The Association of the Little Sons of the Eucharist (LSE)

Right from the beginning of the work of the Little Friends of Jesus and Mary Catholic Apostolate International through its various stages of development, the idea of founding a Religious Congregation has not for once crossed the mind of the Foundress or that of its members. They were simply an association of lay men and women of little formal education who were contented with spreading the teaching of the church on the Eucharist and doing charity with their gifts and talents. They knew nothing about the priestly or religious life and were only interested in using their wealth to sponsor seminarians in various dioceses and congregations who would, as priests, take the teachings of the Church on the Eucharist to the ends of the earth. However, one issue that was always very evident in the work of the Apostolate (in prisons, hospitals, orphanages, destitute homes, inner ñ city slums, etc) since its inception was the necessity of always having Catholic priests among them to attend to the sacramental needs of the poor. At different times in the development of the apostolate, priests from different dioceses have volunteered to work with the members but on a part-time basis because they had other pastoral engagements. The result was that some of the sick people they had cared for died in their hands without receiving the needed sacraments because priests were not available. Fallen Catholics who returned to the faith as well as converts from other denominations had to wait till eternity before they could receive the necessary sacraments. Their work was incomplete without the administration of these sacraments.

In the Republic of Cameroon, the issue of non availability of priests to administer the necessary sacraments to those the Apostolate members have attended to became a much greater problem than it was in Nigeria due to the fewness of priestly vocations in the Diocese of Buea. It broke the hearts of the ever-zealous members of the Apostolate to see Catholics and converts swept away by Pentecostal preachers who were always available and ready to attend to their urgent spiritual needs. It should be noted that the Little Friends of Jesus and Mary Catholic Apostolate International spends a fortune yearly in supporting the training of seminarians in various dioceses and congregations in Cameroon and Nigeria, yet they lack priests who would administer the necessary sacraments in the course of their work. This was the problem that gave rise to the vision of founding a male religious congregation that would not just administer the sacraments but take up in full the work of the Apostolate and live out the core values of her spirituality which is to Adore Jesus in the Eucharist (contemplative prayer), to Live the Eucharist (doing charity) and to Reveal to others Jesus in the Eucharist (teaching about the Eucharist)

Having seen the huge impact the work of the Little Friends of Jesus and Mary Catholic Apostolate International has made in the Diocese of Buea, the need to expand their work in other poor communities in the Diocese, the problem of non-availability of priests to administer the needed sacraments and most importantly having been convinced that the work of the Apostolate is necessary for the renewal of the Church in Cameroon, the Local Ordinary of Buea Diocese, His Lordship, Most Rev. Dr. Immanuel Bushu decided to establish the Little Sons of the Eucharist (male) and the Little Flowers of Our Lady Mother of the Eucharist (female) as Public Associations of the Faithful with the intention of becoming Religious Congregations. He approved the establishment of Little Sons of the Eucharist temporary Formation Houses (postulate and novitiate) in the Small Soppo area of Buea Town, Cameroon. At this period, a few of the seminarians who had been under the sponsorship of the Apostolate formally withdrew from their various congregations to join the Association of Little Sons of the Eucharist. They did their formation under well known religious priests and renewed their vows in the Association thereby becoming the first set of members of the Little Sons of the Eucharist.