Holy Week has always been very
important to me, especially the Triduum. Holy Saturday Mass
is always so beautiful, bringing new Catholics in to the fold. The past
four years it was spent at the Cathedral of St. Paul, a magnificent piece of
art, and filled with the Holy Spirit. I loved spending my time
there.
This year Holy Week was spent in
Damongo, Savannah region in northern Ghana. I was a little concerned
about whether I would be able to get to the various Masses and how I would deal
with any differences from what I was used to. It was a different
experience, but I was not disappointed! As I said in an earlier
post, I am not bringing God to these people. God is already here!
The Saturday prior to Palm
(Passion) Sunday, there was a Lenten Walk, which consisted of a Stations of the
Cross procession up a large hill. As I climbed up, there were places I
was wondering how in the world I would ever get back down! Once at
the top, there was a vocations talk, questions and answers about the Catholic
faith, multiple priests heard Confessions and the day culminated with a
celebration of the Mass. It was a very beautiful day! It started at
8 am and I think I got home around 2:30 pm.
The following morning, Palm Sunday, we all met at the site of St. Anne’s Church (the original Cathedral) where we received our palms and had them blessed by the Bishop. We then processed down the main street of Damongo, carrying our palms, singing, music playing, to the site of the new Cathedral, which was opened in 2016, for the Mass of the Passion. It was a beautiful and joyous site.
We attended Holy Thursday Mass,
where the Bishop did the washing of the feet. We arrived home around 11
pm. Bright and early Friday morning at 7 am, all the girls of SAGISS met
at the front gates and we did the Stations of the Cross down the dirt road past
our campus. I had never been down the road in that direction, so it was
interesting to see what lay beyond the school. We sang songs between
stations and probably walked 1 ½ -2 miles. On the way home, we prayed the
Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. It was 2 hours of prayer and deep
contemplation of the passion of Christ. At 3 pm on Friday, we were back
at the Cathedral for the Passion readings and Veneration of the Cross.
Holy Saturday was very
special. It started with a huge, and very hot bonfire, which the
Bishop blessed and used the fire to light the Easter candle. The flame
from the Easter Candle was then disseminated among the large crowd of people
filing in to the Cathedral.
The past three years, I had been
an RCIA sponsor at the Cathedral of St. Paul. The Cathedral of St. Paul would
often have 25-30 new members entering the Church on Holy Saturday. We
were excited here at SAGISS, as 6 girls from SAGISS were coming into the
Catholic Church! Some were of the Muslim faith, others were of different
Christian denominations and others were from a traditional African religious
background. It was a very exciting night for them and all of us here at
SAGISS.
To my surprise, the Cathedral of
St. Anne in Damongo, had over 65 new elect! They crowded the
altar area, waiting for their turn to be Baptized and Confirmed. The
girls from SAGISS were over-joyed! It was another very late night,
arriving home about 2:30 am! Madam Pauline, the Headmistress, then
invited me in to her home for a glass of wine! I had to say yes to
celebrate the joy of Easter and the Risen Lord! My head did not reach the
pillow until after 3:20 am. I was feeling very happy and relaxed after
the wine and slept very well for 3 ½ hours when my alarm rang! I
had to be up at 7 am to be ready for the Bishop’s driver to pick me up for
Easter Mass at a neighboring parish one hour away. Bishop Peter Paul
wanted me to experience another parish in the Diocese.
As we drove in to the church yard
of Holy Trinity Parish in Sawla, there were many, many people outside
waiting. The church was jam packed! As the Bishop left for the Sacristy
to prepare for Mass, the Pastor led me through the crowd of people, to a chair
of honor on the side of the altar near the musicians. I was sitting
directly in front of the drum set and behind the ambo. They were crowding
as many people in as possible; the doorways were packed with people. A
truck filled with plastic chairs came for those who needed to be seated
outside. The youth choir was seated in the front few rows near me and
they were filled with loud, joyful voices, praising the Risen Savior! A
beautiful sound and sight to behold!
I thought 65 new converts to the
Catholic faith at the Cathedral of St. Anne was a lot, but this parish had 120
people being Confirmed by the Bishop and receiving their First Holy Communion
on Easter morning. The night before, at their Holy Saturday Mass, they
were all baptized. They lined the center aisle, filing in
two-by-two. It seemed to be a never-ending line of people eager to be
Confirmed and later to partake in Holy Communion.
Following Mass, I was invited to
have Easter dinner with the Bishop, two priests and two
seminarians. I mentioned I had been an RCIA sponsor for three years
and explained the program lasted 9 months, meeting once per week. They
were astonished, because each of the people baptized and confirmed in their
Diocese goes through RCIA, but it is a three year program, meeting not just
once per week, but oftentimes, twice per week. The main difference
appears that they allow anyone not born into the Catholic Church nor baptized over
7 years old to be a part of the program. So not all 120 Elect were
adults, but the ages ranged anywhere from 10 years of age to 80+ years
old.
The Easter Holy Week festivities
did not end with Easter Sunday. We had a Mass at the Diocesan Secretariat
Unity Center at 10 am Easter Monday. It was followed by a picnic, where
people brought food to share, vendors sold food and drinks, and there were
games to be played. Families, friends, young and old were celebrating together
this wonderful day. I was popular with the younger crowd, as I handed out
lollipops and cold water and rice with red sauce. One sweet little girl
named Angela was the first to approach me, and she pretty much hung around me
for the three hours I was there. She would bring her friends over to get
a lollipop. At one point she fell asleep on my lap with an angelic smile
on her face. I had made a new friend! The kids enjoyed having their
pictures taken and performing songs for me.
Monday evening, as I reflected on
my Holy Week experiences, I thanked the Good Lord for giving me the opportunity
to spend these three years with these wonderful people. It was just 3
months ago, that I left the United States to travel to Ghana.
I have experienced so much already, that it is hard to fathom. It is very
difficult being away from family and friends; however, I know God placed me
here for this time and he has blessed me abundantly. Madam Pauline, the
headmistress, and her visiting nephews and niece, Raymond, Antoinette and
Anthony have welcomed me, along with the Form 3 Girls of SAGISS, to spend the
Easter break with them. They have kept me busy and helped make any time
of loneliness minimal. As you can see from the blog and pictures, I have
had a Holy Week filled with the Holy Spirit and many blessings!
The adventure continues…..