The Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church (SMMC) Congregation at Kwaekese in the Apostolic Vicariate of Donkorkrom, Eastern Region of Ghana, has organised a Recollection for the teachers of their two – run schools, Mater Ecclesiae and St. Theresa’s Roman Catholic Basic School, Kwaekese, by way of beginning the new academic year with Christ.
The September 13, 2024 Recollection took place at the St. Theresa’s Catholic Church Kwaekese, and was facilitated by Rev. Bernard Kwabena Amfo, a Deacon of the Vicariate, who had once worked in Kwaekese as a Seminarian.
In a welcome address, Sr. Dora Pearl Tsetse, SMMC, Headmistress of St. Theresa’s Roman Catholic Basic School, Kwaekese, affirmed the ever-abiding presence of God upon them as she disclosed the purpose for the Recollection.
She said “We are gathered in the presence of God this morning, the One who called us; each one of us, into this noble profession, the teaching profession, a gift from God to us, to ask Him who called us to teach us in His words, that we may learn from Him how we have to execute our duties as teachers every day of our lives, most especially for this academic year that has been granted to us.”
She urged the teachers to pray, listen and fully dispose themselves of the ‘spiritual exercise’ that would serve as a source of strength to them from the One who has called them into the job, especially as they begin the new academic year.
‘‘Let us allow the spirit to speak to us and use us that at the end of this program, we will benefit a lot,’’ she admonished.
Admitting that the combined Recollection was the very first of its kind, Sr. Tsetse prayed that the Holy Spirit will use the preacher to deliver to them what He wants them to know about their profession.
Preaching the Recollection, Rev. Amfo said “Recollection is a time set aside specifically for Christians to seriously go deeper into our relationship with God.
He added that “although we spend time in prayer each day, recollection is a time to withdraw a couple of hours from the noise and cares of this earthly life in order to spend some quality time in conversation with God guided by meditation, spiritual reading, and an examination of conscience”.
Underscoring the need for the teachers to be in good terms with one another before beginning the new academic year, the priest-in the-making reflected on the message of Reconciliation in Matthew 18:15-17, carefully highlighting the root words. ‘‘Re’’ according to him means ‘‘again’’ and ‘‘cilia’’ means ‘‘eyelashes’’.
He therefore explained that “When you are not in good terms with someone, you are unable to look into the face of the person. This is what reconciliation seeks to resolve’’.
To be reconciled, he added, will mean ‘‘letting your eyelashes to touch the other person’s eyelashes, which will mean seeing eyeball to eyeball’’.
Buttressing further on the need to forgive and let go of hurts, the deacon alluded to the famous story of a Buddhist monk who could not understand why his older confrere would assist a woman by carrying her on his back to cross the water, even when he knew it was against monastic rule to touch a woman.
The spontaneous response of the monk to the worried complainant, “I left the woman at the river edge a long way back, why are you still carrying her?” the deacon underscored, was a clear illustration of how people could bear hurts, and even go to the extent of carrying the baggage of others.
He therefore charged the teachers to free themselves of any hurts they may have been carrying from last academic year, so that they can be fully disposed for the Recollection and for the task ahead.
Just like in the Buddhist monk’s story, he said, “we need to let go of any burden the past might have placed on us. It has happened, it’s over, it cannot be changed, we can only move forward and create a compelling future”.
The headmistress of St. Theresa R/C School introduced the staff, the new headmistress of Mater Ecclesiae School, Kwaekese, Sr. Doris Josepha Mawuvi, SMMC, who had just recently been assigned there to take over from Sr. Milicent, and was acting as emcee for the Recollection.
She thanked the teachers for honouring the invitation to avail themselves of the Recollection and cautioned that they take the teaching job seriously as they will all give account to God, apart from the earthly account that comes with results.
She also announced to the teachers that Rev. Bernard Kwabena, will by God’s grace be ordained a Catholic priest come October 26, 2024 and encouraged them to come out massively to celebrate the gift of his priesthood, since he had once been a part of them, for six good months.
Sr. Sylvie Lum Cho, MSHR (DEPSOCOM) Donkorkrom Apostolic Vicariate
