Together in Calling – Vocation, Accompanied in Formation – Preparation, Emerged in Triumph – Ordination, Brothers in Priesthood – Companions in Ministry, United in Eternity – Eternal Rest, Sealed by Faith – Covenant.
A Tribute to Very Rev. Fr. Alphonso Bokaye Mombo & Very Rev. Fr. Roland Gbandala Biah,
Formerly of the Metropolitan Catholic Archdiocese of Monrovia
There are moments in the life of the Church—and in the fragile, fleeting, and vulnerable rhythm of human existence—that do not announce themselves with rumbling thunders or thunderclaps, but pass quietly, almost invisibly, like a breath in the wind or a quite measured, whisper unnoticed. Yet time, with solemn authority, returns to unveil their depth, leaving hearts pierced with a realization too profound to ignore, disregard or set aside. There are also seasons of sorrow so heavy that they defy understanding—when grief does not come as a single wound, but as a double blow, striking the faithful with the unbearable loss of two devoted shepherds (Catholic priests) called home to God in haunting nearness. In such sacred sorrow, we are compelled to see beyond coincidence and into divine design, recognizing that some bonds are not merely formed by circumstance, but are patiently and deliberately woven by God through years of formation, shared sacrifice, and unwavering faith. The narrative of Very Rev. Fr. Alphonso Bokaye Mombo and Very Rev. Fr. Roland Gbandala Biah stands as one of those rare and consecrated unions of souls—a friendship born in the quiet discipline of formation, strengthened in the vineyard of service, and ultimately sealed in a mysterious and almost prophetic unity, even in death.
Their story is far more than that of two priests who served the Church; it is a profound testament to a sacred brotherhood forged in faith, refined through sacrifice, and deepened by years of shared devotion. Bound by loyalty, quiet endurance, and a spiritual unity that shaped both their lives and ministry, their friendship grew stronger and more luminous with time, never yielding to trials or the passage of years. What they shared was rare and enduring—a bond so deeply rooted in God that it transcended the limits of time and circumstance, ultimately echoing beyond life itself as a powerful witness to love, faith, and unbreakable communion.
Their journey together began in 1994 – 1995 at the St. Charles Lwanga Pre–Major Seminary, then located on the former St. Patrick’s Campus alongside St. Joseph Parish on Capitol Hill, Monrovia, Montserrado County, Liberia. As young men discerning the call of God, they entered the house of formation not merely as students, but as pilgrims seeking to understand the voice of the Lord in their lives. There, they studied spirituality, completing their formation in 1995. In those early days, what started as companionship among seminarians slowly blossomed into a deep and lasting bond.
That same year, 1995, their path continued together to St. Paul Major Seminary in Sowutuom, Accra, Ghana, where they pursued studies in Philosophy and Sociology. For two years, until 1997, they shared not only classrooms, lectures or meal hall but the daily discipline of prayer, study, reflection, and fraternity that shapes the heart of a priest. through which their vocations were gradually refined and their commitment to the priesthood deepened. Their formation was not merely intellectual; it was spiritual, communal, and deeply human. They were brothers walking the same road toward the same sacred calling.
After completing their philosophical studies, they returned to Liberia for a year of pastoral work in 1998, encountering the joys and struggles of God’s people. It was during this time that their vocation took firmer root and quietly forged even further. They were no longer only seminarians preparing for ministry—they were already becoming shepherds.
Soon afterward, they returned once again to Ghana, this time to Cape Coast, to pursue their theological studies. Those years of theology were years of spiritual growth, sacrifice, and preparation for the ultimate “yes” they would give to God.
In June of 2003, that “yes” was sealed forever when both men were ordained to the Sacred Priesthood. From that moment forward, their lives belonged entirely to God and to His people. What had begun as friendship had now become a brotherhood in the priesthood—a bond strengthened by shared mission, faith, and love for the Church.
Throughout their priestly lives, they served faithfully in their respective pastoral assignments. Very Rev. Fr. Alphonso Bokaye Mombo served as a Rector at St. Charles Lwanga Pre–Major Seminary in Pipeline, Paynesville, Montserrado, while Very Rev. Fr. Roland Gbandala Biah—Chaplain of the Archdiocesan Youth and Young Adult Association, guiding youth within the Church—ministered at St. Anthony Parish, Somalia Drive, Gardnerville, Montserrado. They celebrated the sacraments, comforted the afflicted, preached the Gospel, and walked with countless faithful through the joys and sorrows of life. Their priesthood was not simply a role—it was a life poured out in service.
Yet even after years of ministry, their brotherhood endured—resilient, richly fortified, and deeply rooted by grace.
In one of the most touching moments of their friendship, Rev. Fr. Alphonso B. Mombo stood by his brother when Rev. Fr. Biah lost his sister. When the time came to accompany the family in mourning, Fr. Mombo did not hesitate, hold back or delay. He travelled alongside his brother to Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, where they received the remains of Very Rev. Fr. Biah’s Sister from the Jonathan O. Monu Funeral Service in Big Joe Town, Buchanan before continuing the long journey to the village of Fr. Biah’s family, a narrow countryside road stretched quietly through the rural landscape, rural unpaved roads in Liberia are rugged, unpredictable, deeply tied, influenced, shaped and governed by the ebb and flow of the seasons—dusty and harsh in the dry months, muddy and difficult in the rains—yet essential to everyday life in the country’s interior. Its surface made of packed red earth and scattered gravel rather than smooth pavement, in the farthest, most isolated parts of Grand Bassa County. Tire tracks carved faint lines into the dusty ground, while small stones crunched under passing footsteps and wheels. On either side, tall grasses swayed gently in the breeze, and occasional trees cast uneven patches of shade across the winding path. They travelled for three to five hours outside Buchanan to reach the Biah’s village and participated in the burial rites.
Very Rev. Fr. Alphonso Bokaye Mombo drove through those winding miles, carefully navigating from one side to another, where road narrows into a single lane, tires spanned helplessly in thick mud, a strength he carried with zeal—firmly sealed in kindness, fidelity and commitment; just to stand beside his grieving brother, Very Rev. Fr. Roland Gbandala Biah, it was simply an act of friendship, compassion, and loyalty. A moment of shared sorrow would become one of the final chapters of their earthly journey together. Very Rev. Fr. Alphonso Bokey Mombo who came to comfort would soon share in the same suffering, and within days both men—who had walked the same path of formation, priesthood, and friendship for decades—would depart this world almost side by side. What began as a gesture of solidarity on a lonely village road would, in time, echo as a profound symbol of their inseparable bond: two priests, two friends, two Liberians, separated by geographical location, one nationality, whose lives—and whose final days—remained mysteriously and deeply intertwined.
For a brief period, they remained there with the family—sharing meals, memories, grief, and prayer. They supported the family, honoured the deceased, and fulfilled the sacred duty of presence during a time of sorrow. In that quiet village setting, they lived out what it truly means to be brothers—not only in priesthood, but in humanity.
Following the burial rites, the priests returned to Monrovia and resumed their respective pastoral and academic responsibilities at their assigned parish and seminary. Shortly thereafter, both reportedly began experiencing similar health complications, including severe stomach pains and unusual bodily discomfort, which raised concern among colleagues and members of the faithful.
Amid ongoing public speculation surrounding the circumstances of their deaths, unconfirmed reports have alleged that the priests may have consumed contaminated tea while visiting a residence associated with a Religious Assembly—or Synagogue— in Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County. However, no official investigation or publicly released findings have conclusively established the cause of their illnesses or identified any individual or group as responsible. It has also been reported that Very Rev. Fr. Alphonso B. Mombo, who reportedly consumed the same tea, experienced related health concerns thereafter.
Tragically, their conditions worsened speedily, deteriorated rapidly and alarmingly spiralling beyond all comprehension.
Shortly afterward, Very Rev. Fr. Alphonso B. Mombo was taken to St. Joseph Catholic Hospital on Sunday of the new week. Doctors conducted several tests but were unable to find any clear diagnosis. The following day, Monday, Very Rev. Fr. Roland Gbandala Biah was also taken to the same hospital with the same symptoms and condition running parallel.
Despite medical efforts, the mystery of their illness remained unresolved.
On Wednesday, March 11, 2026, Very Rev. Fr. Alphonso B. Mombo joined rank with our ancestors/ laid down his earthly burdens and entered God’s eternal peace at St. Joseph Catholic Hospital, Congo Town, outside Monrovia. His sudden passing left the Church and his seminarians in deep shock and sorrow. A situation that I personally regard as collateral damage—an unintended or undesired consequence.
But the pain did not end there, it continues increasingly, it deepened relentlessly and grew more intense the day after.
On Thursday, 12th March 2026, Medical authorities at the St. Joseph Catholic Hospital observed that there were worsening internal crisis with Very Rev. Fr. Roland Gbandala Biah’s health and needed a transfer at the John F. Kennedy Hospital in Sinkor; for more advance care, through a procedure of dialysis (a process that removes waste, toxins, and excess fluid from the blood when the kidneys cannot function properly…); a day later, during the earlier morning hours of Friday, March 13, 2026, Very Rev. Fr. Roland Gbandala Biah also finished his race at John F. Kennedy Hospital and kept the faith/completed his earthly pilgrimage and returned to the father, to receive his eternal reward.
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord… for their works follow them…
They finished their course almost as one. And even in death, their witness speaks: that nothing offered to God in love is ever lost, and no bond forged in Him is ever broken.
Their deaths, occurring within the same week and under such similar circumstances, have left the Church and the faithful in deep sorrow and reflection. Yet there is also something profoundly symbolic and moving about their passing. These two men who began their journey together in formation, who studied together, prayed together, served God’s people together, and stood beside one another in times of grief—also departed this world within days of each other.
There also emerges, beneath the sorrow and solemnity of these repeated losses, a painful and unavoidable questions concerning the silence of many Catholic fraternities (the Ancient and Noble Order of the Knights and Ladies of St. John International and the Knights and Ladies of Marshall); inclusive of other ecclesiastical bodies within the Catholic Church in Liberia. Over the course of nearly a decade, from 2016 to the present, the Church has endured a succession of heartbreaking losses involving devoted priests whose deaths, occurring under troubling and widely discussed circumstances, have left many among the faithful burdened with grief, uncertainty, and lingering questions.
In 2016, the Metropolitan Catholic Archdiocese of Monrovia mourned the passing of Very Rev. Fr. Robert Blamo Koti, former Parish Priest of St. Mary’s Parish, Bushrod Island, who was a son of St. Anthony Parish, Somalia Drive, Gardnerville, and an alumnus of St. Michael Catholic High School on the New Georgia Road, Gardnerville, became widely remembered after his sudden illness and eventual death, which later became the subject of widespread speculation when he reportedly fell sick in a while, lost almost everything as in health and never recovered.
Years later, in 2021, the Church was once again plunged into sorrow with the death of Very Rev. Fr. Charles E. Boyce, former Parish Priest of Immaculate Conception Parish, Pipeline, Paynesville, who likewise was a son of St. Anthony Parish, Somalia Drive, Gardnerville, and an alumnus of St. Michael Catholic High School on the New Georgia Road, Gardnerville, whose prolonged illness under similarly unsettling circumstances generated public concern and painful reflection among many faithful Catholics.
The anguish intensified further in March 2026 when the Church lost two additional devoted priests closely associated with the same parish community: Very Rev. Fr. Alphonso Bokey Mombo, who had previously served as Assistant Priest at St. Anthony Parish under the late Monsignor Edward Jackson, and Very Rev. Fr. Roland Gbandala Biah, who at the time of his passing served as Resident Priest in charge of St. Anthony Parish.
Yet amid these recurring tragedies, many faithful Catholics have observed what appears to be a noticeable, conspicuous and persistent silence from several Catholic fraternities and Church associations — a quietness that, to some, risks being interpreted not merely as pastoral caution or institutional prudence, but as a reluctance to openly confront painful realities affecting the welfare, safety, and protection of the clergy.
While the Church must always proceed with wisdom, restraint, and respect for due process, authentic fraternity is measured not only through ceremonial unity, shared liturgies, ordinations, solemn gatherings of the faithful, moments of pastoral solidarity, collective acts of spiritual communion, visible expressions of ecclesiastical solidarity, visible demonstrations of pastoral care, the sacred bonds of priestly fellowship, funeral rites…, but also through the moral courage to seek truth, encourage transparency, defend the dignity of brother priests, and provide reassurance to the faithful entrusted to its care.
For the faithful do not seek division within the Holy Mother Church, nor conflict with ecclesiastical authority; rather, they yearn for compassionate leadership, truthful engagement, and a fraternity courageous enough to stand not only beside one another in celebration and mourning, but also beside truth and justice whenever uncertainty and sorrow cast long shadows over the lives and deaths of their fellow shepherds.
It is as if their brotherhood was never meant to be separated.
The lives of Very Rev. Fr. Alphonso B. Mombo and Very Rev. Fr. Roland Gbandala Biah remind us that priesthood is not merely about ministry; it is about relationship—with God, with the Church, and with one another. Their story speaks of devotion, allegiance, selflessness, steadfast dedication, and unyielding commitment to their calling.
They walked together as seminarians.
They stood together as priests.
They comforted others in times of mourning.
They carried the burdens of many with quiet strength.
They preached hope in moments of despair.
They served with humility, wherever they were called.
And in a mysterious way, they completed their earthly journey almost together.
Today, the Church mourns two faithful servants of God. Their parish and Pre – Major Seminary mourn their pastor and rector respectively. Their families mourn their sons, brothers, uncles, nephews and cousins. Their fellow priests mourn beloved companions in ministry, the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Monrovia mourns their passing, and the entire Catholic Church in Liberia shares in the sorrow of losing two faithful and devoted servants of God.
Whoever perpetrated this senseless and cruel act against the Holy Mother of God Church has inflicted a wound that reaches far beyond the immediate families and loved ones of the two Catholic priests in Monrovia. This heartbreaking loss has sent shockwaves through a wide cross-section of society—touching the faithful, the academic sphere, and social circles alike. It is a tragedy that has stirred collective grief, sober reflection, and a deep sense of shared loss across the nation.
Such an act not only violates the sanctity of life but also desecrates a sacred space that stands as a symbol of hope, compassion, and spiritual refuge. The pain felt today is profound, echoing through communities bound together by faith, learning, and humanity.
Beneath the scorching golden sunlight of a calm tropical Tuesday afternoon, Monrovia moved at its usual steady rhythm along the Atlantic coast. On 12th May 2026, amid a warm and reflective atmosphere across the capital and its environs — under the shimmering skyline and bustling avenues of the capital, while commercial centres, crowded streets, and neighbourhoods carried on in their daily rhythm; we read on various influential religious and social media platforms about the conclusion of the investigation into the mysterious deaths of our local shepherds, Very Rev. Fr. Alphonso Blamo Mombo and Very Rev. Fr. Roland Gbandala Biah. Through the Coroner’s Office of the Liberia National Police (Inspector Gregory O. W. Coleman), a communication was served to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Monrovia to proceed with funeral arrangements for the deceased brothers, indicating that their remains had been released to the Church for burial rites. However, neither the Church nor the Liberia National Police has disclosed the cause of death of the two faithful servants. Although investigations have reportedly been concluded, certain ambiguities and unanswered questions remain, leaving room for continued reflection and concern. While some perspectives have suggested possible links within familiar circles, it is important that such matters be approached with caution, fairness, and respect for all involved. In moments like these, restraint and a steadfast commitment to truth are essential in preserving unity and preventing further harm.
It is believed by some observers that the Metropolitan Catholic Archdiocese of Monrovia may have exercised a degree of discretion in its engagement with the Liberia National Police during the ongoing investigation into the deaths of the two Catholic priests, possibly to shield the image and integrity of the Church from public ridicule and controversy. This perception has been further fuelled by the limited public disclosure surrounding the autopsy findings, the evidence gathered by investigators, and the conclusions subsequently reached on the matter.
Additionally, there are suggestions that the newly installed Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Monrovia may be confronting certain administrative and pastoral challenges within his ecclesiastical jurisdiction, particularly regarding oversight of some members of the clergy. As a result, it appears that the current situation is being approached with considerable caution, prudence, and sensitivity, given the potential implications for both the Church and the wider faithful community.
Yet even in the face of such darkness, there remains an enduring belief in divine justice. Our Divine Providence, in its perfect wisdom and time, will render what is due. May it also grant comfort to the grieving, strength to the faithful, and peace to the souls of the departed.
Amid our sorrow, we are reminded of the words of Scripture: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
But heaven, we trust, has welcomed two devoted shepherds who gave their lives in service to the Gospel.
Though their voices are now silent and their altars stand empty of their presence, their legacy of faith, service, and fraternity will continue to inspire generations to come.
And may their extraordinary friendship and brotherhood remain a lasting testimony that true vocation is not only about answering God’s call—it is also about walking that journey faithfully with others until the very end.
It is with deep sorrow and heartfelt gratitude that I reflect on the lives and ministry of Very Rev. Fr. Alphonso B. Mombo and Very Rev. Fr. Roland Gbandala Biah, whose service to the Church and dedication to the spiritual formation of young people left a lasting impact on many lives.
I first came to know Very Rev. Fr. Alphonso B. Mombo when he was assigned to St. Anthony Parish as a young associate priest, under the pastoral administration of the late Monsignor Edward Jackson, a devoted and long-serving former parish priest in residence, widely respected for his years of faithful service. During that time, I had the privilege of working closely with him while serving as Head of Knights of the Altar (KOTA) – Mass Servers, Acolytes or Altar Boys. As a young priest, he supervised the Mass Servers with great dedication, guiding many of us with the care and mentorship of an elder brother, especially during the challenging years following the Liberian civil crisis (War, War 1, 2 and 3), 2003.
I also came to know Very Rev. Fr. Roland Gbandala Biah through Very Rev. Fr. Gabriel M. M. K. Sawyer, another of their classmates and a former assistant parish priest at St. Anthony Parish, who later became an ex–Catholic priest; reportedly following personal challenges and the exercise of his discretion in matters relating to the authority of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Monrovia. Fr. Roland Gbandala Biah had only recently taken up his assignment as resident priest in charged of St. Anthony Parish before his untimely passing. Through them, I witnessed a shared commitment to pastoral service and the formation of young Catholics.
Their mentorship helped shape the lives of many young people, not excluding myself, instilling faith, discipline, and hope for the future. I hold enduring gratitude, with deep appreciation, for the invaluable guidance, support, insight, and direction they provided — while with us.
As we mourn their passing, we thank God for the gift of their lives and the impact of their ministry. May the Lord grant them eternal rest, and may their souls rest in perfect peace.
May the souls of Very Rev. Fr. Alphonso B. Mombo and Very Rev. Fr. Roland Gbandala Biah rest in the eternal peace of Christ whom they served so faithfully.
Rest now, dear Fathers. Though taken from us too soon, you remain forever priests in the eternal Order of Melchizedek, and your ministry will live on in the faith of the people you served.
May the Good Shepherd whom they served with devotion welcome them into His eternal peace.
Trees planted by human hands, in their quiet growth, unfolded almost unnoticed — until the world felt on them.
N/B:
The primary or dominant figure of speech in the immediate above paragraph is Metaphor – trees represent something else—their vocation, formation, or spiritual growth, supported by:
- Symbolism — the tree functions as a symbol of growth, rootedness, life and long-term formation, people, institution, ideas…
- Imagery — a visual image of a tree slowly growing
- Personification — the phrase “growth unfolded” gives the growth an almost human-like action or quality, which can be considered a slight or mild personification.
- Hyperbole — “the world felt on them” it exaggerates the impact, suggesting a very large or huge influence of human iniquity, unrighteousness, ungodliness, sinfulness, cruelty…
- Contrast — “quiet growth” / “almost unnoticed” versus “the world felt on them”.
