I’ve never seen a rainy season like this one. It just keeps raining and raining and raining. These are showers of blessings for most people, but not for the farmers who are already working in marshy areas, such as one of our friends, who has lost his yam crop.

The constant, heavy rain has also taken lives and crumbled homes.

Life in abundance is evident in our diocese as well. Seven young men were ordained to the priesthood, and four young women made their first profession of vows in a local order of Sisters, Mary Mother of the Church. In September, three from our parish made their final profession in the same order.

These were all times of celebration for sure. The young Church in Ghana is blooming with new life.

At the beginning of August, I traveled to Cape Coast where I met up with Andorra, who had been spending the last week of her holidays attending the bi-annual celebration of an event called Panafest.

I joined Andorra for the last two nights and day, which included a candlelight procession following the final stretch of the route taken by the Africans who had been captured for the slave trade.

It was solemn and prayerful, and my heart was filled with emotions hard to articulate as I tried to imagine what must have been in the hearts of the people who trod this path so many years ago.

The final night was filled with the launching of the Joseph Project, named after the Old Testament Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his brothers.

The purpose of this project, among other things, is to work towards bringing about the much needed forgiveness and reconciliation between Africans and those of African descent living in the Diaspora.

The entire evening was powerful for me. I can’t even imagine what it must have meant to those present who are of African descent. It was a privilege to walk these days with Andorra, who is African-American.