In conjunction with the Holy Roman Catholic Church worldwide, St. Michael Roman Catholic Primary School and JHS, Donkorkrom, on November 1, 2024 commemorated the Feast of All Saints at the St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, in the Eastern Region of Ghana.
In a homily during the Feast Day Mass, Rev. Fr. Sofronio Endoma, SVD, the in-charge of the Island Missions of the Apostolic Vicariate of Donkorkrom underlined the fact that the Feast of All Saints is the Feast of all Christians, stressing that “being a disciple of Jesus implies striving to be holy as our heavenly Father is holy”.
He added that apart from it being the Feast of all who are striving for holiness, the Feast of All Saints remembers the countless unnamed saints about whom the Book of Revelation says “have survived the great period of trial”.
“Today, we celebrate the countless men and women who have let God’s unbounded love and grace work through them and been made visible,” he buttressed, adding that the Feast is a reminder to all Christians of their vocation, begun at baptism, where each one is called to a life of holiness and sanctity.
“Our vocation for holiness does not allow for false modesty,” the homilist underscored, making reference to the Bible which is filled with instances of God choosing the lowly and lifting them to high places.
Reflecting on the Gospel of the Day (Mt. 5:1-12) on the Beatitudes, the Filipino-born missionary highlighted the fact that God selects the weak and makes them strong. “He calls those whom the world rejects and despises to blessedness in the Kingdom of Heaven,” he reiterated.
The Priest, however, acknowledged how easily Christians can get discouraged in their pursuit for holiness, saying that “our efforts at holiness can seem to yield so little results. We grow tired and simply accept a kind of minimal relationship with Jesus with the excuse ‘I am only human”.
He drew the attention of the faithful to a future dimension of holiness and sanctity which is well captured in 1John “what we shall later be has not yet come to light,” and endeared them not to despair even if they have to keep falling short of the glory of God.
Rather, the missionary underpinned “in the midst of our holiness and sin, our beauty and ugliness, God waits to perfect us into his very image. For now, we continue to struggle for holiness and sainthood knowing that what is lacking in us will be completed by the unbounded love and grace of God”.
The St. Michael School community was joined for the Feast Day Mass by the Headmistress of Holy Rosary School, Donkorkrom, Sr. Stella Nwosu and some learners of the school. Also present was Mr. Mathew Robinson Apudego, Catholic Schools Coordinator for the Vicariate, together with his wife, Mrs. Apudego.
By Sr. Sylvie Lum Cho, MSHR (DEPSOCOM, Donkorkrom Apostolic Vicariate)
