From Ghana to Tweed – a new pastor for St. Carthagh's

Tweed – Father Aidan Dasaah marked his first day in Tweed by celebrating mass before a small group of worshipers on a sunny Thursday morning at St. Edmund's Catholic Church in Stoco. The diocesan priest from Ghana has taken up pastorship at St. Carthagh's and St. Edmund's Churches as a replacement for Father Mark Ruckpaul who is spending a year at a parish in Florida. Father Dasaah's home diocese is called Wa in West Africa but in Canada he is attached to the Archdiocese of Kingston. “Right now my 'boss' is the Archbishop of Kingston,” he explains.

He is beginning his fourth year in Canada and originally served as a replacement for a priest on sabbatical in

Smith Falls for four months. After returning to Kingston he became pastor for over a year and a half in Smith Falls and Stanleyville, a combined parish in Lanark County. He enjoys tennis and singing and has become acquainted with Canadian winters. He says with an infectious laugh, “If you live in Lanark, you are 'seasoned.' I've had a very good taste of it. After Lanark I think I can go anywhere.”

Father Dasaah subsequently returned to Kingston where until now he has been working at Providence Manor, a retirement home, “a ministry of compassion to a vulnerable group.” Other travels have taken him to the United States and England where he ministered while visiting “but I wouldn't call it 'working.” He remarks he is too new to Tweed to have formed any real impressions but is aware of the French/Irish history of the area and notes that a statue of the Irish St. Patrick stands in St. Carthagh's Church.

Reflecting on his home country he calls Ghana an “island of peace” in Africa. “As compared to other regions it's a very stabilized country. The economy is doing fairly well. It's a country that's endowed with so many things.” Ghana was historically called the 'Gold Coast' and has gold, timber, minerals and other resources. Explorations for oil are now occurring and Ghana has “great potential,” says Father Dasaah. It is a leading producer of cocoa and famous for many outstanding musicians, he notes. The country where he was ordained in 1972 has a population of about 25 million and is “predominantly Christian.”

Asked if he gets homesick for Ghana Father Dasaah replies, “Yes and no. I have family and friends and brother priests there, but my life is more a missionary life. When you become a priest, it's for all people everywhere. Wherever the need arises you can offer yourself.” He has a special affection for Canada because “my people and grandparents were evangelized by a Canadian priest … I received the faith when I was a child originally and now I'm only giving back a little bit.” The Canadian priest arranged for Father Dasaah to come to Canada where he studied at the University of Ottawa and St. Paul's University from 1975 to 1976. He returned to Ghana in 1980 and then came back to Canada in June 2011.

Father Dasaah maintains a global view of his mission. “When you talk of the Church, you're talking about people who have given themselves to God. God's love transcends culture … sometimes I'm the only black in a sea of white and I don't even notice.” He observes that the number of people discovering a religious vocation in the West is declining but “In West Africa, vocations are triumphing. We ought to be able to help … it is still the universal Church. So if Canadians can use the calling and gifts God has given to me, so be it.”

Source: Insidebelleville.com

By: Brett Mann

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