An unprecedented event | The first office dedicated to the Works of Mercy
The first Office dedicated to the Works of Mercy opens in Cameroon: a female leader for a historic event
An unprecedented event has taken shape in the Diocese of Bafia, Cameroon: the creation of the first Office of the Works of Mercy, an initiative desired and promoted by the spazio + spadoni movement
Created to spread and support works of mercy, this new Office marks a moment of great significance for the local Church and the entire Christian community.
L’Osservatore Romano reported the news in a March 10 article.
Sister Marie Noelle Messini has been appointed to head the Office, a clear sign of the desire to enhance the role of women in the mission of the Church.
The decision to entrust the leadership of this office to a nun fits perfectly into the context of the words of Pope Francis, who has always stressed the importance of works of mercy as the master way of Christian love.
“The works of mercy are the most beautiful works in life, they give glory to God more than anything else,” the Pontiff has indeed reminded us several times, inviting the faithful to live them concretely in their daily lives.
As the well-known newspaper of the Holy See points out, recounting the genesis of this important milestone,
the establishment of this structure starts from a process that has built a path of listening, formation, confrontation and proposal in the faithful and in the Church of this Cameroonian territory thanks to spazio + spadoni,” an Italian movement born in 2020 to foster in the world generative paths of mission of mercy and development of works of mercy.
Sister Marie Noelle, after participating in specific training with the movement, initiated an outreach process that involved priests, lay people and the entire diocese of Bafia. A journey in which a milestone was the Forum on Works of Mercy held in June 2024, organized with the collaboration of the local 
curia and under the supervision of Bishop Emmanuel Dassi Youfang.
The event was attended by all the presbyters of the diocese, who have since become true ambassadors of “Opera M,” the initiative of spazio + spadoni” aimed at the concrete promotion of works of mercy through cultural and operational paths.
Now, with the official launch of the office, Sister Marie Noelle will begin widespread work in the territory, visiting parishes to create local pastoral groups and coordinating outreach and training
initiatives. In parallel, spazio + spadoni will work with the curia to identify effective tools and strategies that can deeply root the practice of works of mercy in the daily life of communities.
Between the lines, L’Osservatore finally highlights a thought that fully mirrors that of Luigi Spadoni, founder of the movement, namely that “the birth of this Office represents not only a concrete response to Pope Francis’ call, but also a significant step toward a new model of ecclesial mission, where mercy becomes an engine of social and spiritual change”.
In addition to the fact that “the choice of a woman to lead this structure is a strong signal of renewal and recognition of the female role in the Church”, a living witness to the call to mercy as the privileged way of the Gospel.
With enthusiasm and dedication, Sister Marie Noelle Messini is preparing to lead this new adventure of faith and service, embodying the Gospel message in an area that welcomes this historic initiative with hope.
Read the article from “L’Osservatore Romano” (Italian language)