Twelve members of the Christian Mothers Association (CMA) representing the eight Deaneries of Accra Archdiocese have paid a heart-warming visit to the Christian Mothers of Donkorkrom Apostolic Vicariate in the Kwahu Afram Plains North District, Eastern Region of Ghana, as a sign of love and solidarity.
The 3-day visit from Friday July 19 to Sunday July 21, 2024 featured a number of activities including a meeting of the two parties at St. Alfons Merton’s Centre hall on July 20, a courtesy call on the Bishop of Donkorkrom Vicariate in his residence, on the same day, and joining the faithful of the Cathedral for Sunday Mass on July 21 among others.
Mother Eunice Kokui Dumashie, President of the Christian Mothers Association of the Archdiocese of Accra described the purpose of their visit as one of love.
She said, “The love the Christian Mothers of Accra have for one another, we want to extend it to Donkorkrom Mothers,” disclosing that the visit was aimed at seeing the place called Donkorkrom, where their sisters live.
According to Mother Dumashie, they have been hearing of Donkorkrom and she had observed consecutively that when they meet for National Meetings, the delegates from Donkorkrom always arrived exhausted and she always wondered why it was so.
She revealed that having visited the place, she can appreciate better the efforts the Christian Mothers of Donkorkrom are putting in, amidst their challenging reality.
“At least now I understand her better when she comes and says that my road is bad, she tries, she is doing well for Christian Mothers and Mother Church. She is so hardworking, she and her secretary. They are always on the move,” the Accra CMA President affirmed.
As a further expression of the love, the Christian Mothers from Accra donated lots of gifts to the Donkorkrom Mothers, including some regalia for the Association, as well as provisions, foodstuff, clothing among others.
Making the donation, Mother Dumashie said it was aimed at reducing a little pressure on the Mothers so that they could concentrate on other things.
She also encouraged the Mothers to share the items among other Christians outside the Association, so that they too could have a feel of their visit. The Mothers further presented a token to the Bishop to support him in his pastoral duties.
As the Episcopal Chair for the Laity, Youth and Women, and Bishop of the Apostolic Vicariate of Donkorkrom, the Most Rev. John Alphonse Asiedu, SVD, saw it as a duty to come and welcome the Christian Mothers to the Vicariate and make sure they felt at home.
He described the purpose of the visit of the Christian Mothers from Accra as a ‘heart-warming’ one.
“I just came to say welcome to our Mothers who came from Accra to visit the Mothers here in the vicariate, to encourage them, support them and offer them some help. This is a very heart-warming purpose for which you have come all the way from Accra to Donkorkrom,” he underlined.
The Bishop saw the visit as a show of love and goodwill as he remarked that “It is because of the love you have for your fellow Christian mothers here. It is because you also want to make sure that that the organisation is able to stand on its feet.”
“That the Christian mothers will be able to live for who they are, what they stand for everywhere in Ghana,” he added.
The Donkorkrom Prelate expressed gratitude to the Mothers for their magnanimity and encouraged that such interactions happen more regularly for a better learning experience, and for the better enhancement of the leadership of the Donkorkrom group.
“Perhaps you can also invite them to visit you in Accra to see how things are going because the biggest problem with our people here is leadership,” the Bishop intimated.
“Leadership is a big problem here because not too many people want to stay in the Afram Plains for long because of the challenges and difficulties here; socio-economic difficulties, but if they know that in whatever situations they find themselves, if they are ready and willing to take up leadership role in the organisation and also help to build the organisation here, they will be able to do that,” he stated.
The Bishop further opined that through the frequent visits, the Donkorkrom Mothers can learn from the Mothers in Accra and will be able to come back and offer whatever support they have to their fellow Mothers here in Donkorkrom. He pledged his support to them.
In response to the Bishop’s plea that the exchange visits be made more frequent, Mother Dumashie, on behalf of the Accra Archdiocesan Christian Mothers Association threw an invitation to the Mothers of Donkorkrom to attend an upcoming Congress of the Christian Mothers of Accra Archdiocese from September 4 to 8 September, 2024.
Four Mothers from Donkorkrom are expected. She promised to send further details about the Congress through the Vicariate president.
Mother Martha Kumah, President of the Christian Mothers Association for the Vicariate expressed deep gratitude to the Accra Mothers for their show of love and concern towards them and promised that they will honour the invitation to attend the upcoming Congress at Accra.
Present for the July 20 Meeting at Donkorkrom were the Accra delegates, Executive members of the eight Parishes and one Island Mission under the Vicariate, and the Chaplain for the Christian Mothers Association for the Vicariate, Rev. Fr. Coleman Akrereke, CSSp.
As part of the visit to the Vicariate, the Mothers from Accra were led by the Chaplain to the Bishop’s residence on a courtesy call, where they were warmly welcomed by the Bishop himself, and his confrere, Br Samuel Elorm Dagadu, SVD. During the visit, the Mothers expressed their joy through singing and dancing in various cultural styles
The Visitors joined the Faithful of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Cathedral for Sunday Mass of 21 July, where they were introduced to the Christians by the Celebrant, Rev. Fr. Vincent Amuzu Asafo, SVD, who is the Bishop’s Secretary and Assistant to the Cathedral Administrator.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Donkorkrom was created on June 12, 2007, first as an Apostolic Prefecture, headed by Most Rev. Gabriel Edoe Kumordji, SVD and was later elevated to an Apostolic Vicariate in 2010.
The Vicariate is only accessible by a Ferry, referred to in local parlance as the ‘panthoon’ (a boat for carrying passengers, goods and vehicles) or an engine boat. There is however a mainland road through Maame Krobo – Agogu, which is not very motorable.
The inhabitants of the Apostolic Vicariate of Donkorkrom are cut off from the rest of the country due to limited physical access. The Vicariate is virtually a peninsula cut off on three sides by the Volta Lake and on the fourth by lack of a connecting road to the outside world.
There are hundreds of villages on a number of islands. It is estimated that as high as 80% of the population of people in the Afram Plains live below the poverty line. Migration in search of food and income to overcome conditions of poverty tends to disrupt the smooth development of the District, thereby affecting the creation of Parish communities and the growth of the Church.
Story and photos by Sr. Sylvie Lum Cho, MSHR (DEPSOCOM, Apostolic Vicariate of Donkorkrom)
