The Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Joseph Eshun Benyah, a lecturer at the St. Peter’s Major Seminary, Pedu-Cape Coast, has urged Marshallans and all other Catholics to dedicate their life to serving the Lord while they are still strong and young.
That, he explained, was better than preoccupying themselves with acquiring material things in their youthful days with the hope to devote more time to God when they were old.
Rev. Fr Benyah said this when he delivered the homily at the Burial Mass of Sir Kt. Bro. Peter Amonoo McCarthy which took place at the St. Martha Catholic Church in Kasoa on Saturday, July 25, 2015.
The Burial Mass was attended by hundreds of people from all walks of life, notable among them Knights and Ladies of Marshall, members of the Sacred Heart Confraternity, members of the Catholic Men’s Fellowship and parishioners of St. Theresa Catholic Church in Kaneshie-Accra and St. Martha Catholic Church in Kasoa.
Officiating Ministers
The Burial Mass was concelebrated by seven priests with Very Rev. Fr. Francis Amonoo of St. Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Opeiman-Kasoa as the principal celebrant. The concelebrants were Very Rev. Fr. James Kofi Otoo (Parish Priest of St. Martha’s Catholic Church in Kasoa), Very Rev. Dr. Joseph Eshun Benyah (a lecturer at the St. Peter’s Major Seminary, Pedu-Cape Coast), Rev. Fr. Johannes Minta-Mensah (Parish Priest of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Kaneshie-Accra), Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Obeng Codjoe (St. Dominic Catholic Church in Taifa-Accra), Very Rev. Fr. Isaac E. Maunger (Parish Priest of Good Shepherd Catholic Church, Community Two-Tema and Spiritual Director of Sacred Heart Confraternity in Ghana).
Officers of the Noble Order Present
The higher officers and holders of substantive national and regional positions in the Noble Order who were at the Mass included Sir Kt. Bro. Derx Baffour, Immediate Past Supreme Knight; Sir Kt. Bro. Kenneth Otoo, a Past Supreme Knight, Supreme Councillor and one-time Regional Grand Knight for the Greater Accra Region; Sir Kt. Bro. Tony Baffour, a Past Supreme Knight, Supreme Councillor and one-time Regional Grand Knight for the Greater Accra Region; W/Bro. Peter Wireko, reigning Accra West Regional Grand Knight, RL Sis. Doris Bramson, reigning Accra West Regional Noble Lady, and RL Sis. Maud Dorothy Tamakloe, reigning Tema Regional Noble Lady.
In attendance at the Mass were the St Martha Choir, St. Martha Youth Choir, St. Martha Music Ministry, St. Theresa’s Parish Choir and Immaculate Heart of Mary Choir.
Biography
Sir Kt. Bro. Peter Amonoo McCarthy was the first Regional Grand Knight of Accra West Region and the 17th Grand Knight of Council No. 48 (Accra West).
He was initiated into the Noble Order by Council No 48 (Accra West) in October, 1989 with three other brothers. The group was christened “The Simple Four”. On attaining the full Marshallan Status he was made an auxiliary Guard. A year later, he became an Outer Guard, and then an Inner Guard. He became Captain of Guards in 1991. He was appointed Propagandist in 1999 and a year after was elected Deputy Grand Knight. On December 22, 2001 he was installed the 17th Grand Knight of Council No. 48. As Grand Knight he was instrumental in the planning for the ongoing temple project at the Holy Family Parish.
After serving as Past Grand Advisor, he was appointed Assistant Tyler of the erstwhile Greater Accra Regional Council. In July, 2010 when the Greater Accra Regional Council was reconfigured into three councils, namely Accra West, Accra East and Tema he was elected and installed the first Regional Grand Knight for the newly consecrated Accra West Regional Council.
As first RGK of Accra West he did a lot to lay a solid foundation for the new region. During his tenure Council No. 108 (Pokuase-Ga West) was inaugurated and consecrated on February 18, 2012 with Bro. Andrew K. Baafi as its first Grand Knight. As RGK he ensured that all the Feast Days of the Noble Order were celebrated in the region on grand scale. On successfully completing his tenure as RGK he assumed the post of Chairman of the Regional Advisory Board and a year later became Chairman of the Cabinet. For his contribution to the Noble Order he was on June 6, 2014 made a Past Supreme Knight of the Noble Order.
Sir Kt. Bro. McCarthy was not only active in the Noble Order but also in the St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Kaneshie-Accra where he worshipped during his active working years. There he was a lector, a member of the Catholic Men’s Fellowship and the Sacred Heart Confraternity. In the Sacred Heart Confraternity he rose to become the national secretary and served two terms of six years in that capacity.
On retirement from the Electricity Company of Ghana, after almost three decades of work, he relocated to his new house at Kasoa. There he joined the St. Martha Catholic Church at Kasoa where he regularly attended morning Mass. He died on Friday, June 12, 2015 aged 62.
He was survived by his wife, Mrs. Agnes Ama McCarthy (née Hanson), whom he married customarily in 1978 and blessed the marriage in Church in January 1989. That union produced four children, two males and two females.
Write-Up and Pictures by Bro. Kojo T. Vieta, PGA/RADV.