Holy Week in Damongo

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.

Wednesday morning of Holy Week, we had the Chrism Mass.  All the priests of the Diocese were there to renew their vows and for the blessing of the oils by the Bishop.  There were definitely not as many priests as the Chrism Mass at the Cathedral of St. Paul, but it was a very touching Mass. 

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…..