So it was my first Christmas on a different continent let alone away from home. The materialistic side of Christmas was almost completely absent, save all the people who kept coming up to me and asking for their Christmas present, which is no different than usual. Life was not visibly different in Sekondi-Takoradi…well I will take that back. On New Year’s Eve day I ventured into Takoradi town with Fr. Bob and John, our security man aka ABO!, and the place was more congested than I have ever seen. Where once was a sidewalk there were hundreds of market women with their goods spread out all over. The police men that used to guide traffic were nowhere to be seen.
There were people yelling and shouting all around. There were tourists walking through looking confused and a little anxious. Basically it was a chaotic scene with the occasional shop selling Christmas garland, which was a nice sight to see. Other than that life went on in Ghana as normal. People have to work to live. Most families cannot afford gifts for each other, but many do get together and have a special meal.
It wasn’t until after we finished decorating the house in the late afternoon that I began to feel the warm, Holy feeling of Christmas. It was different this time however. Instead of celebrating Christmas the whole month and having all those silly images of Christmas gifts and Santa costumes in my head I was preparing myself for something much more joyous, the birth of our Savior, the birth of my Lord.
I spent a lot of time meditating on the great faith of Mary and Joseph which eventually led me to something wonderful. Why is it that they call Christmas a season of wonder? Think about the obscurity of Mary and Joseph, a poor, humble, young girl and a humble, honest carpenter on the outer rim of the Roman Empire. Two very simple people who knew the fears, frustrations, and pains of life just as we do, but who trusted God always. And God chose them. Obviously there is so much to be expanded upon here, but you see how much wonder can be found around the birth of Christ.
So for Christmas Eve Mass we went to Star of the Sea Cathedral in Takoradi at around 8pm for carols. Fr. Bob sat up close to the altar with the other priests and I found my seat by myself. The choir was wonderful. They sang in Fante and in English, thankfully. I closed my eyes and prayed and the beautiful voices carried me away. On many occasions tears were close ‘cuz believe it or not it was hard being so far away from my closest of loved ones at that time.
Mass began at 10pm and was entirely in Fante except for a portion of the Homily given by Arch-Bishop John Martin Darko. I have been to so many Masses in Fante that I can easily follow along and even say some of the responses, but still you aren’t as connected as you would like to be.
There was a second Mass immediately following our Mass, a Mass at dawn I believe it is called. No one went up for communion so it lasted about 20 minutes. I didn’t understand what was happening at all, but I gathered later that it was part of a very old tradition.
We got out of Mass at around 1 in the morning and after dropping someone off at their home we made our way back to Moreau House. On the way back I watched out my window in silence the people wandering the streets late at night. They were headed in no apparent direction, some may not have been up to anything good. It made me feel somewhat sad.
We turned on BBC radio and listened to a story about Christians in Gaza celebrating Christmas under Hamas.
I spent the remainder of my evening making a couple phone calls and sitting in our chapel with the lights off. The tree that we put in there glows just like our tree did at home, in the US. I hummed “All through the night” and went to sleep.
On Christmas morning, I felt sad. After morning prayer and breakfast we began our journey to Cape Coast for Christmas Mass with the rest of our community. I wrote in my journal a bit and then I fell into a light sleep for a while.
It was during Mass that my spirits began to rise. In fact, through the words of Fr. Bob’s homily and the Eucharist I was even filled with joy. I realized that although I miss my family and friends very much this is no time for sadness.
So after Mass, renewed, I joined everyone at our big Christmas feast. We were all very happy and the smiles were endless. I felt at peace.
On the way back home and for the remainder of that Christmas Day I sang my family’s favorite carols and remembered scenes from our favorite Christmas movies. After a long talk with my family I ended my Christmas Day in the chapel…this time it was “Silent Night”.
Merry Christmas to all! And may God bless you in the New Year!
The First Term at Skills in Review
Well, the first term of the school year has come to an end. In three months I would have to say that I have come a long way. Back in October I was so full of anxiety about being prepared, which I wasn’t, and now I feel so comfortable with the boys.
I wasn’t sure if I was doing things right. I wasn’t sure if I was doing enough to pave the way for HCSC. I felt like I wasn’t making a difference. There were even times when I felt that I couldn’t continue, but I never gave up. Whenever I was having a rough day at Skills, something would happen to keep me going. Just when I thought I was at the end of my rope something brought me back to life.
I had heard so much about how the Skills boys are different. They are stubborn. They don’t respect. They don’t learn. And I think I let that affect me too much in the beginning. It took some time, but I have come to know them better. I know that they can learn. I know that they are all good boys…they just need someone to show them. They need someone to show them compassion and commitment.
Whenever I do get frustrated with them I don’t hesitate to discipline, but I always remember that I was just like them once. I have made a lot of mistakes in my life, and I have learned from them all. Sometimes you have to allow them to make mistakes…you cannot force them to be saints they have to choose it…that’s all. However, if no one is there to teach them about making that choice, about committing themselves to a certain path in life then they are indeed in danger of falling into meaninglessness. There is much more than just learning a Skill.
So the exam scores were not so great, but I know that they tried. I have spoken to many of them one on one about what they need to work on. One boy can barely read…I told him I will teach him if it kills me. Another boy approached me about becoming a Brother…I will do my best to guide him. One boy isn’t proud of being a Ghanaian and would rather be white…I will do my best to counsel him. And so many others come to me for their needs. The tasks are many and they aren’t easy, but I will try.
There were times in the past months when I let my frustrations get the better of me and I wanted to be angry, but I could never stay angry for too long. I know now that even when I wanted to give up I never could. There is something else guiding me, and that something is much greater than me. Because I have allowed God to guide me I have been able to go far beyond the limits of my own strength. I think it is appropriate at this stage in my experience to say that God’s will has become my strength…but there are still many times when I am weak.
Even when reading those words to myself I feel foolish. After all I am just teaching at one school in Ghana, West Africa. How much of a difference am I really making? How much pressure am I really under? How difficult can it really be? Am I making a big deal out of nothing? Well at this point I guess my rebuttal would be that anyone who wants to make a difference globally had better learn to first see the sacredness and the importance of service to others in the smallest most personal of ways. Otherwise you are bound to end up serving yourself rather than others in the future…I have no audience here.
I wasn’t sure if I was doing things right. I wasn’t sure if I was doing enough to pave the way for HCSC. I felt like I wasn’t making a difference. There were even times when I felt that I couldn’t continue, but I never gave up. Whenever I was having a rough day at Skills, something would happen to keep me going. Just when I thought I was at the end of my rope something brought me back to life.
I had heard so much about how the Skills boys are different. They are stubborn. They don’t respect. They don’t learn. And I think I let that affect me too much in the beginning. It took some time, but I have come to know them better. I know that they can learn. I know that they are all good boys…they just need someone to show them. They need someone to show them compassion and commitment.
Whenever I do get frustrated with them I don’t hesitate to discipline, but I always remember that I was just like them once. I have made a lot of mistakes in my life, and I have learned from them all. Sometimes you have to allow them to make mistakes…you cannot force them to be saints they have to choose it…that’s all. However, if no one is there to teach them about making that choice, about committing themselves to a certain path in life then they are indeed in danger of falling into meaninglessness. There is much more than just learning a Skill.
So the exam scores were not so great, but I know that they tried. I have spoken to many of them one on one about what they need to work on. One boy can barely read…I told him I will teach him if it kills me. Another boy approached me about becoming a Brother…I will do my best to guide him. One boy isn’t proud of being a Ghanaian and would rather be white…I will do my best to counsel him. And so many others come to me for their needs. The tasks are many and they aren’t easy, but I will try.
There were times in the past months when I let my frustrations get the better of me and I wanted to be angry, but I could never stay angry for too long. I know now that even when I wanted to give up I never could. There is something else guiding me, and that something is much greater than me. Because I have allowed God to guide me I have been able to go far beyond the limits of my own strength. I think it is appropriate at this stage in my experience to say that God’s will has become my strength…but there are still many times when I am weak.
Even when reading those words to myself I feel foolish. After all I am just teaching at one school in Ghana, West Africa. How much of a difference am I really making? How much pressure am I really under? How difficult can it really be? Am I making a big deal out of nothing? Well at this point I guess my rebuttal would be that anyone who wants to make a difference globally had better learn to first see the sacredness and the importance of service to others in the smallest most personal of ways. Otherwise you are bound to end up serving yourself rather than others in the future…I have no audience here.
Pilgrimage to Nauli
Once a year the whole Arch-Diocese of Sekondi-Takoradi is asked to go to Nauli, a town deep in the Western Region very close to the border with Cote D’Ivoire, to celebrate at the large shrine devoted to our Lady of Fatima. So for three days thousands of people from our area flock to Nauli to pray to the Blessed Virgin and celebrate Mass.
So all us at Moreau House decided that we would go on the last day of the pilgrimage. I wasn’t sure what to expect. In fact I had just arrived back to the house after being in Cape Coast for a few days to spend time with Br. Richard, so it was a big surprise to hear that we would be traveling.
We would be spending most of the day out in Nauli, which is about a two hour drive from Takoradi, so we packed food and drinks the night before so that we could nourish ourselves while there. We were all pretty excited when we went to bed the night before, except for the fact that we had to get up at about 4A.M., anapatutu “early morning” in Fante.
4 a.m. came pretty quickly. I threw on some clothes. We packed the car and then we were off to Anaji to meet up with Br. Joachim, the electrical teacher at Skills and missionary brother form Bangladesh, so we could set out together. The interesting thing was that none of us were exactly sure how to get there. Br. Joachim had been there before, but even he wasn’t totally sure. So we set out on the main highway , the official West African highway, and hoped Br. Joachim remembered everything.
Br. Joachim was actually bringing some of the boys from the Home of Hope, the residence for some of our Skills students, to Nauli and he didn’t have enough room for them all so we took a few. So after that we finally set out.
It was turning out to be a beautiful day. I once again learned why the Western Region is the region that brings in the most money for Ghana. The vegetation is so thick and the resources are plenty. I just stared out my window as we drove past the different rubber plantations at the endless rows of rubber trees.
It was a very peaceful drive except for the occasional oversized semi that likes to run all the other cars off of the road. Don’t ask me why. The road isn’t exactly large, but still these drivers seem to enjoy making the hearts of other drivers skip a beat.
We only made one wrong turn during the whole drive. The place was definitely off the beaten path, which for the purposes of a pilgrimage is a good thing I think. We drove our van down a very bump dirt road around a small curve towards the entrance of the place. It was a narrow road that led to the entrance and everybody that was arriving was trying to find a decent parking spot, and there were very few of those. Of course, the majority of people had just taken a tro-tro or “207” to Nauli and walked the rest of the way.
The best way that I can describe the place is like the grounds for a county fair and an amphitheatre placed very naturally into a valley.( I hope the pictures can do it for you.) The were a good number of people there when we arrived and it was obvious that it was turning out to be a very hot day.
After walking around the place for a while we, the Skills boys, the pre-novices, and myself, found a place to sit high up towards the top of the concrete steps that led up the valley opposite the open ended chapel where Arch Bishop John Martin Darko would be celebrating Mass shortly. It was difficult to see who was who from where we were, but at least we would have shade for the longest possible time. I said the Rosary to myself and observed the layout before Mass began.
The open ended chapel was in the middle of the valley on a flat piece of land. On the second floor of the chapel was a balcony with a small room where people could go adoration. Just behind the chapel there is a steep rising hill and at the top of the hill is a massive crucifix. Many people walked up that hill to pray at the feet of Jesus all throughout the day.
Once everyone got settled there were probably about 1,000+ people gathered. The procession at the beginning of Mass was quite impressive. It began on our side of the valley down to the chapel. The Mass servers were looking very sharp, carrying the crucifix high as they made their way down the hill. Following them was an honor guard of Girl Scouts, a large choir, the Knights of the Church ( I am unsure which they were), just about every priest from the diocese, and of course Archbishop.
The Mass went for about 3 ½ hours, by which time there was no shelter from the sun. Unfortunately, the Mass was in three languages none of which were English. In our diocese Fante is the vernacular but in this part of the Western Region Nzema is the vernacular. Also, since there were a considerable amount of people from Cote D’Ivoire present French was also spoken. And since there were only three non-Africans present, Fr. Bob, Br. Joachim, and I, English was left out.
With the help of those around me and from my extensive experience with Fante I was able to follow along with the celebration, I use the word celebration because there were a lot of things added to the Mass. Of course there was an incredible amount of singing and dancing which took up most of the time. I didn’t really partake in the dancing, but I just admired the beautiful scenery and watched the people rejoicing under the sun. I moved myself out from under the shade and into the sun for a while to try and absorb some of the energy. I felt completely contented, so comfortable amongst the people….”I know these people, we danced together, we sang together, we rejoiced in the presence of our God together…peace”
With these kinds of thoughts running across my mind I was unable to come to my senses and realize that I was being burned to a crisp! HAHA
So after the Mass, we all headed back to the van together to have some lunch. I laughed when I stood back and realized it was like a Holy tailgate! We gathered around the van eating and drinking and laughing and enjoying each other’s company. It was very nice! Many people laughed and smiled as they past us by on their way home.
I tried my best to stay awake for the ride home, but eventually I fell into a deep sleep. When I awoke the feeling of peace had never left.
So all us at Moreau House decided that we would go on the last day of the pilgrimage. I wasn’t sure what to expect. In fact I had just arrived back to the house after being in Cape Coast for a few days to spend time with Br. Richard, so it was a big surprise to hear that we would be traveling.
We would be spending most of the day out in Nauli, which is about a two hour drive from Takoradi, so we packed food and drinks the night before so that we could nourish ourselves while there. We were all pretty excited when we went to bed the night before, except for the fact that we had to get up at about 4A.M., anapatutu “early morning” in Fante.
4 a.m. came pretty quickly. I threw on some clothes. We packed the car and then we were off to Anaji to meet up with Br. Joachim, the electrical teacher at Skills and missionary brother form Bangladesh, so we could set out together. The interesting thing was that none of us were exactly sure how to get there. Br. Joachim had been there before, but even he wasn’t totally sure. So we set out on the main highway , the official West African highway, and hoped Br. Joachim remembered everything.
Br. Joachim was actually bringing some of the boys from the Home of Hope, the residence for some of our Skills students, to Nauli and he didn’t have enough room for them all so we took a few. So after that we finally set out.
It was turning out to be a beautiful day. I once again learned why the Western Region is the region that brings in the most money for Ghana. The vegetation is so thick and the resources are plenty. I just stared out my window as we drove past the different rubber plantations at the endless rows of rubber trees.
It was a very peaceful drive except for the occasional oversized semi that likes to run all the other cars off of the road. Don’t ask me why. The road isn’t exactly large, but still these drivers seem to enjoy making the hearts of other drivers skip a beat.
We only made one wrong turn during the whole drive. The place was definitely off the beaten path, which for the purposes of a pilgrimage is a good thing I think. We drove our van down a very bump dirt road around a small curve towards the entrance of the place. It was a narrow road that led to the entrance and everybody that was arriving was trying to find a decent parking spot, and there were very few of those. Of course, the majority of people had just taken a tro-tro or “207” to Nauli and walked the rest of the way.
The best way that I can describe the place is like the grounds for a county fair and an amphitheatre placed very naturally into a valley.( I hope the pictures can do it for you.) The were a good number of people there when we arrived and it was obvious that it was turning out to be a very hot day.
After walking around the place for a while we, the Skills boys, the pre-novices, and myself, found a place to sit high up towards the top of the concrete steps that led up the valley opposite the open ended chapel where Arch Bishop John Martin Darko would be celebrating Mass shortly. It was difficult to see who was who from where we were, but at least we would have shade for the longest possible time. I said the Rosary to myself and observed the layout before Mass began.
The open ended chapel was in the middle of the valley on a flat piece of land. On the second floor of the chapel was a balcony with a small room where people could go adoration. Just behind the chapel there is a steep rising hill and at the top of the hill is a massive crucifix. Many people walked up that hill to pray at the feet of Jesus all throughout the day.
Once everyone got settled there were probably about 1,000+ people gathered. The procession at the beginning of Mass was quite impressive. It began on our side of the valley down to the chapel. The Mass servers were looking very sharp, carrying the crucifix high as they made their way down the hill. Following them was an honor guard of Girl Scouts, a large choir, the Knights of the Church ( I am unsure which they were), just about every priest from the diocese, and of course Archbishop.
The Mass went for about 3 ½ hours, by which time there was no shelter from the sun. Unfortunately, the Mass was in three languages none of which were English. In our diocese Fante is the vernacular but in this part of the Western Region Nzema is the vernacular. Also, since there were a considerable amount of people from Cote D’Ivoire present French was also spoken. And since there were only three non-Africans present, Fr. Bob, Br. Joachim, and I, English was left out.
With the help of those around me and from my extensive experience with Fante I was able to follow along with the celebration, I use the word celebration because there were a lot of things added to the Mass. Of course there was an incredible amount of singing and dancing which took up most of the time. I didn’t really partake in the dancing, but I just admired the beautiful scenery and watched the people rejoicing under the sun. I moved myself out from under the shade and into the sun for a while to try and absorb some of the energy. I felt completely contented, so comfortable amongst the people….”I know these people, we danced together, we sang together, we rejoiced in the presence of our God together…peace”
With these kinds of thoughts running across my mind I was unable to come to my senses and realize that I was being burned to a crisp! HAHA
So after the Mass, we all headed back to the van together to have some lunch. I laughed when I stood back and realized it was like a Holy tailgate! We gathered around the van eating and drinking and laughing and enjoying each other’s company. It was very nice! Many people laughed and smiled as they past us by on their way home.
I tried my best to stay awake for the ride home, but eventually I fell into a deep sleep. When I awoke the feeling of peace had never left.
Jubilee Day and The Day of Thanksgiving – December 1st and 2nd
On Saturday the 1st of December we all gathered at St. John’s to honor our pioneering Brothers who devoted so selflessly many years of loving service to the people of Ghana, especially at St. John’s School. 
It was a very hot day from the start when we gathered down on the playing fields to watch the honor guards from St. John’s and St. Augustine’s College. I don’t know how they survived marching around that field in their thick uniforms under that sun. I was sweating like mad just watching them.
It was another very long ceremony, probably about 3 and a half hours or so. The best part of the whole ceremony was hearing from the “old boys” of St. John’s School. These were the men who were taught by our American brothers who came all those years ago. It was just like hearing speeches from Notre Dame alumni…their funny anecdotes just dripping with nostalgia. But in every man that spoke you could sense the deep gratitude in their voice. Many of these men came to St. John’s knowing very little english had a lot of trouble understanding the white Brothers; but because of their efforts these young men were able to become some of Ghana’s greatest citizens. They are great business men, they have positions in government, they are community leaders, they are advisers to the President of Ghana, but most of all they are honest men.
Whenever Br William Gates was acknowledged I heard all the “old boys” behind me exchanging words…pss pss pss OLD WILLY! Pss pss pss. It was quite obvious to me that Br. William who has stayed all these years, longer than any other, has made an incredible impression upon these men…and he continues to every day.
The ceremony helped me to realize that St. John’s School is truly one of the greatest in the whole country. It has produced so many successful men over the years. We must remember that this great institution was the first home of Holy Cross in Ghana and the positive results of our Brothers’ presence can still be seen today.
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The final day of the Jubilee Celebrations was on the second day of December. It was 50 years ago this day that the first brothers stepped off of their ship and onto Ghanaian soil. Today we would celebrate fifty-years of tireless effort, fifty-years of selflessness, fifty years of educating the hearts and minds of young Ghanaians. Also, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Br. Joseph Tsiquaye Religious Profession and the final profession of six Holy Cross Brothers, all of who’s names should be very familiar to you HCC students who have been here. The Brothers are: Ebeneezer Prah, Paul Bukaryi, Nicholas, Kenneth Goode, Patrick Osei-Bonsu, and John Affum-Badu.
We held the ceremony at Our Lady of the Star Cathedral in Takoradi. The place was completely full with about 1,000 people in attendance. Everyone there was dressed beautifully in a mixed array of traditional dress and western suits. There were more brothers, sisters, and priests there than I have ever seen with my own eyes. There was a wonderful feeling of love and appreciation for Holy Cross in the Cathedral that poured out of everyone through embraces, smiles, and song.
I was so excited to be able to be present at such a momentous occasion for the Congregation of Holy Cross, such a momentous occasion in the lives of these young Brothers whom have become so dear to my heart. I know there are so many students who have only spent a couple weeks with some of these Brothers and the impressions will remain for a lifetime. To be able to represent those students at this celebration of six young men turning their lives over to God was a great honor.
It was a very hot day from the start when we gathered down on the playing fields to watch the honor guards from St. John’s and St. Augustine’s College. I don’t know how they survived marching around that field in their thick uniforms under that sun. I was sweating like mad just watching them.
It was another very long ceremony, probably about 3 and a half hours or so. The best part of the whole ceremony was hearing from the “old boys” of St. John’s School. These were the men who were taught by our American brothers who came all those years ago. It was just like hearing speeches from Notre Dame alumni…their funny anecdotes just dripping with nostalgia. But in every man that spoke you could sense the deep gratitude in their voice. Many of these men came to St. John’s knowing very little english had a lot of trouble understanding the white Brothers; but because of their efforts these young men were able to become some of Ghana’s greatest citizens. They are great business men, they have positions in government, they are community leaders, they are advisers to the President of Ghana, but most of all they are honest men.
Whenever Br William Gates was acknowledged I heard all the “old boys” behind me exchanging words…pss pss pss OLD WILLY! Pss pss pss. It was quite obvious to me that Br. William who has stayed all these years, longer than any other, has made an incredible impression upon these men…and he continues to every day.
The ceremony helped me to realize that St. John’s School is truly one of the greatest in the whole country. It has produced so many successful men over the years. We must remember that this great institution was the first home of Holy Cross in Ghana and the positive results of our Brothers’ presence can still be seen today.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
The final day of the Jubilee Celebrations was on the second day of December. It was 50 years ago this day that the first brothers stepped off of their ship and onto Ghanaian soil. Today we would celebrate fifty-years of tireless effort, fifty-years of selflessness, fifty years of educating the hearts and minds of young Ghanaians. Also, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Br. Joseph Tsiquaye Religious Profession and the final profession of six Holy Cross Brothers, all of who’s names should be very familiar to you HCC students who have been here. The Brothers are: Ebeneezer Prah, Paul Bukaryi, Nicholas, Kenneth Goode, Patrick Osei-Bonsu, and John Affum-Badu.
We held the ceremony at Our Lady of the Star Cathedral in Takoradi. The place was completely full with about 1,000 people in attendance. Everyone there was dressed beautifully in a mixed array of traditional dress and western suits. There were more brothers, sisters, and priests there than I have ever seen with my own eyes. There was a wonderful feeling of love and appreciation for Holy Cross in the Cathedral that poured out of everyone through embraces, smiles, and song.
I was so excited to be able to be present at such a momentous occasion for the Congregation of Holy Cross, such a momentous occasion in the lives of these young Brothers whom have become so dear to my heart. I know there are so many students who have only spent a couple weeks with some of these Brothers and the impressions will remain for a lifetime. To be able to represent those students at this celebration of six young men turning their lives over to God was a great honor.
It almost brought me to tears to watch these Brothers whom I have spent so much time with make such an incredible commitment to God. It was wonderful! Right after they made their final profession they allowed people to go up and congratulate them. They tried to keep people from going up, but the congratulations lasted for about 15 minutes. It was wonderful to see so many people supporting Holy Cross.
What really stuck in my head from Fr. Hugh’s homily was something simple, love. He talked so much about commitment, work, tirelessness, humility, and faith. What stuck with me was that at the foundation of all of that is love. In order to commit your life to the service of others then you must do everything out of love. In order to find joy in working tirelessly for others then you must do everything out of love. “There is no greater proof of love than for one to lay down his life for his friends.” What we need to realize is that all the people on Earth are our friends.
We might not all end up as religious men and women, but trying to use every moment of our lives to help our “friends” is something we can all strive for. I think it was this that really renewed my strength…every moment that I have here in Ghana or anywhere else in the world I have the opportunity to do something incredible, something that changes the world, something that transforms the world….I can show someone love. And it seems real nice and romantic, but as I have learned in the past months that loving others isn’t easy, making an act of solidarity, isn’t easy! But the goal is that when it all goes down I can say, “Well, I don’t know what I accomplished. I don’t know if I really made a difference for anyone, but I did give all of myself. Oh God, I really tried.”Fr. Hugh definitely had the rights words to help begin another 50 years for Holy Cross in Ghana.
Holy Cross Skills Center @ 25 – November 29th, 2007
It was on this day 25 years ago that the Holy Cross Skills Project was begun in Ketan, Sekondi-Takoradi. It was quite a modest project in the beginning with one simple goal: teach young men with no other options a skill. Now we have a good amount of land in Anaji, large classrooms, big workshops with decent equipment, a full staff, and about 300 hundred students.
On this we day we all, including all of our visiting brothers, students from the nearby vocational and technical schools, and a host of dignitaries from the Western Region. Our local chief was even there. But the person that I was most excited to meet was the Superior General of the Congregation of Holy Cross, Fr. Hugh Cleary. I believe that the figurehead of a Catholic Congregation should be the best representative of the ideal that the Congregation stands for. With this in mind the real reason why I looked forward to meeting him was because of my need to renew my strength.
After talking with Br. Richard Gilman I asked if he could introduce me to Fr. Hugh. He is not a physically imposing man at all. In fact just from his handshake and his greeting one could tell that he is a truly humble man. A gentle man who isn’t always fond of the administrative work. A man who will not abandon an ideal. A man who prefers not to roam outside of the spiritual sphere of life. A man who sees and understands.
I will tell you right now that the words I exchanged with Fr. Hugh were not many, but I feel that we communicated a lot more without them.
So all in all it was a crowd of about 300 plus people. We brought in a “high life” band for the event to help to spice things up. Basically, the event was about three hours worth of speeches, music and awards given to the great benefactors of the Skills Center.
There have been many people over the years that have given so much to make the Center possible. People who donated the overalls for the auto department. People who paid for the power tools that are used. Funds raised to put up the Home of Hope and keep it running each year. One man paying the salary of all the teachers for years when it could no longer be afforded. People who donate books for the library. People who provided free medical attention for our students.
So many people have provided to make the school possible it gave me more inspiration to give the students all that I could. So many people who wanted to take part in this project, to help in the formation of good and honorable young men, to help give these boys some hope for their future…well I can honor their charity by adding to their gifts the best of my efforts in the classroom and around the campus.
The real fun didn’t begin until much later that day when we had a records dance for the boys. Initially, we were going to bring in a live band for the boys, but they said, “Bro! NO NO NO…and they somehow brought in a DJ. Which meant giant speakers blaring Hip Hop and Hip Life all throughout Anaji.
We had the dance outdoors in between the workshops and the administrative block on the flat gravel lot. The boys were going wild and having a great time kicking up dust all over the place. A couple of the boys sneaked in with their “girlfriends” in the back of the crowd…Br. Daniel was keeping a close eye on them. ;)
They were playing some music that took me back to those ridiculous nights at Club Fever or wherever else they play that stuff and I couldn’t help but to smile, tap my feet, and before I knew it I was dancing like a fool in the middle of my students…and it just made them go even more wild.
The time came for a little dance competition and let me tell you some of these boys can dance…I mean wow! One of the boys was sliding around on the gravel like Michael Jackson. He was great. Another could do this dance were it looked as if he were moving in slow motion. The boys were good.
What they were
not so good at was free styling which is what they did next. Luckily that kind of faded out quick and it was back to dancing!
So after showing the boys my pathetic version of breakdancing, meaning the worm and a one armed hand stand which received quite an ovation from the boys, it was time to go home and call it a night.
I got some good pictures of the boys from the dance…I think it might help to paint the picture a bit better for you. Enjoy.
On this we day we all, including all of our visiting brothers, students from the nearby vocational and technical schools, and a host of dignitaries from the Western Region. Our local chief was even there. But the person that I was most excited to meet was the Superior General of the Congregation of Holy Cross, Fr. Hugh Cleary. I believe that the figurehead of a Catholic Congregation should be the best representative of the ideal that the Congregation stands for. With this in mind the real reason why I looked forward to meeting him was because of my need to renew my strength.
After talking with Br. Richard Gilman I asked if he could introduce me to Fr. Hugh. He is not a physically imposing man at all. In fact just from his handshake and his greeting one could tell that he is a truly humble man. A gentle man who isn’t always fond of the administrative work. A man who will not abandon an ideal. A man who prefers not to roam outside of the spiritual sphere of life. A man who sees and understands.
I will tell you right now that the words I exchanged with Fr. Hugh were not many, but I feel that we communicated a lot more without them.
So all in all it was a crowd of about 300 plus people. We brought in a “high life” band for the event to help to spice things up. Basically, the event was about three hours worth of speeches, music and awards given to the great benefactors of the Skills Center.
There have been many people over the years that have given so much to make the Center possible. People who donated the overalls for the auto department. People who paid for the power tools that are used. Funds raised to put up the Home of Hope and keep it running each year. One man paying the salary of all the teachers for years when it could no longer be afforded. People who donate books for the library. People who provided free medical attention for our students.
So many people have provided to make the school possible it gave me more inspiration to give the students all that I could. So many people who wanted to take part in this project, to help in the formation of good and honorable young men, to help give these boys some hope for their future…well I can honor their charity by adding to their gifts the best of my efforts in the classroom and around the campus.
The real fun didn’t begin until much later that day when we had a records dance for the boys. Initially, we were going to bring in a live band for the boys, but they said, “Bro! NO NO NO…and they somehow brought in a DJ. Which meant giant speakers blaring Hip Hop and Hip Life all throughout Anaji.
We had the dance outdoors in between the workshops and the administrative block on the flat gravel lot. The boys were going wild and having a great time kicking up dust all over the place. A couple of the boys sneaked in with their “girlfriends” in the back of the crowd…Br. Daniel was keeping a close eye on them. ;)
They were playing some music that took me back to those ridiculous nights at Club Fever or wherever else they play that stuff and I couldn’t help but to smile, tap my feet, and before I knew it I was dancing like a fool in the middle of my students…and it just made them go even more wild.
The time came for a little dance competition and let me tell you some of these boys can dance…I mean wow! One of the boys was sliding around on the gravel like Michael Jackson. He was great. Another could do this dance were it looked as if he were moving in slow motion. The boys were good.
What they were
not so good at was free styling which is what they did next. Luckily that kind of faded out quick and it was back to dancing!So after showing the boys my pathetic version of breakdancing, meaning the worm and a one armed hand stand which received quite an ovation from the boys, it was time to go home and call it a night.
I got some good pictures of the boys from the dance…I think it might help to paint the picture a bit better for you. Enjoy.
Holy Cross Skills Center Symposium – November, 28th, 2007
Once again forgive me for being late, but please allow me to finish off the Jubilee Week celebrations.
On the 28th we had a symposium at the Skills Center for our students and all students from the local vocational and technical schools. It was a nice day and about 150 students came to hear the Regional Coordinator of the National Vocational and Technical Institutes for the Western Region of Ghana, Mr. Martison Osei and an internationally renown business man and devout Catholic Mr. Eddy Prah.
On the 28th we had a symposium at the Skills Center for our students and all students from the local vocational and technical schools. It was a nice day and about 150 students came to hear the Regional Coordinator of the National Vocational and Technical Institutes for the Western Region of Ghana, Mr. Martison Osei and an internationally renown business man and devout Catholic Mr. Eddy Prah.
Br. Raymond Papenfuss was present for the occasion. I sat down to have chat with him for a while before everything began. Some of my students came over to greet me and I introduced them to Br. Raymond the FOUNDER OF THE SKILLS PROJECT. Before long a large group of students had gathered around to see Brother. Br. Raymond starting asking them what they knew about Akan proverbs. They didn’t know much…so Br. Raymond, who spent 30 some years in Ghana began to tell them the proverbs IN FANTE (the local language). It was great! The boys’ mouths dropped. They were so surprised. After Br. Raymond finished teaching the boys about their culture it was time for the symposium to begin.
Mr. Osei had come to speak to the students about the most important aspects of a technical/vocational education, especially the importance of the English and Moral education classes…YEAH FOR ME! All during Mr. Osei’s speech there were things that he mentioned that I had spoken about the my Skills boys. I mean it was almost the exact same words used. It was very funny and reassuring when I looked over at my Skills boys to find them looking right back at me smiling. They remembered what I told them in class. I just smiled and looked back sending them a “I told you that was important and that you should remember it” kind of look.
Unfortunately for Mr. Eddy Prah we did not have a projector, a screen, or a computer for him to do a PowerPoint presentation which is exactly what he needed for the kind of speech he gave. It was a great talk about the importance of developing business/entrepreneurial skills so that they can use the knowledge of their trade to the fullest.
All in all the symposium was a success, but at about four hours or so in length it might have been a bit too long for most of the students. It was very good to hear Mr. Osei, a man high in the ranks of NVTI, stressing the importance of the classes that I am teaching. So often it feels like I am just superfluous. I always encounter people that say…just teach them the skill and let them go…don’t waste their time with that stuff. I know it’s important and my boys do too…which reminds me that I still have to tell you all about the big conflict between Ghana Education Service and the Catholic Conference of Bishops…don’t worry its coming!
November 24th, 2007 The Beginning of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations
I hope most of you are aware that 50 years ago this December 2nd three Brothers got off of a boat from the U.S. in Takoradi Harbor in the newly independent Ghana. Since then they have devoted all of their lives to educating the hearts and minds of young men in Ghana. They have made an incredible contribution to the Ghanaian society as well as to the entire world. All who come to Ghana and work with the Brothers, or even just experience their hospitality, experience something truly wonderful, something great, something that will change them forever.
There are only three American Holy Cross brothers left in Ghana now and one American Holy Cross priest. The community of Brothers has grown and the Congregation is now more fully represented by the presence of the Sisters of Holy Cross. The work of the Brothers has spread and I snow changing more lives than ever before.
So in the 50th year of independence in Ghana we celebrate 50 years of tireless service provided by the Brothers of Holy Cross. During this week we come together to celebrate just one wonderful part of the joyful and awesome whole that is the Congregation of Holy Cross.
……………………………
Ah, November 24th, 2007, yet another day that I will never forget. Another day that I will remember forever…a memory that will only strengthen my commitment to and my love for the Congregation of Holy Cross.
Today was the first day of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations for Holy Cross in Ghana. I wasn’t exactly sure what would come of this day, but I knew it would be something big…and oh how it was!
We all got ready and spruced up this morning for Mass at St. John’s School with Bishop John Martin Darko, Bishop of the Arch-diocese of Sekondi-Takoradi. After cleaning myself up and ironing my shirt I came downstairs to collect the pre-novices so that we could prepare to leave.
We had to move these giant bags of Holy Cross Jubilee polos and silk scarves, all in blue and gold the official colors of the congregation. When we came outside to load the things into the car Br. Tony Dadzie pulled up having just arrived from Cape Coast with a car full of American brothers. I was quite excited to meet all of them.
So the first Brother that I met introduced himself…I am Br. John Paige. O WOW! The Vicar-General of the Congregation. This is the man that Griff and Brenda had a meeting about HCSC all those months ago. He didn’t remember my name, but he knew why I was here. I didn’t expect seeing him so soon…I was taken aback. Then next Brother I met was Br. Donald Allen. Br. Donald was one of the pioneering Brothers who actually left the Holy Cross Mission in Bangladesh to come to the mission in Ghana. He is 83 years old and is in very good health. Next was Br. Lawrence ( ) another pioneering Brother who was one of the first three to step on Ghanaian soil. He spent his time teaching science at St. John’s School. And last but not least was Br. Richard Johnson who spent a number of years teaching in Ghana and will actually be staying a few months with us into the new year. Fr. Bob seemed very happy to see some of his close friends of old back in Ghana where so many of the fond memories they both share were birthed.
After many warm greetings and introductions we piled into the van and hurtled down the hill towards Sekondi and St. John’s. We blasted the A/C since we were all sweating profusely all ready since it was turning out to be a tough day under the relentless African sun.
We pulled into the visitors lot at St. John’s and right next to us was Br. Paul Mensah, District Superior, who also just arrived. So we unloaded our things and carried everything into St. Joe Hall where we found Br. William, Br. Matthew, Br. Steven(Arthur and Aidoo) and all of the candidates hard at work preparing for the luncheon to be held there after the Mass.
Many smiles, many laughs, and much work to be done. People bustling about and chatting about all the things that needed to be done before all the “big people” meaning all the founding Brothers and leaders of the Congregation show up. Indeed, there was plenty to do, but nobody was really worried that things would go wrong…a great thing about Ghana.
Eventually, I made my way over to the other residence for the Professed Brothers on the St. John’s Campus where many visitors, who are all staying in Cape Coast, had been arriving. The first people that I met were the visitors from the District of East Africa. Fr. David(Overseer of pre-novices and candidacy program), Fr. William(post-novitiate director), Br. Kaganga(Novice Master), and the District Superior Fr. James Burasa were all there. The men from the District of East Africa represent Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda even though most everything is based in Uganda. It wasn’t long after that when I was reunited with Br. Raymond Papenfuss(Assistant Provincial of the Midwest Province of Brothers). It had been a long time since I had seen him last in a meeting at Holy Cross College.
At last the greetings came to an end and we all gathered together to celebrate Mass in the giant dining hall. In all there were about 400 people gathered for Mass. Most of them were students from St. John’s, St. Augustine’s College in Cape Coast, and of course my beloved Holy Cross Skills boys. Also, in attendance were the many friends of Holy Cross in Ghana.
This was my first experience with Bishop John Martin Darko after having had experiences with Cardinal Turkson of the Archdiocese of Cape Coast, the Papal Nucio Kochery of the Archdiocese of Accra, and the beloved Bishop Sarpong of the Archdiocese of Kumasi. His homily focused mainly on the importance of active moral development in the classroom and thanking the Brothers, young and old, for doing exactly that. Educating the mind and the heart of their young students.
The Mass was being recorded by the local TV station(Skyy TV) to be shown later this week. It was a great opportunity for the Bishop to speak against the new reform issued to all Ghana schools by the Ghana Education Service. The new reform does not include Religious and Moral Education in the curriculum at all and is saying that ALL schools must adhere to their directives. Well, Catholic schools in Ghana don’t like being told what to teach. So there is a big conflict arising and the fundamental problem is the how much autonomy should the Church have over its schools. More on this next week!!!!!!!
After Mass we took some time to eat, drink, and relax. The calm before the storm. Our next event for the day was going to be a parade through downtown Takoradi and through Sekondi and back to St. John’s school. The parade would consist of a couple vans carrying the visiting and pioneering Brothers, two flat bed trucks carrying small brass bands, and a huge crowd of 300 rowdy young high school boys ready to dance their heads off under a scorching sun! An odd recipe for excitement!
When it came time for us to leave St. John’s and head to the beginning of the parade route I adorned my blue HC jubilee polo, tied my gold scarf around my head, jumped in the back of the Skills pickup truck with four other Brothers and we zoomed off towards the Takoradi Harbor singing, yelling, and waving at all the people we passes: “Rise up! Rise up! Rise up! Be quiet and don’t be silly, we are the famous Holy Cross, we never say die!” We made a lot of noise.
We arrived at the parade starting point to find an enormous crowd of students from all the schools save the Skills Centre…the whereabouts of my beloved Skills boys were unknown. So we began singing songs, dancing, and causing commotion while we waited for the brass bands and the vans to arrive.
Eventually we were ready to begin and the boys nearly killed each other as they stormed onto the back of the flat beds…not all of them made it on. So right when the trucks started moving and the bands began playing I turned to see about 100 rough looking boys shouting and sprinting towards me like a charging Calvary who forgot their horses at home. It was the beloved Skills boys making an entrance that put all the other schools to shame! The parade could now begin...and boy did it!
For the next three miles or so we put the activity of Takoradi to a standstill thanks to our Police escorts. The climax was when we arrived at Market Circle where our joyful riot collided with the congested mess that is Market Circle. The result? Lots of staring, shouting, singing, dancing, and tons of laughter and confusion since our parade doubled in size…1/2 the people being strangers on the street who felt like participating in a parade at that moment.
When the brass band started playing “you are the most high God” which is a very popular song here in Ghana among well everyone..I thought the world would come to an end! Everyone! I mean everyone was singing at the top of their lungs and twirling their scarves in the traditional Ghanaian way, all while dancing furiously. It was an amazing sight to behold. One that only deepens my love for the people of Ghana. One that only strengthens my love for the Congregation of Holy Cross.
The second leg of the parade, through Sekondi and back to St. John’s, I spent in an A/C’d van. I had been sweating so hard and for so long it was like I had been sweating constantly since birth. I was scorched. So I relaxed and watched the parade through my window.
The students pretty much wore themselves out in the first leg but some were still going strong. Over all the parade was a complete success and no one was injured thank God! It was an excellent beginning to the Jubilee Celebrations!
There are only three American Holy Cross brothers left in Ghana now and one American Holy Cross priest. The community of Brothers has grown and the Congregation is now more fully represented by the presence of the Sisters of Holy Cross. The work of the Brothers has spread and I snow changing more lives than ever before.
So in the 50th year of independence in Ghana we celebrate 50 years of tireless service provided by the Brothers of Holy Cross. During this week we come together to celebrate just one wonderful part of the joyful and awesome whole that is the Congregation of Holy Cross.
……………………………
Ah, November 24th, 2007, yet another day that I will never forget. Another day that I will remember forever…a memory that will only strengthen my commitment to and my love for the Congregation of Holy Cross.
Today was the first day of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations for Holy Cross in Ghana. I wasn’t exactly sure what would come of this day, but I knew it would be something big…and oh how it was!
We all got ready and spruced up this morning for Mass at St. John’s School with Bishop John Martin Darko, Bishop of the Arch-diocese of Sekondi-Takoradi. After cleaning myself up and ironing my shirt I came downstairs to collect the pre-novices so that we could prepare to leave.
We had to move these giant bags of Holy Cross Jubilee polos and silk scarves, all in blue and gold the official colors of the congregation. When we came outside to load the things into the car Br. Tony Dadzie pulled up having just arrived from Cape Coast with a car full of American brothers. I was quite excited to meet all of them.
So the first Brother that I met introduced himself…I am Br. John Paige. O WOW! The Vicar-General of the Congregation. This is the man that Griff and Brenda had a meeting about HCSC all those months ago. He didn’t remember my name, but he knew why I was here. I didn’t expect seeing him so soon…I was taken aback. Then next Brother I met was Br. Donald Allen. Br. Donald was one of the pioneering Brothers who actually left the Holy Cross Mission in Bangladesh to come to the mission in Ghana. He is 83 years old and is in very good health. Next was Br. Lawrence ( ) another pioneering Brother who was one of the first three to step on Ghanaian soil. He spent his time teaching science at St. John’s School. And last but not least was Br. Richard Johnson who spent a number of years teaching in Ghana and will actually be staying a few months with us into the new year. Fr. Bob seemed very happy to see some of his close friends of old back in Ghana where so many of the fond memories they both share were birthed.
After many warm greetings and introductions we piled into the van and hurtled down the hill towards Sekondi and St. John’s. We blasted the A/C since we were all sweating profusely all ready since it was turning out to be a tough day under the relentless African sun.
We pulled into the visitors lot at St. John’s and right next to us was Br. Paul Mensah, District Superior, who also just arrived. So we unloaded our things and carried everything into St. Joe Hall where we found Br. William, Br. Matthew, Br. Steven(Arthur and Aidoo) and all of the candidates hard at work preparing for the luncheon to be held there after the Mass.
Many smiles, many laughs, and much work to be done. People bustling about and chatting about all the things that needed to be done before all the “big people” meaning all the founding Brothers and leaders of the Congregation show up. Indeed, there was plenty to do, but nobody was really worried that things would go wrong…a great thing about Ghana.
Eventually, I made my way over to the other residence for the Professed Brothers on the St. John’s Campus where many visitors, who are all staying in Cape Coast, had been arriving. The first people that I met were the visitors from the District of East Africa. Fr. David(Overseer of pre-novices and candidacy program), Fr. William(post-novitiate director), Br. Kaganga(Novice Master), and the District Superior Fr. James Burasa were all there. The men from the District of East Africa represent Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda even though most everything is based in Uganda. It wasn’t long after that when I was reunited with Br. Raymond Papenfuss(Assistant Provincial of the Midwest Province of Brothers). It had been a long time since I had seen him last in a meeting at Holy Cross College.
At last the greetings came to an end and we all gathered together to celebrate Mass in the giant dining hall. In all there were about 400 people gathered for Mass. Most of them were students from St. John’s, St. Augustine’s College in Cape Coast, and of course my beloved Holy Cross Skills boys. Also, in attendance were the many friends of Holy Cross in Ghana.
This was my first experience with Bishop John Martin Darko after having had experiences with Cardinal Turkson of the Archdiocese of Cape Coast, the Papal Nucio Kochery of the Archdiocese of Accra, and the beloved Bishop Sarpong of the Archdiocese of Kumasi. His homily focused mainly on the importance of active moral development in the classroom and thanking the Brothers, young and old, for doing exactly that. Educating the mind and the heart of their young students.
The Mass was being recorded by the local TV station(Skyy TV) to be shown later this week. It was a great opportunity for the Bishop to speak against the new reform issued to all Ghana schools by the Ghana Education Service. The new reform does not include Religious and Moral Education in the curriculum at all and is saying that ALL schools must adhere to their directives. Well, Catholic schools in Ghana don’t like being told what to teach. So there is a big conflict arising and the fundamental problem is the how much autonomy should the Church have over its schools. More on this next week!!!!!!!
After Mass we took some time to eat, drink, and relax. The calm before the storm. Our next event for the day was going to be a parade through downtown Takoradi and through Sekondi and back to St. John’s school. The parade would consist of a couple vans carrying the visiting and pioneering Brothers, two flat bed trucks carrying small brass bands, and a huge crowd of 300 rowdy young high school boys ready to dance their heads off under a scorching sun! An odd recipe for excitement!
When it came time for us to leave St. John’s and head to the beginning of the parade route I adorned my blue HC jubilee polo, tied my gold scarf around my head, jumped in the back of the Skills pickup truck with four other Brothers and we zoomed off towards the Takoradi Harbor singing, yelling, and waving at all the people we passes: “Rise up! Rise up! Rise up! Be quiet and don’t be silly, we are the famous Holy Cross, we never say die!” We made a lot of noise.
We arrived at the parade starting point to find an enormous crowd of students from all the schools save the Skills Centre…the whereabouts of my beloved Skills boys were unknown. So we began singing songs, dancing, and causing commotion while we waited for the brass bands and the vans to arrive.
Eventually we were ready to begin and the boys nearly killed each other as they stormed onto the back of the flat beds…not all of them made it on. So right when the trucks started moving and the bands began playing I turned to see about 100 rough looking boys shouting and sprinting towards me like a charging Calvary who forgot their horses at home. It was the beloved Skills boys making an entrance that put all the other schools to shame! The parade could now begin...and boy did it!
For the next three miles or so we put the activity of Takoradi to a standstill thanks to our Police escorts. The climax was when we arrived at Market Circle where our joyful riot collided with the congested mess that is Market Circle. The result? Lots of staring, shouting, singing, dancing, and tons of laughter and confusion since our parade doubled in size…1/2 the people being strangers on the street who felt like participating in a parade at that moment.
When the brass band started playing “you are the most high God” which is a very popular song here in Ghana among well everyone..I thought the world would come to an end! Everyone! I mean everyone was singing at the top of their lungs and twirling their scarves in the traditional Ghanaian way, all while dancing furiously. It was an amazing sight to behold. One that only deepens my love for the people of Ghana. One that only strengthens my love for the Congregation of Holy Cross.
The second leg of the parade, through Sekondi and back to St. John’s, I spent in an A/C’d van. I had been sweating so hard and for so long it was like I had been sweating constantly since birth. I was scorched. So I relaxed and watched the parade through my window.
The students pretty much wore themselves out in the first leg but some were still going strong. Over all the parade was a complete success and no one was injured thank God! It was an excellent beginning to the Jubilee Celebrations!
November 26th, 2007 Clean-Up Day at The Damien Center
For those of you who may not know, there are three major anniversaries in Ghana this year. 50 years of independence, 50 of Holy Cross, and 25 years of the Holy Cross Skills Training Centre. So in the midst of celebrating the Golden Jubilee we are celebrating the Silver Jubilee. So as a part of both Jubilees we held a clean-up day at The Damien Center.
The Damien Center is one of the few mental health care facilities in Ghana that is run by the Hospitaller Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown to me, they have been unable to do the work that they once did. So until they can begin that work again they allowed their facility to be used as a health clinic of the community of Fijai, where all this is located, very near the Skills Centre in neighboring Anaji.
The place was in dire need of a clean-up. This was a place where people came for healing and it was surrounded by overwhelming grass and weeds, shards of broken glass and concrete, and rubbish all over the place. Now don’t get the idea that the Sisters let the place fall to ruins. You try to run a health clinic in Ghana with a small staff and not enough funding. Then tell me about the problems you face.
So, Skills staff and students to the rescue. We showed up that morning to clean everything up and to enjoy ourselves while doing it. All of the staff form the Skills Centre, most of the students, the pre-novices, Fr. Bob Gilmour, the candidates from St. Joe Hall, and our media/documenter Br. David were all there for the event.
We broke all the boys up into groups and gave them assignments. I wasn’t sure what I should do so I just picked a group of boys and we began working together on clearing away some weeds and broken concrete out of the courtyard of the center.
It was hard work. It was hot. It was early, but we enjoyed ourselves. I could tell the boys were happy that I was working with them, getting dirty with them. We laughed and worked for three hours straight and I can safely say that we accomplished more than most other groups on the site.
I always made sure to positively reinforce them for a job well done. Towards the end of the morning we sat in the shade, drenched with sweat, tired, but satisfied by a job well done, satisfied with each others’ company. We sat sharing our water sachets and laughing until Sr. Iovnna from Poland came out to thank us for all the hard work. She took me into their kitchen where she pulled out some big containers of juice boxes that she wanted to give the boys. So I carried them all out and handed them out to the boys individually. Sister was so pleased at the work we had done…the place really looked so much better. I just watched and smiled at my students.
The Damien Center is one of the few mental health care facilities in Ghana that is run by the Hospitaller Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown to me, they have been unable to do the work that they once did. So until they can begin that work again they allowed their facility to be used as a health clinic of the community of Fijai, where all this is located, very near the Skills Centre in neighboring Anaji.
The place was in dire need of a clean-up. This was a place where people came for healing and it was surrounded by overwhelming grass and weeds, shards of broken glass and concrete, and rubbish all over the place. Now don’t get the idea that the Sisters let the place fall to ruins. You try to run a health clinic in Ghana with a small staff and not enough funding. Then tell me about the problems you face.
So, Skills staff and students to the rescue. We showed up that morning to clean everything up and to enjoy ourselves while doing it. All of the staff form the Skills Centre, most of the students, the pre-novices, Fr. Bob Gilmour, the candidates from St. Joe Hall, and our media/documenter Br. David were all there for the event.
We broke all the boys up into groups and gave them assignments. I wasn’t sure what I should do so I just picked a group of boys and we began working together on clearing away some weeds and broken concrete out of the courtyard of the center.
It was hard work. It was hot. It was early, but we enjoyed ourselves. I could tell the boys were happy that I was working with them, getting dirty with them. We laughed and worked for three hours straight and I can safely say that we accomplished more than most other groups on the site.
I always made sure to positively reinforce them for a job well done. Towards the end of the morning we sat in the shade, drenched with sweat, tired, but satisfied by a job well done, satisfied with each others’ company. We sat sharing our water sachets and laughing until Sr. Iovnna from Poland came out to thank us for all the hard work. She took me into their kitchen where she pulled out some big containers of juice boxes that she wanted to give the boys. So I carried them all out and handed them out to the boys individually. Sister was so pleased at the work we had done…the place really looked so much better. I just watched and smiled at my students.November 27th, 2007 Games Day @ St. John’s School
Today was the day of the great Games Day where St. Augustine’s College, St. Theresa’s, Skills, St. Augustine’s Secondary School, St. John’s, and the Holy Cross Brothers would come together for a football tournament.
The whole event was scheduled to begin at around 9:30am. Br. Richard Gilman, Pres of HCC, was going to be coming out from Cape Coast to attend the games and to meet with me. I wasn’t planning on participating in the games, but I had a sneaking suspicion that I might end up playing so I threw some shorts into plastic bag before we left for St. John’s. I thought I might be able to get some typing done while I was watching the games so I brought my computer and my notebooks.
Of course I didn’t get any work done at all. Shortly after meeting up with Br. Richard I ended u changing clothes and warming up with the team for the Holy Cross Brothers. I didn’t have any shoes to play in since I lent mine to Francisco, a pre-novice, so he could play. Anyway, long story short…After the incessant cheers and chants from my Skills students to put in Mr. Dunne I eventually got out to play. Oh yeah, my students also threw a pair of soccer cleats from the highest row of the grandstands for me to wear so I could play. The games started much later than we expected and we were playing directly under the infernal midday African sun. Despite the “inspirational” cheers and jeers from my students in the span of about 5 minutes all of my athletic energy was zapped from my body. I mean the sun just killed me…I was done for the rest of the day. WOW, the equatorial sun is ROUGH!
We tied that game 0-0 and lost the next one to none other than The Holy Cross Skills Training Centre! I couldn’t have been happier(Our team was terrible BTW). After getting some refreshment and changing back into my other clothes…ps this is when I collected my “Christmas” gifts from home and from my good friends at HCC…. THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE CARDS IT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME AND DON’T WORRY KP I AM NOT GOING TO GET ANY MORE TYPHOID!....I went back down to the field to watch the rest of the games.
My Skills boys were playing brilliantly. They might not be the best students, they might not be the most polite, they might not be rich, but they are my boys! They were playing very well against schools more than 5 times their size and they beat them. In the semi-final match
however, they lost to St. John’s in a shootout…ps then St. John’s beat St. Augustine’s 3 nil for first place. The skills boys were downcast.
I went around and told them how happy I was with how they performed and how proud I was of them and before long they were their happy, rowdy selves again. They are a great bunch of guys and they stick together. They are the underdogs in so many way. Anyway, there were some great athletic performances this day.
Another day in the Jubilee week gone by and once again I am realizing that I am getting quite attached to my Skills boys.
The whole event was scheduled to begin at around 9:30am. Br. Richard Gilman, Pres of HCC, was going to be coming out from Cape Coast to attend the games and to meet with me. I wasn’t planning on participating in the games, but I had a sneaking suspicion that I might end up playing so I threw some shorts into plastic bag before we left for St. John’s. I thought I might be able to get some typing done while I was watching the games so I brought my computer and my notebooks.
Of course I didn’t get any work done at all. Shortly after meeting up with Br. Richard I ended u changing clothes and warming up with the team for the Holy Cross Brothers. I didn’t have any shoes to play in since I lent mine to Francisco, a pre-novice, so he could play. Anyway, long story short…After the incessant cheers and chants from my Skills students to put in Mr. Dunne I eventually got out to play. Oh yeah, my students also threw a pair of soccer cleats from the highest row of the grandstands for me to wear so I could play. The games started much later than we expected and we were playing directly under the infernal midday African sun. Despite the “inspirational” cheers and jeers from my students in the span of about 5 minutes all of my athletic energy was zapped from my body. I mean the sun just killed me…I was done for the rest of the day. WOW, the equatorial sun is ROUGH!
We tied that game 0-0 and lost the next one to none other than The Holy Cross Skills Training Centre! I couldn’t have been happier(Our team was terrible BTW). After getting some refreshment and changing back into my other clothes…ps this is when I collected my “Christmas” gifts from home and from my good friends at HCC…. THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE CARDS IT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME AND DON’T WORRY KP I AM NOT GOING TO GET ANY MORE TYPHOID!....I went back down to the field to watch the rest of the games.
My Skills boys were playing brilliantly. They might not be the best students, they might not be the most polite, they might not be rich, but they are my boys! They were playing very well against schools more than 5 times their size and they beat them. In the semi-final match
however, they lost to St. John’s in a shootout…ps then St. John’s beat St. Augustine’s 3 nil for first place. The skills boys were downcast.I went around and told them how happy I was with how they performed and how proud I was of them and before long they were their happy, rowdy selves again. They are a great bunch of guys and they stick together. They are the underdogs in so many way. Anyway, there were some great athletic performances this day.
Another day in the Jubilee week gone by and once again I am realizing that I am getting quite attached to my Skills boys.
Finally, the pictures from my adventure up in Northern Ghana!
My friends from the bus station in Tamale, (L-R) Yachman and Alado
This is what the seating is like on a "207" bus. Public transport in Ghana is the best way to experience the country. By the way this is from my journey from Sunyani (Brong-Ahafo Region) to Tamale in the Northern Region. The girl on the right is the one tried to get sick out the window and failed. I forgave her don't worry! ;)
On the way to Tamale I noticed the change in the style of houses. In the Northern Region you will often find round houses which is quite different from what you will find in the Brong-Ahafo, Ashanti, and Central Regions. This style of housing actually came down from Burkina Faso.
You will also see a drastic change in the landscape. In the Northern Region the vegetation is not as thick and the hills of the Ashanti Region are long gone.
Passing over the White Volta River just into the Northern Region. 
Passing over the Black Volta River.
The great Central Mosque of Tamale. At night you can hear the prayer caller throughout the entire city, louder than all the other mosques. Trust me its loud.
One of the magnificient minarets.
Downtown Tamale early in the morning. Just wait untill it gets later...you will have a hard time trying to cross this street!
Giving the camera some love while chillin' at AlHassan's Hotel in Tamale. I won't show you what the room looked like...
Tamale town. A nice view I'd say.
So I decided to walk all the way to the stadium with a buddy. As you can see it was far.
After walking right past the angry old security man to geta closer look at the new stadium that was built for the African Cup of Nations.
The place is really nice I am telling you. I couldn't believe I got in.
Michael Essien eat your heart out...this is my territory!
Examples of what people mean when they say that the North is completely different from Southern Ghana. These picturesque villages have don’t even have access to potable water. But wow they are beautiful. When you see these things you being to realize the obscurity of your situation.And now!!!! The Mole National Park Experience!
Bush Boy!Well, I hope that you will all go back and look at all my old posts. I think some of the pictures might make reading the posts more interesting! Enjoy!
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