Today I visited the Catholic Church (called “Roman” by
Ghanaians) as part of my tour de l'eglise.
There have been a few interruptions with timing and I was finally able
to attend after a couple of weeks of trying.
Everything seemed status quo based on my previous
experiences – traditional religious components mixed (The Lord’s Prayer in Twi, in this case) with a
whole lot of dancing and singing. I was called up to the front to greet and
describe my reason for being in Ghana, and I was pleased to find that saying
these sentences in Twi has become second nature.
I did my dance down the aisle a few times, took a few photos,
and felt more like I was ticking a box than seeing anything new or
interesting. But that’s the thing
about life – things are never what they seem.
Toward the end of the ceremony, they called the women up to
deliver offerings of various foods and household items. I assumed these were for the family of
the baby who was blessed immediately afterwards, and as you’re likely
suspecting, I was wrong.
The priest addressed me and told me that though the people
of my village have little money, they would like to give me their prayers…and
all of the baskets of items that were sitting at the front of the church. I was so surprised that I let out a very
loud “oooohhh!” that made the congregation burst out laughing.
After many thanks and doing my best to conceal the desire to
cry tears of joy, I led the congregation to my house. By lead I mean we danced our way home – is there really any
other way?!
They dropped off the various items, which included avocados
(called pears here), oranges (that are green), rice, canned fish, eggs, bread,
and soap. We then danced a bit
more in my courtyard and I saw them off as they headed back to church.
The Offering
Me, the priest, and the congregation
Dancing in the streets
The goodz
I was truly overwhelmed by the kindness the people showed me
and it got me thinking about my Catholic family back home (my Filipino
family). The Rous / Ferrer family
has showed me such incredible love and encouragement and didn’t think twice
about throwing me a going away celebration.
Though I’m not Catholic, I often wear the Our Lady of Mt.
Carmel scapular that the titas gave me before I left because it reminds me that
I have family and friends in this world that love me and want me to be
safe. The offerings of citrus,
soap and sardines made me feel that maybe I have it here as well.
I want to offer thanks to all of my family and friends who
have showed such an outpouring of love and support as I begin this new chapter
in my life. It means more to me than
you will ever know.
