Accompanied by his SCJ confreres from the Stockport community, as well as other priests and several friends, Father Blaise Nsangou, SCJ, celebrated his 25th anniversary of priesthood in 2025.
Joined by SCJ confreres from the Stockport provincial community (including Provincial Hugh Hanley, Father David Marsden, SCJ, and Father Liam Rooney, SCJ), Father Michel Simo, SCJ, who came especially from Dublin, and several priest friends, Father Blaise celebrated a thanksgiving Mass on Divine Mercy Sunday 2025, marking his 25 years of priestly ordination.
The event took place at St. Brigid’s Parish in Manchester, England, under the guidance of the Spiritan priests, with strong involvement from the French-speaking African community in Manchester.
The celebration began at 12 noon in a festive atmosphere filled with joyous hymns that expressed not only happiness but also gratitude for the occasion. In his homily, Father Michel Simo Temgo, SCJ, highlighted three significant aspects of this Silver Jubilee:
- First, Father Blaise’s ordination took place during the Jubilee Year 2000, a Holy Year marked by Saint John Paul II’s call in his bull Novo Millennio Ineunte to “put out into the deep.” Father Blaise embraced this call and trusted in the Lord throughout the past 25 years, despite moments of doubt.
- Second, this Silver Jubilee is being celebrated during another Holy Year dedicated to hope (Spes non confundit “Hope does not disappoint”) (Rm 5:5), an invitation to place even greater trust in the Lord while giving thanks for the years gone by.
- Finally, the Jubilee celebration coincides with Divine Mercy Sunday, a feast instituted in the same year as his ordination, reminding us of the central role of divine mercy in the priestly vocation. Over the past 25 years, Father Blaise has celebrated the sacraments, built bridges between people, and above all, shared God’s love and mercy. This is therefore an opportunity to renew his love for the Lord by repeating: “Jesus, I trust in You.”
In his closing remarks, Father Blaise expressed heartfelt gratitude to the parish priest who made this celebration possible. He also thanked his SCJ confreres and the larger African Francophone community. The parish priest extended his congratulations, highlighting Father Blaise’s humility and simplicity as admirable traits, and commended his unwavering commitment to serving the African Parish Community.
Representatives from various groups then presented symbolic gifts to Father Blaise, starting with the Chairperson of the Parish Pastoral Council, followed by representatives from the Nigerian community of Manchester and the African Francophone community of Manchester.
After the Mass, the festivities continued in the parish hall with the blessing of the meal, the cutting of the anniversary cake, the popping of champagne, testimonies from Father Blaise, and dancing in a cheerful and warm atmosphere.
