A Little History

It all started with the ordination of Fr. Martial Oya.

When the parish priest in Tonga, Cameroon announced to his faithful that their own Martial Oya would be ordained as a priest in the United States on January 14, 2012, Tonga started loving Texas. That spontaneous and true love immediately started producing its fruit. In June 2012, the large building of École Catholique Saint Jean-Baptiste (St Jean-Baptiste Catholic School) of Tonga was renovated with the help of Father Martial's friends based in Houston. In July, Fr. Martial celebrated his first mass here and the renovated building was blessed. For the first time in 80 years, the students had nice cemented, clean and painted classrooms with solid doors and windows.

Tonga Education Fund Inc. was established to oversee continuing support for École Catholique Saint Jean-Baptiste.

Positive Changes

The Catholic school in Tonga is now a shining example in the community. The improved physical condition of the facilities means that teachers and students are able to go stay clean of mud or dust in the classrooms, helping to improve the health of both. Academic achievement has also significantly improved. Unlike in the past, classes are able to start promptly, allowing students to complete the whole program on time. This has contributed to 100% of graduating students now being admitted to the bilingual high school of Tonga..

Helping Children in Tonga

Fr. Andre-Marie Yamenji —Manager of Ecole Catholique Saint Jean-Baptiste, reports that many parents are transferring their children from government schools to register them in our donor supported Saint Jean-Baptiste in order to provide them a better Catholic based education.