To His Lordship Dr. Gabriel Mendy, CSSp, Bishop of The Gambia; the Honourable President and Head of State of The Gambia; Honourable Ministers; members of the clergy; the Catholic community in The Gambia; fellow Gambians at home and abroad; and friends and members of the Gambian diaspora:
Today, we come together as a nation, a community of faith, and a people bound by our shared humanity to mourn the passing of a truly remarkable woman, the late Ya Sarah Goddard Joof.
Ya Sarah was a woman of deep faith, integrity, dignity, compassion, and tolerance. She dedicated her life to the Catholic Church and to the values of faith, service, humility, and love for others. Her commitment to her faith was evident not merely in words, but in the life she lived and in the principles she upheld.
She was also a woman who understood and cherished one of the most precious traditions of our beloved Gambia: religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
The Gambia has long been known as a nation where people of different faiths live side by side in mutual respect and harmony. This tradition of religious tolerance did not begin with our generation. It existed among our people and our forefathers long before us, and it remains one of the values that continues to define the character of our nation.
Ya Sarah understood the importance of preserving that legacy. She appreciated that our religious differences need not divide us, but can instead remind us of the importance of respect, understanding, compassion, and peaceful coexistence.
Her passing is therefore not only a loss to her family, her friends, and the Catholic community; it is a loss felt by the wider Gambian community. We have lost a woman whose life embodied values that transcend religious and social boundaries—faith, integrity, tolerance, dignity, service, and love for humanity.
As we grieve, however, we must also give thanks for the life Ya Sarah lived and for the many lives she touched. Her legacy will live on in the memories of those who knew her, in the Catholic community she served, and in the values she stood for.
As Christians, we hold firmly to the hope of the New Jerusalem and the promise of eternal life. As we commend Ya Sarah’s soul to the mercy and loving care of Almighty God, we pray that the gates of heaven may be opened to receive her with open arms.
May she be welcomed into the presence of her Creator, where she may behold Him face to face and dwell forever in His eternal light. May the Lord, in His infinite mercy, forgive her every shortcoming and human failing. For we are all imperfect; we all stumble and make mistakes, and ultimately, we all depend upon the grace and mercy of God.
May Abraham and all the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and saints welcome her into their midst, and may the angels of heaven accompany her into eternal rest.
To Ya Sarah’s family, relatives, friends, fellow Catholics, and all those who had the privilege of knowing and loving her, we extend our deepest and most heartfelt condolences.
May God grant you strength and comfort in this time of sorrow, and may the memory of Ya Sarah’s life, faith, and service remain a source of consolation and inspiration.
Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace and rise in glory. Amen.
J.B.T. SENGHORE
Manchester, U.K.
