About Us
Who Fr. Patrick Adeso was.
Rev Fr. Patrick Adeso was one of two boys born to a father of 7, Pa Adeso, in old town, big Mankon. His family being a well-established one, planned from when he was in high school, to send him abroad to further his education, just like his siblings, but this was far from what he wanted.
Fr. Patrick Adeso and Pa Jerome Chia shared a wealth of lifetime experiences together ranging from sharing a bamboo bed with fowls as teenagers, to both teaching at the Saint Joseph’s Primary School, big Mankon, to gaining admission into CCAST.
At CCAST, he emerged as one of the most brilliant students, with 11 GCE Ordinary level papers and 5 Advanced Level papers, and his outstanding academic results made him a great fit for admission into any university in the world. His siblings and other family members leveraged this to try to dissuade him from getting into priesthood and insisted on getting him an admission in a school abroad, but he stood firm in his goal of becoming a priest, and sidelined all their proposals.
When it was rumored that the Catholic Major Seminary in Bambui was to soon go operational, Fr. Adeso swore that he was going to do everything he could to get admission into the school, and with a lot of effort, he got admitted in September 1973 by Fr. Christian Tumi (who later became the cardinal) as one of the 12 pioneer students. He was later ordained by Mgr. Paul Verdzekov as a priest of the Diocese of Bamenda in April 19th, 1979. He would then proceed to join the Diocese of Kumbo upon its creation, and after working there for a while, he was sent to Rome in 1983, where he obtained a Master’s Degree in Sacred Scriptures (one of the longest and toughest areas in theological studies).
He returned afterwards, and taught at the seminary in Bambui, his alma mater, before once again, leaving for Rome in 1994, to obtain a PhD degree in Sacred Scriptures and then, a doctorate in Biblical Theology in 1998. He returned home the same year, and was posted to teach Sacred Scriptures at the Catholic University in Yaoundé.
Described as a man of deep spirituality, Fr. Patrick Adeso was Cameroon’s first National chaplain of the Catholic charismatic renewal. He was consultant to the Pontifical Council for culture, Academic director at the Central library of the Catholic University, President of the solidarity Fund at the Catholic University, Lecturer at the St. Cyprian Theological school of Ngoya in Yaoundé, and a prolific writer whose most recent publication was Fullness in Holiness.
Fr. Patrick Adeso had a plethora of opportunities presented him by his well-to-do family from a young age, but he looked away from them all, and chose to become a servant of God and the people, until his last breath.
He was an embodiment of brilliance, perseverance, integrity and selfless love. He touched and changed the lives of numerous people and this was why upon his death, Pa Chia Jerome and a few others became resolute to spring up a foundation in his name, in a bit to continue fostering his good works.
Our approach
Our Vision
The exemplary lifestyle of Fr. Patrick Adeso served as an inspiration to his friend and brother, Pa Chia Jerome and co to establish this foundation, with its vision primarily being to enable proper education for the poor and needy, especially those who aspire to become distinguished priests in the Roman Catholic church.
About the Founder/CEO
Pa Chia Jerome, founder of the Fr. Patrick Adeso Foundation Inc., was a classmate turned friend and brother to Fr. Patrick Adeso. Their journey together started as classmates at the Bishop Rogan College (BIROCOL), class of 1965 from where they both graduated, in 1970.
When Fr. Patrick’s brother got him a University admission in Germany, he turned down the opportunity and insisted that his friend, Pa Chia Jerome take it up instead. Their relationship, though from two distinct social class, was strong and genuine so much so that Fr. Patrick would often visit Pa Jerome in Njinikom for days, and undisturbedly share with him his bamboo bed, even with the fowls and roosters that slept not far from the bed, and sometimes, soiled it.
Their relationship further strengthened with time and they continued to explore educational challenges together from both graduating from BIROCOL in 1970, to applying as teachers at the St. Joseph’s Primary School, big Mankon, to getting admitted at CCAST Bambili in 1971.
The two friends only parted ways when Fr. Patrick had to go to the new Major Seminary School in Bambui, and Pa Jerome, to the University of Yaoundé, where he graduated as the first Anglophone with a degree in “Sciences Naturelles” in 1978.
Upon graduation, Pa Chia Jerome was assigned as instructor and head of Biology department in CCAST, Bambui, until 1980, when he left Cameroon on an academic scholarship to pursue graduate studies at the Tulane University’s school of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA, specializing in Parasitology.
He would later study at the University of Florida’s Department of Entomology and Nematology, specializing on tick and mosquito-borne diseases, publishing many peer-reviewed articles in the process.
The accomplished scientist would later dive into the field of health and Human services- a switch that gradually led him to owning his own business, one from which he is now retiring.
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