Visiting Some Tamale Institutions

 In the afternoon of the first day of classes at T.I.C.C.S., we visited some Catholic institutions in Tamale.  Since TICCS was established by the SVD fathers in 1983, it was not a surprise that the first institution we visited was the SVD formation house and seminary.

When we visited the SVD formation house, I met an Indonesian priest who lived with Fr. Alex Sila, SVD, parish priest of the St. John the Evangelist Parish (next to our Mission House) in seminary. Fr. Bernard, SVD (Fr. Alex’ junior) and Fr. Alex have not seen each other since they left their formation in Timor, Indonesia. It was good to help them connect once again. 

Another interesting story from this visit was that the last Superior of the SVDs in Tamale was a Filipino. Since I am a dual Fil-Am citizen, this was a surprise that a Filipino priest would be in Northern Ghana. A picture of the beloved Superior of the SVD who passed away in 2021 during the COVID crisis hangs in the SVD’s receiving hall. I also met a Ghanaian priest who studied for seven years in Manila at The Royal and Pontifical University of Santo Tomas, Manila, a Dominican university which prides itself as the oldest existing university in Asia and the largest Catholic university in the world in terms of population. We had an exceptionally long discussion on current events in the Philippines including the upcoming elections. He told me that he still follows events happening in Manila.

That day we also tried to visit the Carmelite nun’s monastery but they were in prayer so we could not go down and meet them.  Instead, we drove through the outstation parish that our Carmelite priests from Nigeria will take over and convert into a full fledged parish.  It is called the Holy Trinity Parish in Kukuo Tamale. 

We visited the Cathedral of Tamale, the Our Lady of Annunciation Cathedral.  Note that in the altar of the Cathedral is a noticeably big umbrella over the Bishop’s chair.  This is a traditional design; the Chief when in the presence of his people would have a big umbrella over his head. Inside the Cathedral is the final resting place of a beloved Ghanaian cardinal, Peter Cardinal Poreku Dery. A former Archbishop of Tamale, he is credited with the Africanization of the Catholic Church in Ghana and Africa generally because he composed the first local translation of the Mass in Dagaare.  The cause for his canonization commenced in mid-2013 and the late cardinal is now referred to as a Servant of God.  Did you know that our LMH Program Director, Janice England, has a picture with the late Cardinal?  It is so cool to show your picture with a future Saint. The Cardinal Dery Memorial Center is located just a few steps from T.I.C.C.S. It also serves as the pastoral center for the cause of his canonization.

The Cathedral has a separate adoration chapel within the Cathedral Area and a bookstore. There is a running joke among the learners that more often than not, we were adoring across the street.  The Cathedral was situated just across where the KFC fast-food restaurant of Tamale is located.

These are but a few of the Catholic Institutions around Tamale.  It is truly astonishing how these institutions have stood the test of time but even more inspiring are the people that make up this Church we call Catholic.

 “We don’t fly solo in the Christian adventure; we have brothers and sisters, and our personal story forms part of a much bigger story of salvation.”

John Bartunek, A Quiet Place