By Nelson Manneh
Father John Mendy said the death of the late Fr Bruno Toupan marks the end of his life journey on earth.
He said “life is a journey, and sometimes people can stumble and fall, but that does not mean life is nothing, life is something”. Fr John made these statements during the burial service of late Fr Bruno
Toupan, “We are all journeying together and the journey of late Fr Bruno ends here and the rest of us continue, what we need to do is to keep the faith because faith is the assurance we are having, it is what keeps us alive. I will urge all to take heart and continue the journey,” he said.
“The late Fr Bruno Toupan did so much to me, he leaves the life of humanity and humanity is very fundamental to every person because humanity is everything, there is nothing you can do. Humanity means he leaves a life of relationships, he is connected to people and he respects humanity.
The Late Fr Bruno was a great man and his legacy will continue to be. He always makes sure that he does all that which is assigned to him wholeheartedly. In any institution he worked for, you could see the transformation he did there. He is a man who accepted and respected any task that was assigned to him whilst on earth. He has a high sense of responsibility.”
On Friday 12 th April 2024, hundreds of Gambians and non-Gambians from different faiths assembled at the Holy Spirit Church in Banjul to pay their final homage to the late Fr Bruno.
Late Rev Father Bruno Toupan, former parish priest of the Holy Spirit Parish and principal of St Augustine’s Senior Secondary School died on Monday 25th March 2024. He was laid to rest on Saturday in Banjul.
Late Rev Father Bruno Toupan was born on April 16, 1968 and died on the 25th March 2024 at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH) in Banjul after a short illness.
Fr Bruno Toupan in November 2023 celebrated his 26 years in the priesthood. Many said Bruno has lived and achieved the commitment he made to God during his ordination day, 26 years ago as priest.
Prior to his demise, he served as principal of both St Peter’s Technical and St Augustine’s Senior Secondary Schools. He died whilst on active services.
His educational career has touched and changed the lives of hundreds of Gambians in the education sector. Many wept not because they will miss him but because he has contributed to their achievements.
“As educators we are always happy to celebrate the success of our students. I am always happy when I see my students excelling,” Late Fr Bruno said in one of his inspirational statements prior to his demise. Since the demise of late Fr Bruno, Gambians poured down many tributes on social media. Many of the tributes explain the life he lived whilst on earth.
