Pope Leo XIV visits Yaoundé

Engelberg Monastery has been active in Cameroon since 1932. At first, confreres built up the seminary of the archdiocese of Yaoundé so that local clergy could be trained. The Engelberg monks then decided to found a monastery, which took up prayer and monastic life on Mont Febe on the first Sunday of Advent in 1964.

Brother Gerold Neff, who worked at Mont Febe for over 50 years, set up a carpentry workshop there that trains young people in the carpentry trade and leads them to complete an apprenticeship. Fr. Elie Tekam is the director of this important training center for young people. He lived in Engelberg for 7 years. During this time he studied theology in Fribourg and completed a simple training course in bookkeeping and management.
Pope Leo XIV will now visit Cameroon from April 15-18, 2026, as did Pope John Paul II (1985 and 1995). The Archdiocese of Yaoundé has commissioned the Mont Febe carpentry workshop to design and make the altar, the amboni, the papal chairs and the prayer chair for the Pope.

As the mother monastery, we are proud that our daughter monastery Mont Febe and its carpentry training center have been allowed to take over.