The President of the Ghana Catholic Ecclesiastical Union, a group made up of Clergy, Religious and Seminarians studying in Rome, Fr. MacHenry Ayamga, has asked Catholics in Ghana to remain calm because they are doing well in the midst of the COVID-19 in Italy.
“We want to communicate to all Catholics that we, your priests, religious and seminarians living in Rome are safe and well. We are very close to you in prayer and we assure you of our continued prayers, as well as for ourselves that, God will continue to protect and save us, he said in a message seen by newswatchgh.com
He said amid lockdown in Italy due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, they are giving assurance to their Bishops, Superiors and families of their safety in the face of the pandemic.
Though expressed worry about the lockdown and the increasing cases of the pandemic with its fast related deaths, Fr. Ayamga, said they were fine and safe by the grace of God.
He said “we stand very much in need of your prayers and it is always refreshing and comforting to know your love us and that we are not alone here,” adding that “We shall continue to take all the precautionary measures given as a personal responsibility to stay safe.”
He urged Ghanaians in Italy to look up to God in trust for him to save us. Saying that “we all need to take the Decrees of the Italian and the Vatican states seriously and obey to the letter, adding “If there is any urgent and serious need, we must recourse to the authorities of our various colleges and religious houses.”
“We must do well to take the precautionary measures as imperatives to protect ourselves, the Ghanaian Priest said, stating that “We are encouraged to check on one another from time to time via phone or mail and be in touch with our platform for updates. And lastly, we are a people of prayer.”
A Priest of the Diocese of Navrongo-Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region of Ghana and studying Canon Law in Rome, Fr. Ayamga said “it is the time to pray more than ever. We must remember to pray for ourselves, our family and friends, our country Ghana, Italy and for the rest of the world.”
The Ghana Catholic Ecclesiastical Union dates as far back as the early 1980’s when a number of Ghanaian priests and religious were sent to Rome by their Bishops or Superiors for further studies and ongoing formation. As a Union, they gather to fraternize, pray, share ideas and encourage each other as they prepare themselves to serve our local church in Ghana after studies.
On behalf of the Leadership of the Ghanaian Team, Fr. Ayamga “I would like all members of the Union, our Bishops, Superiors and families to know that our hearts and thoughts are with them,” adding that “We bring to you our words of comfort and support, praying that none of us would be affected by Coronavirus, either directly or indirectly.”
It is an unprecedented situation but our trust is in the Lord, he stated, saying that “We acknowledge our fear and vulnerability but we should face it with courage not of our own but as a people of faith and hope.”
Stressing that the Lord is our strength and certainly He will save us his people, he noted that “In our darkest moments, Christ is still our light and victory comes from him. And so we turn to him in prayer knowing that He is always with us,” adding “May we all be united in prayer and remember the preventive measures to keep us safe from Coronavirus.”
Touching on how the pandemic and lockdown has have affected lives and study among Ghanaian students, he said that “As may be known, we are under lockdown meaning we cannot go out of our colleges except for serious and urgent needs upon the express permission of our authorities. Human as we are, there is a scary and frightening feeling with the news we hear every day. Nothing is certain. You wake up each day not knowing what will happen next. It is depressive for some us because no one is in control and everyone is vulnerable.
According to him, this simply reveals how helpless “we all are before this virus, however, we are in Rome and the situation is better and different from northern Italy, notifying that “the streets are deserted, many shops closed and there is unusual silence in the ever-busy, crowded and noisy Rome,” adding “That alone is terrifying enough, nevertheless, the good news is, all of us from Ghana is safe as far as our latest contacts amongst us confirm.”
On Lectures, he stated that “we don’t go for lectures at the universities but we follow some lectures via online conferencing, saying that “certainly, physical and personal contact is better for teaching and learning in comparison to virtual learning” but thanks to technology
On his part, Fr. David Selasie Agah, member of the Ghana Province of the Society for Divine Word (SVD) studying Clinical Psychology at Pontifical Gregorian University, said “I feel uncomfortable in the sense that one cannot tell how things will pan out in the next hour or day.”
To him, it is also sad to say that, people you do trust so much as confreres in your community, all of a sudden, have become suspects, this he said “was because you cannot tell who is infected, hence we have become strangers to each other.”
“The situation here in Rome can best be described as a ‘war zone’. For the past two years in Rome, I have never witnessed such a quiet city and its empty streets, one can only hear the siren of ambulances probably bringing infected people to the hospitals and the chattering of birds, he narrated.
He advised Ghanaians in Italy to endeavour to follow the instructions as laid down by the experts meticulously and they should not panic, but stay calm and focus, expressing hope that “we cannot but to rely on the help of God, meaning, prayer is very crucial at this time.”
“I want to assure my dear SVD confreres and every one in Ghana that, we are doing our best to remain safe and sound. They should also do same back home. We should all remain calm and patient and follow the rules carefully. He reminded Ghanaians that “COVID-19 has no respect for any human being or age group; hence, no one should be taken for granted. As far as I know, everyone is a suspect for now. Let us keep the faith, trusting and hoping that our God will intervene through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, he added.
Records made available to newswatchgh.com indicate that Union has 66 members, with His Eminence Peter cardinal Appiah Turkson, Prefect of the Dicastery of Promoting Integral Hunan Development as their father. Out of the number, 47 are Priests; 9 Religious women; 1 Religious Brother and 8 Seminarians.
However, according to Fr. Ayamga “We are aware it is possible there could be one or two Ghanaians in Rome for short courses that we may not know.” The 2019/2020 academic year has Fr. David Doomhanatey as Secretary; Fr. Joseph Adusei Poku, Chaplain; and Fr. Samuel Tabi Amponsah, Financial Secretary of the Union.
