REV. FR. BEKOMSON: A LIVING HOMILY OF HOPE AMONG THE POOR
In a city often crowded with clamour and care, one Catholic priest stands out as a serene sign of sacrificial service, a shepherd whose sandals are dusted with the soil of the slums and whose cassock brushes the burdens of the broken. With pastoral patience and prayerful purpose, he has made charity not merely a concept from the Catechism but a concrete calling lived daily among the poor and the powerless.
Moved by the Gospel mandate and nourished by the grace of the Sacraments, this devoted servant of God routinely visits slums and shanties, widows and orphans, the sick and the struggling. Like the Good Samaritan of Scripture, he stoops with sympathy, carrying not only comforting words but also foodstuffs, clothing, and other basic necessities. His ministry mirrors the Corporal Works of Mercy, transforming theology into tangible tenderness.
Through his Inspiro Charity Organisation, a name that fittingly reflects its life-giving mission, he has reached countless lives and embarked on several charity outreaches across communities. Inspiro has become an instrument of hope, inspiring solidarity and spreading the social teachings of the Catholic Church through action. From feeding the hungry to clothing the cold, from supporting the sorrowful to strengthening the struggling, the organisation continues to be a channel of Christ’s compassion.
Some Catholics within his Archdiocese of Calabar and beneficiaries alike, describe him as a priest with a pastoral heart and a preferential option for the poor. His homilies are humble, his hands are helpful, and his heart is habitually attuned to the cries of the needy. In him, faith finds flesh, and liturgy flows naturally into life.
Currently serving as the Pastor of St. Charles L’Wanga Catholic Church, Essien Town, Calabar, Cross River State, he balances altar and alleyway, sanctuary and street. From celebrating the Holy Eucharist to consoling the sorrowful, from administering the Sacraments to distributing sustenance, his priesthood is a seamless blend of prayer and practice.
In an age yearning for authentic witnesses, this priest’s generous virtue glows like a gospel lamp on a hill. His life reminds us that the Church is most credible when her clergy are close to the poor, and that charity, when clothed in humility, becomes a powerful proclamation of Christ’s love.
Anthony Ekpo Bassey, PhD, teaches Journalism at the University of Calabar, Cross River State.
