Through Eyes of Faith: Holy Cross Ghana

There and Back Again

2008-06-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this final blog is actually coming to you from the United States. Yes indeed, the end of the most challenging experience of my short life has finally come. As I knew I would, I completely fell off with my blogs towards the final weeks of my time in Ghana. Because of exhaustion? Because the difficulty I was having in realizing I was leaving? Or because I simply could not find the words to share my emotions with you?

So before I get into the emotions allow me to just give you a run through of the events and occasions that took place during my final weeks.

Saying goodbye to people in Ghana is a long process.(At least for me it was.) I suppose it was my own fault for mentioning to people how little time I had left. Once that was said it was usually followed by the following suggestive statements: “I know that you will remember me when you go to your country.”, “What are you giving me before you leave?”, or “I must give you my address…so that you can send me money.” Kind of disappointing that that was their main interest, but I was expecting it. (I gave my number and address out to way too many people.)
During my final weeks I did my best to visit all my closest friends and prepare them for my departure since on the last few days nothing is done properly. So I visited with John, Tony, Peter and his family, Philomena, Milicent, Richard, the expatriate workers, some of the Sisters of the Holy Cross from the area, and my friends from the local restaurant/bar that I go to.
It is hard for me to describe for you how it felt during those final weeks. Sometimes I was in denial of the fact that I was leaving. Sometimes I was really excited to get back to the States. Sometimes I felt like I find a way to stay longer. Feeling like a failure. Feeling proud of what I did….I think you get the picture.

The hardest thing for me to do was to say goodbye to my students. Although I didn’t get to say proper goodbyes to all of them I did get to give them a kind of farewell speech that I somehow made it through with dry eyes. I told them to remember what I taught them. I told them to be strong when hard times come and to have the courage to always do what is right and true. Keeping it short was a must since we were all crammed into the boiling hot electrical workshop so before I knew it I was giving them all awkward hugs goodbye and watching them walk out of the school for the last time.

Br. Daniel gave me the last week off of teaching before I was to catch my flight. I had planned to use the time to rest, relax, catch up on my writing, and discover new insights through prayer and meditation. Naturally, I didn’t do any of that and rather just got myself pulled around all over the place by people who just couldn’t say goodbye. I suppose I couldn’t either. ;)

On the weekend before I was to leave the Brothers held a going away party for me at our house in Butumagyebu. Most of the Brothers came except for some who were away in Kumasi and those who were stuck in Sunyani. Also in attendance were most of the teachers from the Skills Centre and some of my friends from Takoradi, Sekondi, and Kojokrom.

It was a great party with tons of food and drink and lots of laughter. At the very end it was my turn to get up and give my farewell speech. I didn’t want to take too long so I kept it short. I thanked everyone for being so kind to me and for being so patient with me when times were tough. I told them that this was definitely the most challenging thing that I have ever done. I explained that it was the most complex task that I have ever undertaken and that it was only a success because of how we all made it work.

I talked about how it seems like some of the strongest things have been forged by fire and this first year of the Holy Cross Service Corps has certainly been like that. When I think about all of the effort, the emotion, all of the successes and failures, the lessons learned, the pain…just putting it all together to make up one year of the HCSC. I explained that I truly believe that the continuation and improvement of this program will only result in positive change for the District of West Africa and Holy Cross College.

It was a wonderful experience full of adventure and challenges. My experience has come to an end now, but my work has not. It is now time to build the program and give it a solid structure so that our future volunteers can accomplish more each year. My experience has to be shared so as to inspire others, to help them understand that they can make a difference in the world. They can be a part of the solution. We will move forwards in developing the Holy Cross Service Corps and it will be successful.

At this point I would like to thank all of you who read and contributed to this blog. Your comments meant a great deal to me during some of the hard times. For those of you who are students I hope that you will pursue your interest in the Holy Cross Service Corps.
In August I will being working at Holy Cross College as the Assistant Director of the Moreau Center for International Programs. Mainly, I will work on developing the Holy Cross Service Corps as well as assisting in the coordination of our International Experience Programs.
If anyone has any specific questions that you would like to ask about my experience in Ghana or how you can have your own international service experience feel free to ask through this blog.

Thank you very much! Maydasi paaaaaaaaaa!

Jay Dunne
Inaugural HCSC Volunteer

Nyame Adom

2008-05-06T13:14:00.000-07:00

Now I am nearing the time of my departure from Ghana. Nearing the end of the most challenging experience of my life. It is going to take many attempts for me to be able to effectively synthesize and dissect this past year, but I think I am going to enjoy every moment of that. I can hardly believe how quickly the time has passed by. (Well, actually I can, but we must respect the formalities.)

Looking back on this experience from where I am now one thing is quite apparent if it were not for the spiritual growth that I underwent in the first three months I don’t believe that I would have had the strength to complete. But that is the whole thing!

My spiritual development in Ghana came from reading great spiritual works from Merton, Chardin, and St. John of the Cross. It came from learning to pray the Liturgy of the Hours in the morning, evening, and at night. It came from going to Mass every day and becoming dependent on the Eucharist. It came from developing a longing for prayer. These things could have happened anywhere at any time, but they happened here.

If I were in the US right now doing some other kind of work would I have read those books? Would I be going to Mass everyday let alone once a week? Would I be committed to my personal prayer life? Would I have the mental and spiritual strength to love others when I am hurting inside? Would I have the ability to even be honest with myself about the times that I fail to serve selflessly?

My preparation for this experience was about 26 days in Ghana over the course of two international experiences while I was a student at Holy Cross College. Both of those experiences were with groups of 26 and 10, but this time I was going to be in Ghana for a year virtually on my own. Besides my own personal reading and research I had nothing else. (But that never really bothered me.) I was not required to pray with the community nor was I assigned books to read and discuss with any spiritual director.

I was inspired to do it. I chose to do it.

I reflected long and hard on themes of seeing Christ in the face of the poor and the ignorant, being aware of the presence of God everywhere I was, being aware of God as the ultimate source around which all life revolves, and internalizing the idea that “there is no greater proof of love than laying down your life for your friends.” Another of the most important things that I often reminded myself was that God’s graces are always there for us; but it is up to us to accept them.

From all if this newfound insight I was able to discover a strength within myself to endure whatever struggle or trial that would come to me. I accepted that I could not do it by myself and that is how I overcame them.

Also, if it were not for reading the psalms on a daily basis I would still find myself a slave to a host of vices, mainly the power of my ego. I had a hard time in the beginning of my experience accepting my ministry. Constantly looking for a way to involve myself in something else that seemed “bigger and better” than teaching high school age boys English and Religious and Moral Education I was blind to the fact that it was my ego, my selfish desire to serve others on my own conditional terms, that was causing me such torment. In the beginning, I used to dread going to school and facing my students.

It wasn’t until I realized that it was my own ego that was causing me these problems that I was able to fix the problem. It got to a point where I was even considering requesting for another ministry to participate in or the unthinkable, give up entirely. I was able to recognize my selfish ways and correct them. I don’t think that is something I have done many times before. It was an action that saved this experience. Of course, as I said back in December, even during the worst times when I was considering giving up I knew that I couldn’t.

The past couple months, the “home stretch” if you will, has been equally difficult, but for a host of different reasons. So much of what I have struggled with has been due to the great need that exists here in Ghana. I am still just beginning to comprehend the magnitude of the different global and humanitarian issues that need to be addressed in the developing world and in Ghana. As I begin to better understand them I feel helpless when so many come to me in need. That is something that will never go away. While recognizing that you cannot help everyone you still cannot help but feel frustrated when you do not have the resources at your disposal to more actively deal with these problems.

How has it affected me? I feel burned out. I feel helpless. I feel like I have done nothing. Has that affected the way I interact with Ghanaians? Somewhat. But if it were not for my new spiritual strength I wouldn’t even be dealing with this. I would be back in the States…probably feeling lost. If it were not for what happened all those months ago I wouldn’t have the vigor to keep going, to still smile, to listen, to give freely, or to tolerate the incessant catcalls of all the villagers just to visit a friend’s home(ha ha). Although at times I feel a bit numb, cynical, or hardened I am fully committed to this work.

It has all been "nyame adom"...by God's grace. Before I was inspired to pray with the community or read those books I don't think I was ready to deal with what I have. There is a good chance that I would give up. But I was inspired which tells me that I think I am on the right track.

Getting Some Help

2008-04-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

A while back I was informed that my cousin Mary Kate, a student at Prospect High School, was a member of an organizing committee for their charity organization the Knight's Way. She informed them that she had a relative serving at a technical school for high school age boys in Ghana, West Africa and that the school could use some assistance.

I was really suprised when I found out that the school had decided to help us. We are a private Catholic institution and they are a public high school. From what I gathered they really did play down the faith aspect of the situation, but thanks to the hard work and determination of Mary Kate it all worked out.

First thing I made sure to do was to send out some pictures of the school for the students to see what the place looked like. I decided that I wanted to try and get some new things for all of the different departments (Auto, Electricals, Building and Construction, and Carpentry). I wanted each department to buy some new textbooks to teach with and also to purchase some new tools for their practicals. I also wanted to put up white boards in all of our classrooms so the dusty blackboards that we could be rid of those nasty old blackboards.(Painted onto the wall BTW) I would also want to get some new things for the English classes as well, mainly dictionaries and text books.

Well, after a long while we received the money raised by the students, about $3,000. I was so excited to get to work and bring some new things to our students and teachers. I was also informed that three boxes of dry erase markers (for the white boards), dictionaries, and Knight's Way t- shirts were on there way to Ghana. I was so happy.

We immediately went out and bought the materials necessary to make the white boards and I divided the funds up between the four departments so that each department received nearly 600 Ghana Cedis. Over the next few weeks the department heads went about buying different tools, new text books, and making plans to begin new projects using parts of their money.

I was able to go and buy new English textbooks and a host of new reading books for the boys. They were all very excited to be receiving all of these things. I made it quite clear that it was all for them and no one else.

It wasn't until just recently that we received the materials shipped from the US since they were hung up in Accra with customs. Thanks to the National Catholic Service Center we were able to clear things up without any major problems.

All in all things went very successfully and the students are pleased with their new supplies and the teachers are glad to have some new resources for their lessons. We at the Skills Centre are so grateful for the generous gifts given by the students and staff of Prospect High School.

I would especially like to thank my cousin Mary Kate. Without her efforts none of this could have been possible. It is quite a rarity for a public school to donate to a Catholic one, but because of your determination to make a difference in the lives of these young men, Mary Kate, you made it happen! God Bless You!

Enjoy the pictures!

Another Story

2008-04-14T07:39:00.000-07:00

Back in February I brought you just one story of one Ghanaian. Now I am bringing you another. I met this particular friend at The Last Stop drinking spot and restaurant in Fijai not from Moreau House in Butumagyebu.

Amos – 22 years

“At the first place, I am a young man and I am living with my parents. I schooled at St. Mary’s Boys Senior Secondary School in the Western Region when I was 18 years old.”

“When I was in school, I had an argument with my teachers in school. Having finished not knowing that the teachers had seen us. So they called us and we pretended as if we had not done anything wrong. We tried to defend ourselves but they still sacked us from the school. When I came back home I decided that I would not go back to school again.”

Amos got himself involved in some other bad activities. While he was at St. Mary’s school he became a habitual marijuana smoker. He also told me that he drank alcohol regularly during his first and second years of school.

It was what Amos did after he was sacked from school that really grabbed my attention. Instead of trying to find a way to get back into school or even go somewhere else he decided that he would leave Ghana behind.

In our conversations he would tell me how much he loves Ghana, but then when we talks about Europe or the States he dismisses everything that he previously said.

So one day, after much planning and exchanging of money, Amos jumped ship just off the coast of Takoradi and was headed for Spain, or so he thought. The ship ended up stopping in Abidjan, The Ivory Coast. Luckily he was able to stay on board, but at the next stop he was not as lucky.

Amos, a few other Ghanaians, and a few Nigerians were discovered and thrown off of the ship at Monrovia, Liberia during Liberia’s civil war. Amos spent a few days hiding in the bush before he could get back on another ship. He didn’t want to talk much about his experience there, but he just said that people were dying all around him. He didn’t know how he had survived. He told me that he didn’t sleep for the entire time that he was there.

After his miraculous escape from Liberia Amos finally made it to Spain. He was in Madrid for three days before he was caught by immigration and deported. He told me how depressed he was when he had to return to Ghana. He said, “I no go back to that ****** poor country man!”

“The reasons why I would like to go to Spain and leave Ghana is that staying in Ghana is not easy. You will struggle before you prosper or gain what you want. I know that all human beings struggle before he/she will prosper but staying in Ghana to get something is not easy… In the future I want to be a surveyor to help mother Ghana and also my family.”

About three or four weeks after I met Amos he quit his job at the bar/restaurant. Amos refused to do something that his supervisor asked him to do and then he walked out. At his job he was being paid 60 Ghana Cedis a month and was also put on the National Health Insurance Plan. Many young Ghanaians would do anything for a job like that.

It has been about a month and a half since I have seen or hear from Amos.

Last week one of the other workers at the place gave a me a sheet of paper and said it was from Amos. It was his reflections on some of the things that we talked about, but he left no phone number to call.

A Good Friday and a bad Friday

2008-04-07T08:27:00.000-07:00

I should apologize for not keeping this up as well as I should have, but our internet cable was stolen again two weeks ago and Ghana Telecom is still deciding whether or not they are going to replace it.(We think that they might finally place an armed guard out there.) So that makes it five times in the past four months I think.
Anyway, let me tell you about my Holy Week and Easter. We decided as a house that we would attend all of the masses and services during Holy Week at St. Peter’s Regional Seminary in Pedu, Cape Coast. I had heard of the place many times, but I had never actually seen the place.(For the group that came here last July-August the Seminary was right down the road from the Church that you attended for the Fante Mass.)
So we traveled out to Cape Coast on Thursday afternoon for the 8pm Mass at the Regional Seminary. When we arrived on the campus it was dark and you could see all these seminarians walking around in quiet contemplation. I remarked to Fr. Bob that they looked like ghosts floating around in the night wearing their white cassocks.
It was a beautiful night with a nice breeze blowing every now and then. The moon was full and the stars were out in their numbers. We took our seats in the back of the chapel since the rest of the seat were going to be full of seminarians. I found out that the Seminary currently has about 277 seminarians. I think Moreau Seminary at Notre Dame has about 25.
So eventually the place was full of the young seminarians and in the back five rows were all of the visitors and Roman Sisters. I leaned over to tell Jude, one of the young men in the pre-novitiate for the Brothers, that is was pretty inspiring being around all of these pious men.
Well, I think that was the reasoning behind going to the seminary for Holy Week. The liturgy was flawless and traditional. The singing was superb. The experience was wonderful.
I do not have many memories of going to stations of the cross or veneration of the cross on Good Friday, but the memories I made form this past Good Friday will be very important ones for my future.
Some people out here call Good Friday crying day. It was definitely an emotional day for me. I kept thinking throughout the stations if I would be one of the people who condemned Jesus after welcoming him joyously into Jerusalem. Would I have had the courage to cry out against the murder of an innocent man? These kind of questions ran through my head all day long. It made me feel like crying since I wasn’t sure if I would have stood up for Jesus. He gave his life freely for me and for all…how have I said thank you?
I kept thinking about that subject for the next couple days. I began to apply it to my life and my work here in Ghana. Am I doing everything I can out here? Am I standing up for those marginalized? How much am I really giving of myself? Am I seeing Christ in the poor, the afflicted, and the sick?
It was this kind of critical reflection that honestly made me feel that so much of what I do is selfish and inadequate. So on Easter Sunday I resolved to myself to change all of that. I will give even when it hurts. And when I fail in doing this I will try again and again.
I will prepare myself to risk much for the well being (spiritual and physical) of my brothers and sisters around the world.(It is funny how this all worked out.) I resolved that I am going to prepare myself for a life of selfless service.
So the following Friday the day started out rather strangely. I came out of my room at about 5:30a.m. to see a mad man running up our hill to the house. He was screaming, “I’m not crazy Teresa! Hey, white man! There is a dead body down there. Come and get the body!”
Now ever since the Damien Mental Health Clinic in Fijai shut down many of their former patients have not been receiving any medication so they have really been losing control and wandering all over the area since their families refuse to care for them. On more than one occasion they have come to our house. There isn’t much we can do for them when they come and sometimes they are so hysterical when they arrive that we just have to send them away. It’s a sad situation.
That morning at school I heard that two of our students got into a fight. One boy badly injured the other after hitting him in the face with a t-square. We took the wounded boy to the hospital and the other boy was nowhere to be found.
At around Noon that same day I heard a loud ruckus outside the school library where I was working with a student. I turned to see a few students running across the assembly area towards the canteen just outside the campus grounds. As I walked out of the room I saw about a hundred of our boys gathered around the canteen outside the campus.
I knew what it was before I got there. It was what I feared…Ewee. In the Fante language Ewee means thief. Now why does that cause me to fear? Stealing in Ghana, or in Africa, for that matter is a pretty serious crime. The thing is thieves aren’t turned over to the police, in fact, the police sometimes don’t ever hear about the incidents. When a thief is caught he faces mob justice which usually ends up with the thief being beaten, humiliated and then lynched, drowned, or burned to death. The general justification for such brutal punishment is that to steal something that someone has worked their whole lives for is like taking that person’s life; so you should be killed for doing such a thing.
Anyway, the story is this. A young man was caught trying to steal a TV. antennae in Anaji, where our school is located. The small mob stripped the man naked and beat him severely. They walked him down the road humiliating him in front of all who were present until the thief ran toward our school for some vain hope of refuge. His accusers continued to beat and insult him outside our school grounds.
When I finally got to the scene I was overcome with anger. There were my own students laughing, insulting, and encouraging the other men to beat the thief. Once of the students ran up to me laughing like a jolly fool, “Hey Bro…look look Eweeo!” I shoved him to the ground and started screaming at the tops of my lungs for the students to go inside. I don’t think they ever saw me that angry because they all scattered and ran inside. One of the teachers came out behind me and helped me to get the rest of the boys back inside.
I turned back to see the thief crying and begging for his life whilst bleeding all over. His accusers stood over him holding big sticks and shovels. They were shouting insults in the vernacular and slapping him across the face.
They wanted to kill him. I felt sick. I couldn’t stand it so I stepped up to the accusers and begged them to let him go. At first they didn’t mind me at all. Almost as if I wasn’t there, but eventually they began to move away from the thief until there was only one man left. He still stood there holding his stick threatening the thief by slamming it on the bench behind where the thief was sitting. I looked at the man and told him he was sick.
All of the students were still watching from inside the campus. I had to do something for the young man. I took off my undershirt and gave it to the poor naked criminal. We made eye contact for about one second before I turned and headed back inside the school.
As I walked back into the school all of my students with impatient tones demanded to know why I would do such a thing. “Bro why would you give that man your shirt? He is a thief.”
I was so bewildered by my mixture of rage and discouragement that I could hardly speak, but I did manage to answer their question. “Because I am a Christian.”
I don’t think they understood me.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

2008-03-11T13:04:00.000-07:00

Last week on Monday I was coming home from school with Br. Daniel when we made quite an interesting discovery. I noticed as we approached the base of the hill, aptly named Roman Hill by the villagers, that the men had come to empty the large rubbish container located off the side of the road.

It is nice that they come to take away the rubbish, but honestly they only come about once every three months and most of the rubbish is found on the ground around the container. The workers are very good at sticking to their duties: remove and empty the container. They were never told to clean up the rest of the rubbish, so they don’t. The place never looks like it is being cleaned up.

Anyway, so this one day we drive by to find the semi-empty container sitting on the road up to our house. Rubbish was scattered all over as if the workers had quit in the middle of their job. It turns out that is what happened. In the process of removing the container they managed to knock down one of the cement electrical poles on a knoll next to the dump.(I still don’t know how they managed to do it.) Instead of calling the police and notifying them of the accident the two men jumped into their truck leaving a lot of rubbish and live electrical wires on the ground.

The wires were directly connected to our house and our house only. So luckily we were the only ones effected. We had no light and our water was soon to run out since our pump was shut off. I have found myself without light a million times here, but never because of something like this. My fear, which was shared by Fr. Bob and Br. Dan, was that this is something that might not be able to be fixed for weeks or months, which would not be nice at all.

Fr. Bob acted quickly and went to visit the Electric Company of Ghana (ECG) to see what could be done. Although nothing was done the first night, we were told that if we hadn’t reported the incident right away like we did then we would have been without light for at least a few weeks.(Not really sure why, but you don’t give these people attitude.) So we had no light that night.

The next day I had a great story to tell people at school, but I was worried about the situation. On this day Fr. Bob went back to ECG in his habit to visit one of the big bosses, who is a Catholic, to convince him to fix our pole and give us light. Well, by about 5p.m. we had light again and for a low price, too!

Unfortunately for the two workers who caused all this trouble our gardener, who was taking a “break” from work, witnessed the whole event. It turns out he knows the two workers and where they live. So pretty soon they can be sure that a few of Ghana’s men in blue will show up at their house.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………....

About four months ago we lost our Broadband internet connection and telephone service, which is provided by Ghana Telecom. After making some inquiries as to what the problem was we discovered that it was a theft. A theft? Yes, a theft. Some individuals, not far from our village, dug up and cut the cable in one spot and walked about 20+ meters another direction and did the same. They hooked the cable up to their vehicle and pulled all of it out of the ground. Why? Simply because they want to sell the copper inside the cable.

It took Ghana Telecom a little over three weeks to replace the cable and restore the internet and phone service to our area.

So about a month and a half ago this whole scenario happened again, but this time it was replaced very quickly by Ghana Telecom. In less than two weeks they restored everything.

Two weeks after they replaced the cable was stolen out of the ground again in the exact same spot. We were without internet and telephone service for about three weeks. Just the other day did we get everything restored.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

I think I said in a previous blog that many of my students here could benefit from some professional counseling and that even though none of us are trained professionals we try our best. You have to understand how difficult this is.

One of my first year students, Philip, isn’t exactly a great student. He talks during class. He is always late. He often doesn’t come to school at all or leaves during lunchtime for reasons unknown to me. He is a handsome young guy and he always tries to look fresh, even in a school uniform. You can see the fairly short boy walking around always wearing his “tough-guy” expression on his face.(He can never wear it for too long when I come around though.) He tries to be the guy who isn’t affected by anything...the whole macho man, men can’t cry kind of guy.

His English is horrific. He can understand very little of what I say to him so I have had to write down my comments or questions on paper for him to read and respond to when we have one on one discussions. At first I was irritated by him and his behavior. I would always call him a punk, of course no one besides myself understood the word. After a while I saw that he was really trying to change his attitude. He was putting effort into his work and was paying attention in class. I would call on him often and he really tried to participate; but, he was still late for class.

The past two weeks however, he came to very few classes and the ones that he was present at he was as silent as silent could be. In the middle of last week I approached him to see what was wrong.

With tears welling in his eyes he said, “Bro..my mother…dead….”

That is what he told me. So what do you tell a poor Ghanaian boy who lives with his Grandmother, whose father is working and living in Cape Coast, and whose Mother has died. What can you do to help the boy who barely understands your language? How do you comfort a young boy who, with the grief of losing his mother on his heart, has to walk five miles to school with an empty stomach day after day?

I talked to him and told him not to feel sad because his mother is in heaven. I told him not to think about his loss, but rather about what his Mother has gained. I said and wrote a lot of things hoping that something could help him. I listened, even though he could not express himself. I tried my best. Imagine someone giving you an opportunity to talk about something that is causing you great pain, an opportunity that doesn’t come up too often for people out here, and you cannot express how you feel.

I just wanted to tell him that it is ok to cry.

GHANA, The 08 Experience

2008-02-27T15:02:00.000-08:00

Ghana is Holy Cross's longest running trip. In fact, not only do we have a trip there, but we have a graduate from one of those trips who has gone back to serve a year there as a teacher. He is Jay Dunne, and is the first member of the Holy Cross Service Corps. If you look to the left you can see a bit more about the Corps. Then below that you will find out some basic info about the summer trips we offer. This year, we will have the usual trip, arounf July 19 - Aug 8, depending on the best tickets. But we ALSO are working to arrange a smaller trip that will be hosted by Jay Dunne while he is still in Ghana. That would take place from mid May to early June. If you are interested in either option, be sure to contact Mr. Griffin. And to learn more about what Jay, who will host that trip, is doing in Ghana, read the blog entries below. In them he describes many of the amazing experiences he is having. So enjoy!

Just one story

2008-02-23T02:36:00.000-08:00

So many times I have difficulty thinking of what to share with all of you on this Blog. There is so much to talk about, good and bad. So much. I have not done a great job thus far sharing with you the stories of some of my close friends out here. So I figured I would allow my friends to let their lives speak for themselves. I had one of my closest friends here answer some questions for me in the hopes that you will learn a bit more about life in Ghana.

This is just one story...

I am a man of 23 years. I grew up in a community in the Western Region of Ghana. When I was growing up I thought life was fun and simple, never thought of anyone having problem and needed someone to help them. The reason was that my parents were providing for my needs, but as time went by things started to change especially when I was in the Junior Secondary School because my father lost his job and life became very difficult. I would sometimes go to school without food not too mention with no money to pay my school fees or registration fees for my final examinations. By the grace of God and through the struggle of my parents, I paid the registration fees and wrote my exams when I was fifteen in 1999.
My exam results came and I was amongst the first five students who did well in my school! All the schools that I chose selected me but there was no money for me to continue my schooling. I was sad because since those who did not do as well as I did started school and I was staying in the house thinking of what I could do to become an electrical engineer – since that is what I decided I want to be as my profession in life. My father tried all the means but to no avail, he decided to take me to a friend of his as a apprentice to learn a trade as an electrician. I went and the saddest part was that my father was told to pay an amount of 20 Ghana Cedis (about $20) for me to start but he could not provide that money. My master had pity on me in the beginning but sacked me on several occasions and commanded me to do a lot of extra work like washing his clothes, including his wife and children’s clothes. I would also have to walk everyday from my community to wash his car at 5am. I would sometimes walk from my place to Takoradi with no food in my stomach and in the evening too. I completed the apprenticeship and served for another two years making it five years total. (The additional two years were because we could not pay the money in the beginning.)But eventually my Father paid the money and I was given a certificate and now I am a master. Interestingly, I never thought of people suffering in this world and never thought of what I can do to help those people who were suffering.
When I completed I decided to go to a Training Centre to learn more about electricals. Now this is when life became very difficult since my father totally lost his job. I had to walk from the house to school(about 5 miles) with no food to eat, but I was determined to achieve my goal and succeed in school. I had no money to pay my school fees or my registration fees. Several times I was sacked from school but I returned secretly to sit in the classroom and study. When I was about to finish my schooling things started to get worse. My father became very sick and was forced to sell all of the things he had worked for over the years, but to no avail. Since I was the oldest among my sisters I decided to get a job to help my father to get well. I got a job in my Auntie’s shop and she was paying me 50 pesewas a day. (about 50 cents) After work instead of using this small money for food and transport costs I would go and buy corn dough from the market for my family to eat because since the morning time they had had nothing to eat. Due to this my sister who was in her second year had to stop schooling and stay in the house to take care of my father. I went on working like this for some time until one day I came home to find my father dead on the 6th of July 2006. I was very disturbed since we didn’t have enough money to bury my father. But God was good to us and through the help of my father’s friends we were able to provide him with a perfect burial. During the funeral many people gave our family money so that we might not suffer, but my Auntie took and spoiled all of it. I was furious with her because when my father was sick my mother went to her for help and she gave us nothing.
From that time on I started to experience what life is. Life has not been easy at all and I am really struggling to take care of my mother and two sisters. I sometimes sit down and ask myself if I was born to suffer. I decided that I would stow away on a ship to anywhere and if I died I died and if I survived I survived.
Fortunately, I ended up getting a job at the school I attended where I make 30 Ghana cedis a month. (about 30 dollars a month) It isn’t enough to survive but by getting other small jobs I am able to provide for my mother and sisters, both of whom are schooling. Even though life is difficult, I know that my redeemer lives and with God all things are possible to those who believe in Him. Though this life is difficult I have finally realized that there are many people who are facing problems which are more difficult than mine, and now I try to spend my time thinking of how I can help those people…I know a time will come when I will be able to help those people.

...................................
What I love about Ghana is the natural beauty of the place and the peace that exists between all its people.

....................................

I am proud to be a Ghanaian, because this is the country that God has made me part of. Since I was born up to this time there has been peace. All people who visit Ghana experience the great sense of hospitality exhibited by all Ghanaians. This makes me proud.

.....................................
Some of the things of which I don’t like about being a Ghanaian are that a lot of people have money mainly politicians, so called religious men, and well to do business people who have the means to help those who are in need, those who are helpless and they do nothing. Sometimes when these helpless people show up at their door they throw them away and humiliate them.

.....................................

I have always wanted dreamed of becoming a God fearing man and secondly to continue my education and achieve my aim of becoming an electrical engineer and thirdly to help those who are in need, the helpless in my society.
The major obstacles in my way is the fear that I will not be able to achieve my ambitions since I don’t have the money and this is the main problem I am facing now. And I will take this opportunity to ask you something. Please, my friend I need an amount of 5 million cedis, about 500 dollars to further my education at Takoradi Polytechnic. I will need this money by around August-September this year, so please if you can help me or if you know of someone who can help me to achieve my aim I will be forever grateful. If through your help I am able to get to Polytechnic I will never look down upon anyone who needs help, and I know that God will bless you abundantly.

...................................
If I could teach the people of America one thing in life it would be not to look down upon the poor people of Africa and thinking that they are worthless. Because people think that when you are poor you are nothing, you are of no use whether old or young, and nothing good can come from you. When I experience this I can’t stand it because I think something good can come from anyone if somebody is ready and willing to help those people.
And I believe that help is giving to the poor is not wasted because the Bible says “if someone gives something to the poor that person has given it to God and He will pay that person more than what he gave in kind.” So we must do all we can to help these people.

Just Beyond Hamattan

2008-02-23T02:33:00.000-08:00

About a few weeks ago the Hamattan season finally came to an end. The Hamattan is the dry season here in Ghana. Let me tell you it was dry! In the beginning it was wonderful. The winds started blowing from the North and everything was cool. I mean I would find myself shivering at night and after my morning shower.(BTW my classrooms at Skills were often times smelling rather foul because the boys didn’t want to bathe in the cold air. It may have saved them some discomfort but in the long run we all suffered.)
Of course it was pretty darn funny that I found the weather so cold when it never really got colder than an average Fall day in the Mid-West. I realized how good it is that I will be returning to the U.S. during the summer. I think I would die if I came back in the winter, or just get sick immediately.
Unfortunately, there is a downside to the dry season. Yep, you guessed it! It is unbelievably dry. Because the winds bring with them tons and tons of dust from the dunes of the Sahara desert. This dust blows over all of West Africa and even reaches over the ocean to parts of South America. The dust gets everywhere. You can wipe your window clean and five minutes later there will be a brand new layer of dust there. When you drive around town you can’t believe the condition of some of the cars, the ones that are out of commission. They look as if they have been just recently exhumed.
Everybody suffers from colds during the dry season. You will see people using all sorts of products to keep their nasal passages moist, but most of the time it is all in vain. Everything just dries out and you end up with bloody noses and cracked lips. It can be a dreadful ordeal depending on where you live. The further north you go in Ghana the worse it will get. On days when the Hamattan was heavy all the way down here in the Western Region I could only imagine how the people suffered up in the Northern Region as well as the Upper Eastern and Upper Western Regions.
All the while during this wretched weather school was going on and things were going well in the classroom. It is so funny how in the beginning I never thought I would learn all the names of the students, but now I know so many, more than some of the other teachers I believe. Of course, it took time. Because of the new reform I am spending much more time with the first years. Instead of having English once a week we now have it three times a week. On Mondays we do reading and spelling work, on Wednesdays we do grammar, and on Fridays we do reading comprehension and essay writing. I am pleased with their performances, but it will take an act of God to get all of the assignments in on time.
The problem is so many of the students miss at least one day of school a week. Some miss whole weeks of school without notifying anyone. We have no idea why they miss school sometimes and when I ask I assume they are telling the truth. Sometimes they have to leave and work for a while so they can pay for school or so they can help out their family. Sometimes they just don’t feel like coming to school. Most times they are sick. It is quite a slap in the face when you realize how difficult it is to learn when you are sick so often. But we use the time we have together as best as we can….I think they enjoy themselves.
I did a couple of small projects earlier this term. I brought a world map from home and I purchased a Ghana map, a West Africa map, and an Africa map to put up in the Library/Staff Room. With the help of a couple of the Carpentry teachers, Br. Mathew Sabogu and Mr. Paul Damoah, we were able to make the inexpensive maps look quite nice in some glass enclosed frames. (I wanted to make sure that they last through a few Hamattan seasons.) I try to make use of the maps in my classes as much as possible. The boys really love looking at those maps and gaining a more accurate picture of how the world is arranged.
My other project was to refurbish the small library that we have for our students. It is made up of fiction books that I read during high school. From what I understand they were all donated by Br. Tom Dillman. We also have a rather large selection of reference books including a complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica. Unfortunately, the reference books are all dated and are not in the best of shape…but it’s something. So after reorganizing the library at Skills I began distributing books to all of my different English students in Forms one, two, and three. Some might think I am crazy to give these boys the books since they aren’t famous for their responsible behavior, but it’s better than letting them just sit there to collect dust.
I think that the boys have become quite used to my style of teaching. They ask questions freely now, which is great, whereas before they we just sit in silence and say “YES BRO” “NO BRO”
I have never been interested in discipline, but sometimes I have no choice. Mainly I have resorted to corporal punishment and made the boys do push-ups like crazy. Other times I just throw them out of class and tell them that if they want to come back they need to write me a letter explaining why they think they should be allowed in back in the classroom. One time I threw a kid out and gave him those directions. He looked at me with his puppy dog face and begged me to let him stay, but I sent him out.(He deserved it don’t worry.) Anyway, I wondered where he went to so I walked outside the classroom and he was nowhere to be found. I walked past the next classroom down and there he was sitting in the empty classroom writing his letter furiously. It was a great feeling.
These boys can definitely be troublesome, but one needs to realize that they do need extra attention. Many of them could really benefit from some professional counseling(true of us all) and although none of us are licensed counselors we try our best to help these boys who are underdogs in every sense of the word.
It is almost March now and the weather is HOT! We haven’t had any rain for about three months save for a couple showers here and there.(When I say a couple I really mean it.) Time is flying and I have become immersed in the life here it is sometimes hard to imagine what it was like back in the U.S. I try not to spend too much time thinking about that now; there is still quite a bit of work to do here. Quite a bit.
Thanks for reading.

GES and the Ghana Catholic Conference of Bishops

2008-02-05T07:41:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I took quite a long time to deliver this blog regarding the new reform issued by the Ghana Education Service to all Senior Secondary, Vocational, and Technical education institutions. I did mention in the past that this new reform had been causing some commotion among the Catholic Community here in Ghana. These concerns were voiced by the Ghanaian Bishops many times over the months leading up to the commencement of the new reform.
So what was the big problem? Basically, the government attempting to control Catholic educational institutions. Catholic institutions around the world have all experienced the pressure from education ministries or government agencies at one point or another. So at one point or another all Catholic educational institutions have to stand up and say, “We are Catholic!”
At the Holy Cross Skills Training Centre, we teach a class called Religious and Moral Education(RME). Although, it is taught from a Christian perspective the class strives to explain the concepts of religion and morality in an objective way. As a Catholic institution we hold this class in high regard and stress the importance to our students on a daily basis. However, when the brand new and improved reform came out the RME class wasn’t anywhere to be found. What was there, however, were two new classes: Entrepreneurial skills and Information and Computer Technology. I found it quite interesting that all schools would be required to follow this reform even though they were given only 3 months notice and no financial assistance for the changeover.
Furthermore, since the new reform takes effect in January, and only for the First Year students, schools will be forced to be open all year round, not to mention they will have to function with two different class schedules. In fact, the oversights and issues created by this new reform have really showed me how detached the Ghana Education Service is from the actual condition of educational institutions in Ghana. Schools are overcrowded and understaffed. Schools don’t have the funds to obtain the technology needed to teach the ICT classes. Not to mention the fact that proper syllabi have not been made available in a great quantity or in a timely manner.
There was also a big row over GES appointing non-Catholic, and even non-Christian, headmasters at Catholic Schools. There have been many complaints from teachers that these headmasters are eradicating the Catholic identity of the schools. I wish I could give you a more detailed report about this issue, but this is all that I have for you right now.
Amidst all this conflict and confusion I will applaud the efforts of GES to reform Technical and Vocational schools. The greater emphasis on English, Math, Science, Entrepreneurial Skills, and Information and Communication Technology is an obvious effort to create a more holistic education for our technical students. I truly believe that this liberalization of technical education will create many opportunities in the lives of these young men. However, none of this will be able to happen unless technical and vocational institutions are able to equip themselves properly for this new reform. Meaning that all teachers need to take time to think about where this new reform will be taking students, all schools will somehow have to find funds to purchase computers and internet connection. Also, this kind of material might be over the heads of many young technical students some of whom can barely read, write, or speak English. In order for the reform to succeed schools are going to need to be staffed with highly devoted teachers who consider teaching their vocation not just a way to pay the bills.
We at the Skills Centre solved the RME problem quite easily. We just added it to the new reform. However, other schools have discontinued it entirely just because the “big” GES people removed it. GES also went as far as to say that Religion and Morals should only be taught in the home and in Church and that morality and religion are in no way academic subjects! WHAT?!
It is quite easy to see that there is a wide gap between what GES perceives the situation of technical and vocational education to be and what the reality of it is. Either that or they just don’t care. In the meantime, teachers and schools do the very best they can to provide students with the skills and knowledge to achieve something positive while education ministers drive around in luxury cars, paid for by the government, and sit in air conditioned offices.

It is important that you should remember that wonderful things happen in classrooms all over Ghana everyday! Good things are happening, however, improvements must be made.

(The opinions expressed in this article in no way reflect that of the Congregation of Holy Cross nor the Holy Cross Skills Training Centre.)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

2008-02-05T07:36:00.000-08:00

Ok…so there is an epidemic of Football Fever in Ghana right now. 16 teams from all over Africa have gathered for the African Cup of Nations Football Tournament. Teams from Morocco, Egypt, Sudan, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Benin, Mali, Tunisia, South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Guinea, Senegal, Angola, and of course the hosting Black Stars of Ghana are all competing to become the Champion of the continent.
The excitement has been mounting for many months, however, it seems that all the preparation was in the last minute. You could see the main roads improving during the last year and of course the construction of the incredible new stadiums were finished on time, or close to on time, but as for the thousands of streetlights put up, all of the clean-up crews picking up rubbish all day long, and the new paint jobs on all the moldy buildings those were all done one month or less before the tournament began. In fact they were still putting in streetlights a few days after the tournament began.
It is quite obvious that this major cleanup process which spans most of the country, since there are stadiums in Accra, Sekondi, Kumasi, and Tamale, was only done to impress the Cup of Nations visitors. The money was always there to clean up the country, or at least parts of it, it just wasn’t being done. Interesting eh? Even more interesting to see which improvements are sustained.
Anyway, for a long time I was the one always saying how ridiculous it was for Ghana to be hosting this tournament, spending hundreds of millions of dollars on football when there is still a significant number of people dying every year from easily treatable diseases. Spending hundreds of millions of dollars on football while children are crammed into public school classrooms 2 to a seat. Spending millions of dollars on football and boasting of Ghana becoming a middle income country when there are still significant numbers of Ghanaians who are illiterate or are just struggling to survive because of so few options when it comes to social assistance.
However….
the opening ceremony and the performance of the Black Stars thus far (3-0) has been really exciting. It really has been refreshing to have all the visitors around from all corners of Africa here with us. Many times during the tournament I have found myself feeling quite proud to be in Ghana at this time. It is a wonderful feeling to watch Ghana in the limelight. The place that will always have a special place in my heart. The place that has helped to shape me into the person I am is getting some attention from the world in a big way. It is a wonderful feeling when you see everyone gathered around a small television set at a kiosk watching the Black Stars or when you hear the villages singing all through the night after a big victory. This tournament is an excellent opportunity for Ghana to become more proud of herself. It is an excellent opportunity for Ghanaians to realize their potential and what they can offer the world.I am sure some of you would say that what I have shared is oversimplified, perhaps. Which perspective do you identify with?

Happy New Year!

2008-01-15T06:44:00.001-08:00

I hope all of you had a great time bringing in the New Year! I didn’t really do anything for New Year’s Eve. People in Ghana, at least most people, spend their New Year’s Eve in Church. I could hear the different Churches doing their own countdowns to the New Year. “1 hour left! You’ve got to pray! You’ve got to pray! Only 1 hour ‘till the New Year!” It didn’t sound like the normal services, but more like three hours of prayer at a lightning fast pace.
So instead of participating in a Mass that would last about 4 hours I decided to sit on the rooftop of the District Centre, drink a few Star beers, and lose myself completely in memories from 2007. Ha-ha Wow, it wasn’t exactly the best New Year’s Eve ever, but it will be one that I will never forget.
At the stroke of midnight I screamed HAPPY NEW YEAR! (I am pretty sure that I woke up a lot of the reverend sisters that were sleeping at ICF.) And for some reason I started feeling a whole lot better about everything! Another year to do good things, another year full of ups and downs, another year of life! For the rest of the night you could hear the joyful music from all the different Churches. Small fireworks sounded throughout the villages.
So on that wonderful note I began 2008.

A Funeral - December 28th, 2007

2008-01-15T06:21:00.000-08:00

People in Brafoyaw and at the District Center wanted me to come back for a few days during the Christmas Holiday so I decided that I would bring in the New Year there. In all I spent four days there relaxing and catching up on a lot of internet browsing. Unfortunately, my time there began in a rather sad way.
For those of you who don’t know, there is a small community of Jesuits that live on the same property that the Holy Cross District Center and the Institute for Continuing Formation are located. On the 24th of December they lost one of their young Scholastics to cancer. He was 27 years old. So on the night that I arrived in Brafoyaw they were going to hold the wake keeping in our chapel.
I spent some time helping to set up the chapel with extra chairs since the number of family members and well wishers gathered had far exceeded the capacity of the chapel. When the Mass finally began there were a number of people forced to sit around the outside of the chapel, myself included. There were other Jesuit priests present from Accra and also some that had come from as far as Nigeria and Zimbabwe. Also, the Jesuit Provincial Fr. George was present.
Fr. John Ghansa gave the homily and used the opportunity to tell everyone about his experience with Alexis, the deceased. Alexis was your typical Jesuit candidate, a true scholar, a man who lived in awe of God, a man who left a loving impression upon all he met, anything but average really. The most wonderful part of Fr. John’s account was when it came to the times of suffering. He recounted the times when Alexis had to travel to Nigeria and back to Ghana amidst the agony of his illness, but he always tried to smile. The most moving part of his testimony came when he was by Alexis’s bedside the night before he died. Alexis was given his ‘final’ mission which was to pray for the Society of Jesus. On that night before he died he was praying for all the Jesuits that he knew by name. He died in peaceful suffering.
After the Mass there was a viewing of the body at the Jesuit chapel on the other side of the property. After a few short prayers, led by Fr. Donald Henfie, there was a short period of silence. It was after this silence that the sounds heard at most Ghanaian wakes were heard. The women of the family wailed under the night sky which showed few stars. The men sobbed with their faces in their hands as they moved out of the chapel. The scene was so dramatic it was as if their wails and their cries could have been easily organized into an African poem of lamentation. The sorrowful moaning tugged at my heart.
The funeral Mass was said the next morning by the Jesuit Provincial who was incredible. Everyone was prepared for another day of sorrow, but Fr. George wasn’t about to allow it. I remember when said with such incredible enthusiasm, “No more tears of sorrow for today is Resurrection Sunday. Today is Easter Sunday.” With such conviction and joy in his words he reminded me and all of us that Alexis was a young men of great Faith and that he is with the Lord in paradise.
After the Mass we processed out to the burial site just off to the side of the entrance to the property. There were at least 200 or so people gathered around the grave. There was a large pile of earth next to the open grave and a small canopy over it. It didn’t take long for the challenging event of watching your child be lowered into the ground to overwhelm the mothers there. Once again the wails were heard and the tears flowed. It was a completely different kind of grief.
I stood with a few others as the gravediggers began to finish their day’s work. Eventually, the only people left were me, a few Jesuit priests, and two boys. These two boys were the youngest brothers of Alexis. They watched with deep sadness as the Earth consumed their brother. Fr. Donald Henfie went up to each of the boys and whispered in their ears. I am sure he told them exactly what they needed to hear at that moment. I know what I would have said.

So this is Christmas…

2007-12-31T07:38:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-23T11:57:00.000-08:00

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.

Pilgrimage to Nauli

2007-12-23T11:54:00.000-08:00

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.

Jubilee Day and The Day of Thanksgiving – December 1st and 2nd

2007-12-17T11:57:00.000-08:00

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.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
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

2007-12-17T11:56:00.000-08:00

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.

Holy Cross Skills Center Symposium – November, 28th, 2007

2007-12-17T11:53:00.000-08:00

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.

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!

OOPS!

2007-11-30T05:35:00.001-08:00

Forgive me for putting my posts up backwards! You have to forgive me. Enjoy. (11/30/07)