Last Sunday, as with most Sundays, I celebrated the 8:00 AM Mass at our St. Patrick's Cathedral. The Church was nearly full. Our Cathedral attendance has been consistently increasing, due in part to the number of people living in or near downtown Fort Worth.
But later in the day I had the opportunity to preside over the Eucharist for the community from Ghana, which gather every Sunday for Mass at 1:00pm. Responsible for their pastoral care is Father Philip Brembah, a priest of the Archdiocese of Kumasi. Father Charles Addai, also from Kumasi and assigned to St. Vincent de Paul parish in Arlington, joined visiting priest Father Anthony SVD in concelebrating. Father Anthony is the parochial vicar of St. Rita's here in Fort Worth. The chapel was filled beyond capacity as Father Philip preached a powerful homily on the readings, especially on the responsorial psalm, which proclaims, "Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord." "Do we follow what we want, or what God wants, expressed in His Law?", Fr. Philip asked. The first reading of the Book of Sirach is quite clear, stressing the importance of following the commandments, which set before us life, marriage, and family.
But later in the day I had the opportunity to preside over the Eucharist for the community from Ghana, which gather every Sunday for Mass at 1:00pm. Responsible for their pastoral care is Father Philip Brembah, a priest of the Archdiocese of Kumasi. Father Charles Addai, also from Kumasi and assigned to St. Vincent de Paul parish in Arlington, joined visiting priest Father Anthony SVD in concelebrating. Father Anthony is the parochial vicar of St. Rita's here in Fort Worth. The chapel was filled beyond capacity as Father Philip preached a powerful homily on the readings, especially on the responsorial psalm, which proclaims, "Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord." "Do we follow what we want, or what God wants, expressed in His Law?", Fr. Philip asked. The first reading of the Book of Sirach is quite clear, stressing the importance of following the commandments, which set before us life, marriage, and family.
I am planning a trip to Ghana in October with Father Philip and some members of the Ghana community to meet Archbishop Mensah personally, and his predecessor, Archbishop Sarpong, who is a friend of mine. I concluded this Lord's day with night prayer, looking out over downtown Fort Worth as I write these reflections.
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| Ghana is a West African Country with over 5 million Catholics. |