The Most Rev. John Alphonse Asiedu, SVD, Bishop of the Apostolic Vicariate of Donkorkrom in the Afram Plains of Ghana’s Eastern Region, has officiated at a mass wedding for 13 couples and also administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to 135 candidates at St. Joseph the Worker Parish, Maame Krobo.
These two ceremonies took place during the Bishop’s Pastoral Visit to the Parish on the May 18 and 19, 2024 respectively. The newly wedded as well as the newly confirmed came from the various Outstations of the Parish.
Rev. Fr. Saviour Seddo Darkey, the hosting Parish Priest and Fr. Peter Dadzie, his Assistant, concelebrated at both Masses. Both ceremonies were well attended by both Catholics and non – Catholics from within the town and beyond.
In his homily during the wedding ceremony on May 18, Bishop Asiedu underlined the actual meaning of marriage as “a union between two individuals, male and female, in a bond of mutual love, trust and respect.”
In accordance with God’s plan, he continued, the two become one inseparable body until death separates them.
The Bishop of Donkorkrom explained to the 13 couples that such was the kind of union they were entering into, and charged them to make it a duty to complement one another, to love, respect and honour each other.
Relating to the ceremony at the wedding feast at Cana, he urged the couples to be close to Mary in prayer and just like she intervened for the couple at Cana, she would intervene in their marriages and lead them to her son, Jesus.
“Keep in mind that Mary, our Mother is always observing you closely and with keen interest in your marital life, he stated, assuring them that that “Mary desires the best for you as a couple just as she demonstrated at the wedding feast in Canan.”
“Draw near to her in Prayer as a couple, and she will lead you to her Son, Jesus, to intervene in your marriage for your good and for a happy and successful marriage,’’ he added.
Preaching during the Confirmation Mass on May 19, Bishop Asiedu buttressed the fact that because the human mind is weak and cannot fully comprehend neither the Father nor the Son, the Holy Spirit is given as an advocate to enlighten humankind.
He underscored that the promise of the Holy Spirit, who is Truth, to Christ’s Apostles is to remind all Christians of all that Jesus has taught them and will lead them into all truth.
In the spirit of Pentecost, Bishop Asiedu asked the faithful of St. Joseph the Worker Parish, especially the newly confirmed, to reflect in their lives and work, the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit which they had received so that they can be transformed witnesses for Christ.
“On this solemn Feast of Pentecost, and in the Sacrament of Confirmation, we receive the Holy Spirit, and like the Apostles, the spirit transforms us into courageous witnesses of our Lord Jesus Christ. From now on, we must necessarily reflect in our lives and work or ministry, the gifts, and the fruits of the Holy Spirit,” he said.
The St. Joseph the Worker Parish, Maame Krobo, is one of the eight Parishes within the Apostolic Vicariate of Donkorkrom in the Afram Plains, Eastern Region of Ghana.
The Vicariate was created on June 12, 2007, first as an Apostolic Prefecture, headed by then Very Rev. Fr. Gabriel Edoe Kumordji, SVD and was later elevated to an Apostolic Vicariate in 2010 with the ordination and installation of Most Rev. Gabriel Edoe Kumordji as the Apostolic Vicar.
The Afram Plains has an area of 5,040sqkm with a population of 218,235 as at 2010 based on a population growth rate of 3.6%. There are hundreds of villages on a number of islands. It is estimated that as high as 80% of the population lives 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.
The St. Joseph Parish, Maame Krobo which was erected in 1980 has about 19 outstations, some of which are not accessible throughout the year. It has a population of about 1,500 members. The main station has a normal church attendance of about 200 people on a Sunday. It has two priests, Rev. Fr. Saviour Seddo Darkey, as Parish Priest and Fr. Peter Dadzie, his Assistant.
Though with such huge numbers attending Sunday Masses, the average collection or offering on a normal Sunday celebration in all these 19 churches is less than ¢500.00.
The inhabitants of Maame Krobo, like the rest of the Vicariate 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.
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 especially in the rainy season. It is also very isolated with not so many settlements on the road, which makes it also a bit dangerous.
By Sr. Sylvie Lum Cho, MSHR (DEPSOCOM, Donkorkrom Apostolic Vicariate)
