FUNERAL OF THE REV. CANON PETER DONKOR
Up and out by 515 AM, please notice time lol … ouch to my reputation of no early mornings
Now this was a medium sized school bus with about 40 seats, BUT 52 people arrived, how to fit everyone in… chairs in the aisle will solve the problem, a kid sits on top of a propane tank and the front seat over the engine was thought to seat 2 but alas today it accommodates 4, Guess what?.. everyone is in. The sounds were like a bus load of kids going to camp, laughing, lots of conversation with excited voices, In the outskirts of Sunyani there is number 53 looking to climb on board oops.. no room at the inn or on the bus, what to do ..what to do. So 3 got off the bus and with #53 hired a car to get them to the funeral. Around 710, bus pulls over to the side of the highway, many filed out and the problem is an oil leak, we had passerbys who made a cackle noise as they walked (see pictures), well after 15 minutes we are off again, supposedly it is fixed. I had a little nap leaning on the window and the lady beside me, slept on my shoulder. Arrive at funeral grounds at the appointed hour of 9 and on time, miracles never cease. The funeral area a like a big open space, like a town square but it is dirt, not concrete. Pointy top tents forming a U, with the part between the two side where the bishop and clergy sit. The casket is out in the centre of the square, under a tent, the sides are down so you see the whole body laid out, like on top of a table covered with a white table cloth. The deceased was dressed by clergy last night in robes and a white chasuble. It was closed for the service to start. There are tribute wreaths around the bottom of the table. Get organized and process in, quite impressive as I would guess all the clergy of the diocese are there, three church choirs, wardens from the cathedral and things get started. Usual funeral service (BCP), after 1 hour we had just finished the sermon, sheep walk back and forth like they own the place, there were hymns, readings, two collections (one given immediately to the widow) at the end they have Lidra and Commendation (clergy surround the casket, each having a candle lit for the Nunc Dimmtis and the Commendation, casket is then processed out, carried by clergy across the square, around the corner where a pickup is waiting to carry it to the grave. The pall bearers climbed in the back with casket. They took very good care of me as I was asked to ride in the truck with the bishop and a couple of other clergy. Slowly the procession of 100 or so moved along, following the cross, candle bearers, thurifer and boat boy, band playing, people singing, it seemed like a fair trek to the cemetery but I was riding what do I know, casket carried to grave, and the Commendation included hymns. It is now 12ish and I was feeling a little faint so I went to sit in the truck rather than fall down and create a scene. Then back to funeral square, then off to widow’s for food and drink. Then we went back to the square for 130pm where I was told that people will sit with the family until 6pm. During this time everyone comes in, and line forms to shake hands with the whole family, the family sits in the front row of chairs on both sides of the U. Families dance to the music, famiies who are mourning wear fuenral cloth, red and black, At the same time donations are being made to the family, each one noted and announced over the PA system, I was told that some folks will only show up at this part to see the family, make a donation which gets announced so everyone knows they were there, after the donation from the diocese was announced then got back on the bus at 3 and home by 6. An all day event! What impressed me was the willingness for people to do tremendous amount work to organize an event like this, no funeral homes or directors, equipment to gather, food to prepare, everything has to be organized by family and supporters. Since this was a priest of the diocese, the diocese played a large role in getting things obtained and done, but still a wack of work, none the less. I would guess at 4 to 500 n attendance and some had to come from afar and most of the clergy look forward to regular church services tomorrow. I was told, weddings, funerals and to a lesser degree the naming ceremony are the major social events of the community. A privilege for me to be included.
cant get pcs uploaded :( I figured it out, upload one at a time :)
almost forgot something I found very interesting
when I shook the hands of old women, they would hang onto my hand, smile and say Ackwaaba(you are welcome) then walking to the bus to come home,an older woman walked up and took my hand and spoke in the local language and we walked hand in hand to the bus, when she made comments (dont know local language) but it felt like she was soooo so happy to see a woman ordained, she kept saying to her friend who was walking with us, the same phrase which included anglican so I think she was telling her friend that I was an anglican priest and she was very happy .... it was a neat interlude, reminds me we never know our influence verbal or no verbal or even just being present
FUNERAL OF THE REV. CANON PETER DONKOR
Up and out by 515 AM, please notice time lol … ouch to my reputation of no early mornings
Now this was a medium sized school bus with about 40 seats, BUT 52 people arrived, how to fit everyone in… chairs in the aisle will solve the problem, a kid sits on top of a propane tank and the front seat over the engine was thought to seat 2 but alas today it accommodates 4, Guess what?.. everyone is in. The sounds were like a bus load of kids going to camp, laughing, lots of conversation with excited voices, In the outskirts of Sunyani there is number 53 looking to climb on board oops.. no room at the inn or on the bus, what to do ..what to do. So 3 got off the bus and with #53 hired a car to get them to the funeral. Around 710, bus pulls over to the side of the highway, many filed out and the problem is an oil leak, we had passerbys who made a cackle noise as they walked (see pictures), well after 15 minutes we are off again, supposedly it is fixed. I had a little nap leaning on the window and the lady beside me, slept on my shoulder. Arrive at funeral grounds at the appointed hour of 9 and on time, miracles never cease. The funeral area a like a big open space, like a town square but it is dirt, not concrete. Pointy top tents forming a U, with the part between the two side where the bishop and clergy sit. The casket is out in the centre of the square, under a tent, the sides are down so you see the whole body laid out, like on top of a table covered with a white table cloth. The deceased was dressed by clergy last night in robes and a white chasuble. It was closed for the service to start. There are tribute wreaths around the bottom of the table. Get organized and process in, quite impressive as I would guess all the clergy of the diocese are there, three church choirs, wardens from the cathedral and things get started. Usual funeral service (BCP), after 1 hour we had just finished the sermon, sheep walk back and forth like they own the place, there were hymns, readings, two collections (one given immediately to the widow) at the end they have Lidra and Commendation (clergy surround the casket, each having a candle lit for the Nunc Dimmtis and the Commendation, casket is then processed out, carried by clergy across the square, around the corner where a pickup is waiting to carry it to the grave. The pall bearers climbed in the back with casket. They took very good care of me as I was asked to ride in the truck with the bishop and a couple of other clergy. Slowly the procession of 100 or so moved along, following the cross, candle bearers, thurifer and boat boy, band playing, people singing, it seemed like a fair trek to the cemetery but I was riding what do I know, casket carried to grave, and the Commendation included hymns. It is now 12ish and I was feeling a little faint so I went to sit in the truck rather than fall down and create a scene. Then back to funeral square, then off to widow’s for food and drink. Then we went back to the square for 130pm where I was told that people will sit with the family until 6pm. During this time everyone comes in, and line forms to shake hands with the whole family, the family sits in the front row of chairs on both sides of the U. Families dance to the music, famiies who are mourning wear fuenral cloth, red and black, At the same time donations are being made to the family, each one noted and announced over the PA system, I was told that some folks will only show up at this part to see the family, make a donation which gets announced so everyone knows they were there, after the donation from the diocese was announced then got back on the bus at 3 and home by 6. An all day event! What impressed me was the willingness for people to do tremendous amount work to organize an event like this, no funeral homes or directors, equipment to gather, food to prepare, everything has to be organized by family and supporters. Since this was a priest of the diocese, the diocese played a large role in getting things obtained and done, but still a wack of work, none the less. I would guess at 4 to 500 n attendance and some had to come from afar and most of the clergy look forward to regular church services tomorrow. I was told, weddings, funerals and to a lesser degree the naming ceremony are the major social events of the community. A privilege for me to be included.
cant get pcs uploaded :( I figured it out, upload one at a time :)
almost forgot something I found very interesting
when I shook the hands of old women, they would hang onto my hand, smile and say Ackwaaba(you are welcome) then walking to the bus to come home,an older woman walked up and took my hand and spoke in the local language and we walked hand in hand to the bus, when she made comments (dont know local language) but it felt like she was soooo so happy to see a woman ordained, she kept saying to her friend who was walking with us, the same phrase which included anglican so I think she was telling her friend that I was an anglican priest and she was very happy .... it was a neat interlude, reminds me we never know our influence verbal or no verbal or even just being present
I can't conceive what organization and work that would take. I was just thinking about what our parishes would do under similar circumstances. I was at Clericus today and we went out to lunch at a restaurant when, just a short while ago, the ACW would have provided lunch so we could sit and visit at the Church!!!
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