarnga Bishop Anthony F. Bowah that the entity has also selected scholarship opportunities and future financial assistance within the Diocese of Gbarnga which include St. Lawrence Catholic School in Ganta, St. Mary’s Catholic School in Sanniquellie, Nimba, and St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Voinjama in Lofa County.
The organization, at the same time, recognized Bishop Bowah’s deep pastoral care and commitment to the people of the Diocese of Gbarnga, adding “We are equally motivated to be with you as we humbly request that you serve as spiritual advisor for the initiatives of the fund. Your wisdom and guidance would be invaluable in ensuring that our efforts remain faithful to the Gospel’s call to serve the least among us.”
The Reverend Father Paul Voisard Memorial Fund team lead further asked the Bishop and students to continue to pray for the entity as it strives to fulfill its mission, bringing hope and tangible support to those most in need.
However, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Gbarnga, Anthony F. Bowah, lauded the organization for the cash donation.
The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Gbarnga, established in 1987, covers Bong, Lofa, and Nimba Counties in north-central Liberia, told the gathering that the Church is resolved to work with the organization for the overall betterment of the Catholic Church in Liberia.
Father Boniface Tye and the Student Representative of the St. Paul Seminary, Soniaka Dedonnie Wesley, expressed gratitude to the leaders of the Reverend Father Paul Voisard Memorial Fund of the Catholic Diocese of Columbus, the Mission Office based in the United States of America for the assistance.
The duo said the cash donated will help students at the St. Paul Seminary in the Catholic Diocese in Gbarnga, Bong County.
Father Tye and Student Wesley assured the delegation of their readiness to work with them in their quest to assist students who are doing their priestly study, something they believe will make the Catholic church a better place for all humanity, where good governance, justice, peace, and prosperity will be kindled on discipline and mutual respect.
Rev. Father Paul Voisard Memorial Fund Donates To Gbarnga Catholic Diocese
