Catholic Church Bids Farewell To Deceased Priests
Reported by: Prince Saah
Monrovia, Liberia –Silence filled the Sacred Heart Cathedral Friday morning as mourners gathered before two coffins placed side by side, an image that captured decades of friendship, faith, sacrifice, and service. It was not merely a funeral on May 29, 2026; it was the final chapter of a brotherhood that had shaped lives, ministries, and communities across Liberia. Hundreds of Catholics, religious leaders, government officials, family members, and friends packed the cathedral on Broad Street for the Mass of Resurrection of Rev. Father Alphonsus B. Mombo and Rev. Father Roland G. Biah, two priests whose deaths days apart have left a deep void within Liberia’s Catholic community.
However, standing before the congregation was the Vicar for Priests, Very Rev. Father McDonald Nah, their classmate, brother in vocation, and fellow traveler in a journey spanning decades. With remarkable calm and steady composure, Fr. Nah transformed what could have been a ceremony dominated by grief into a profound reflection on vocation, friendship, and faith. His words immediately transported worshippers back to the early 1990s when the late Archbishop Michael Kpakala Francis issued a passionate appeal to Liberian families to encourage priestly vocations during one of the country’s most difficult periods.
He narrated that the call would eventually bring together sixteen young men from different backgrounds and communities, including Mombo and Biah, who would later become inseparable figures in a brotherhood forged through shared sacrifice. Explaining, Father Nah said their journey began at Queen of Apostles Pre-Major Seminary before continuing through years of philosophical and theological formation in Ghana and Liberia; adding, what started as classmates sharing classrooms gradually evolved into something deeper, a lifelong fraternity.
Also, the vicar for priests recounted painful memories of losing classmates, surviving the uncertainties of civil conflict, and watching war disrupt carefully laid plans for ordination and ministry. Yet amid the destruction surrounding them, their unity only strengthened. “The war scattered many things, but it did not scatter our brotherhood,” Fr. Nah told mourners as many listened silently with tears rolling down their faces.
He explained that when Archbishop Francis called them back home during Liberia’s difficult years for ordination, it was intentional. The future priests needed to understand the pain of the people they would eventually serve,” he said. According to him, for Mombo and Biah, priesthood became more than ministry; it became a commitment to accompany people through suffering, uncertainty, and hope.
Over the next two decades, the group affectionately called “theologians” by Archbishop Francis celebrated ordinations, anniversaries, transfers, and milestones together. Despite assignments sending them to different communities and parishes, the bond remained intact, he added.
Then came tragedy; with tears in his eyes, he told the congregation that Father Mombo died on March 11, 2026, while Fr. Biah followed just two days later on March 13, creating a painful reality few among their surviving brothers imagined they would face.
“A story we never imagined,” Father Nah admitted, his voice measured but heavy with emotion.
Throughout his reflection, Father Nah repeatedly returned to one message: their journey was never about personal achievement but about answering Christ’s call. “Our journey was never only about us; it was about Christ, who called us, sustained us, and now welcomes two of his faithful servants home,” he reminded mourners.
As the service continued, he challenged families to continue encouraging vocations, warning that without sacrifice and commitment from future generations, the Church’s mission becomes increasingly difficult. The priest said the true legacy of Frs. Mombo and Biah extend beyond sermons preached or parishes served, narrating that their greatest testimony was the example of friendship, loyalty, and faithfulness they demonstrated throughout their lives.
