The Rev. Fr. Anthony Asare, Parish Priest of the St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Community 8-Tema, has urged Catholics to ensure that their lives impacted positively on others
He decried the situation where some Catholics only attended Sunday Mass and did not participate in activities of the Church nor got involved in affairs of societies and day groups.
Rev. Fr. Asare said this when delivering the homily at the Burial Mass for the late Sis. Christiana Dedo Soku, which took place at the Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in Community One-Tema on Saturday, September 3, 2016.
The Mass was concelebrated by 11 priests namely Most Rev. Edoe Kumordzie, Bishop of Donkorkrom Diocese; Rev. Monsg. Peter Agbenu, Parish Priest of Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in Community One-Tema; Rev. Fr. Anthony Asare, Parish Priest of the St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Community 8-Tema; Rev. Fr. Joseph Henry Mensah, Parish Priest of Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Sakumono-Tema; Rev. Fr. John Mintah-Mensah, Parish Priest of the St. Theresa Catholic Church in Kaneshie-Accra; Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Acheampong, Rev. Fr. Winfred Charles Lwanga Tawiah Jnr, Rev. Fr. Evans Sena Halolo, Rev. George Appiah, Rev. Fr. Ebow Quarshie and Rev. Fr. Charles Ahenkorah.
The Most Rev. Edoe Kumordzi in his introductory remarks as presiding priest over the Mass said he decided to come for the Burial Mass of Sis. Soku because in December, 2016 she together with her husband (Bro. Godfred Dotse Soku), their children, and other friends from Tema came to spend their Christmas in his Diocese.
The group came to pitch camp at Semanshyia and from there cooked and feted hundreds of children and gave them gifts.
Most Rev. Edoe Kumordzi stated: “This missionary work of Sis. Soku and her team was highly appreciated by many in the Diocese as a result when I heard of her death as tribute to her and in appreciation of her missionary work I decided to attend the burial Mass”
Rev. Fr. Anthony Asare commenting on what the Bishop said about Sis. Soku during his homily pointed out that the little things we do in life matter. He stressed that the hundreds of people including many senior officers of the Noble Order of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall who came to celebrate the life of Sis. Soku is a testimony to the fact that she and her husband were not selfish individuals but were people who worked hard and contributed to promoting the lives of many in the Church, in the Marshallan Confraternity, at their workplaces and in their communities.
The Supreme Knight of the Knights of Marshall, Sir Kt. Bro. Ernest Amoako-Arhen, also indicated that when he heard of the sad demise of Sis. Soku and was informed about the important role Bro. Soku was playing in Council No 37 as Secretary he decided to attend the Mass as way of expressing his gratitude to Bro. Soku for his sacrifices for the Noble Order.
Other senior officers of the Noble Order who were present at the Mass included Sir Kt. Bro. Tobias Kofi Quist, Sir Kt. Bro. Joseph Otoo, Sir Kt. Bro. Wilfrid Andoh and Sir Kt. Bro Charles Brew-Hammond all past Substantive Regional Grand Knights of the erstwhile Greater Accra Regional Council. The Ladies of Marshall were represented by five past grand ladies namely MRL Sis. Eva Edna Ahazie, MRL Sis. Nancy Victoria Amenumey, MRL Sis. Joana Kyei, MRL Sis. Veronica Adusei-Poku and MRL Sis. Roberta Mary Apau. Also present were RL Sis. Innocentia Kokoe Kondoh Amegashitsi, the Regional Noble Lady of the Tema Regional Court, and her deputy, Sis. Cecilia Owusu Prempeh.
Sis. Christiana Dedo Soku who was born on November 11, 1966 hailed from Odumasi Krobo. She had her basic education at Odumasi Krobo and Tema and continued at the Tema Secondary School. She later entered St. Anne’s Vocational Training Centre in Nuaso and graduated successfully with NVTI Grades I and II. She started her catering career with Unilever Ghana Limited in Tema and rose through the ranks to become Assistant Matron. She later sojourned to Greece where she was a caterer from 1994 to 1998. She returned to Ghana in 1999.
On October 6, 2001 she was initiated into the Noble Order at Court No. 26 (Tema) with 12 other sisters. She was Welfare Officer of the Court in 2010 and became propagandist in 2014. She was the Chairperson for the Entertainment Committee in the 2015 Administration of the court.
She fell suddenly ill on July 11, 2016 and was admitted at the Port Clinic in Tema but passed into eternity in the early hours of Saturday, July 16, 2016. She is survived by her parents, her husband (Bro. Godfred Dotse Soku) and three children: Martin, Jeanette and Marie. Her body was interred at the Community 9 Cemetery in Tema.
by Bro. Kojo T. Vieta, PGA/RADV