Applause and Major Celebration with Sung Melodies of Congratulations

August 31, 2013

Today is the big day for Sister Kate and Sister Martina! They professed their final vows to the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Cross. They have been in this Congregation for 10 years, and now they are fully married to Jesus. The ceremony was held in Cape Coast at the Brothers of the Holy Cross compound because it is a larger area and more central for people who are traveling. It was held outside and they set up large canopy tents and 500 chairs. It was just like a huge wedding celebration! The ceremony lasted 3 hours and then the dinner and dancing was for 2 hours afterwards. Later that evening the remaining guests struck up another band and danced for a few more hours. It was the most joyous occasion!! The choir had 2 very large xylophones made of gourds and bamboo-type wood for the keys. They also had a few different drums, which was awesome. I wish I knew the words because I just wanted to sing along with every song! After the sisters made their vows and were presented with a silver heart (the symbol of the Congregation of Holy Cross) they had what the program described as “Applause and Major Celebration with Sung Melodies of Congratulations” and it was nothing less than that. The choir went to town with the drums and singing, while everyone gathered into a huge reception line to congratulate the two sisters, which immediately turned it into a dancing Congo line and continued even after greeting the sisters. Once everyone was done, we went back to our seats and continued with the rest of Mass. It was so full of life and energy and celebration! I was blessed to be a part of it. 

TO CHECK OUT FATHER BOB'S PICTURES CLICK HERE! Where's Waldo? Can you spot the white girls amongst the crowd? Be sure to watch the videos at the end!!!! 



Other Happenings from the Weekend

The night before the Profession of Final Vows they had a vigil where Sister Kate and Sister Martina gave reflections of how they came to be here. They were both very touching stories. Immediately after that the Brothers of the Holy Cross had a little dance party right then and there in the chapel with their drums and singing and “ayiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiy-ing.” I could not stop smiling and laughing. The people are so happy!!!! We moved the gathering into a big room where we were offered “pastries” which are just like empanadas from Argentina! Meat stuffed in a small pastry dough and cooked in the oven. I was so excited!

Between the reception and dinner on the Big Day, our friend Alice took us to pick out fabric from the local market. She is a fashion designer/ seamstress and what people do is they buy the brightly patterned fabric from a seller in the market, and then go to a seamstress and tell them what kind of outfit they would like. Alice was super helpful and we are all anxious to see how our new outfits will look!! Later that evening we went in search of a TV that would show the Notre Dame football game in the brother’s house, and Father Bob helped us. Alas, they dropped that channel just this year, so instead we had an hour-long chat with Father Bob about the poverty in Ghana, the cultural influence America has over Ghanaians through the media, as well as good places to visit during our stay here. Father Bob is a priest from Cape Cod, Massachusetts and has lived in Ghana since 1975. It was a very interesting and thought provoking conversation. When Monica, Julie and I reflected on it later we realized how much we have grown and learned in just the last week, and how much more we will learn and grow over this year!