Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
Greetings from the Supreme Council and Grand Court of the Noble Order of Knights and Ladies of Marshall on the occasion of Sir James Marshall Day.
The occasion marks a uniquely important day, on which we celebrate Sir James Marshall MA, BL, CMG, KCSG – a man of faith, whose tireless efforts led to the reintroduction of the Catholic Church in the Gold Coast, thus bringing to the fore, how potentially useful the lay faithful are and can be, in the workings of the Church.
Sir James Marshall sacrificed a lot for the Church in Ghana, through his humility, passion for Catholicism and love for humankind. In recognition of these efforts, our great Society was named after him, not just in recognition of his good works, but also to immortalize his memory.
Our Holy Father, Pope Francis constantly makes reference to the virtues of Unity, Charity, Fraternity and Service, which incidentally make up the motto of the Noble Order and enjoins us and the people of God to practicalise our faith by showing love and care for humanity and the environment.
In the face of the global Coronavirus pandemic and its devastating effect on God’s people and our communities these virtues of Unity, Charity, Fraternity and Service have become imperative and a sine qua non for our own survival.
COVID-19 that has presently spread to every corner of the world and has taken a huge toll on life and caused many deaths requires us not only to stay safe but also to be each other’s keeper and show empathy towards those who have been negatively impacted by the virus.
Many Countries are on lockdown and have imposed restrictions on free movement of people in a bid to curtail the spread of the Coronavirus. We have noticed the harsh effect of these movement restrictions on the poor and vulnerable in many parts of our world with many of these people being forced by hunger and depravity to defy the restrictions and to go out to look for food at the very peril of their lives and with utter disregard to the threat of infection.
The good news is, in the midst of all these we have seen a number of well-meaning organizations partnering governments in providing personal protective equipment to health professionals who are at the forefront caring for those infected and the sick and also reaching out to needy people with relief items in the face of the challenges to fend for themselves.
With the support of majority of you the hierarchy of the Noble Order of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall reached out to the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference in response to their appeal to support the Church reach out to the frontline health professionals especially those in Catholic Health Facilities in Ghana.
Many of our Marshallan Brothers and Sisters, like Sir James Marshall, have shown love for humanity by contributing in no small way to enable their Councils and Courts render assistance to their respective Bishops, Priests and their Parishes in their outreach programmes towards vulnerable members of the congregation and their communities.
In spite of the worldwide ban on public gatherings including Church services, we are still called to witness to Christ and be Christlike in our dealings with humankind and we are happy that this is happening within our Order to the glory of God.
The Grand Lady and I join hands in expressing our sincerest appreciation for these acts of charity and your zeal to extend God’s love to all and sundry.
We cannot fail to notice that the whole world now appears to be singing from the same hymn sheet with only one tune. Indeed, the current conversation around the world is the devasting effect of the Coronavirus and the need to combat and eliminate it from amongst us. Let this experience be the launchpad for uniting the world around a single purpose of peace and unity and, care for mankind and mother earth.
Beloved Brothers and Sisters. This year’s Marshallan Day celebration also coincides with the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter Laudato Si on CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME. The global Catholic Church has established LAUDATO SI WEEK from 16 – 24 May, 2020.
Let us use this celebration to rally communities around actions that lead to the care of our common home – the earth, especially during this period of the global Coronavirus pandemic which is ravaging our environment with a dangerous disease.
As we celebrate Sir James Marshall today, outside the church and in our homes, we entreat all Catholic Faithful to pray for the beatification and canonisation of this Nobleman. This would be the final step towards immortalizing his name and making it indelible in the history of the Church. Let us show our fullest commitment towards this cause and contribute wholeheartedly towards it. Let us also practice and observe the spiritual exercise that has been designed for Marshallans during the temporary suspension of Council and Court meetings to keep us spiritually united monthly for the flow of the grace of the Almighty to be upon us and our families.
We wish you a happy commemorative Day and call on you all to strive to stay safe while redoubling our efforts at extending love and charity to those affected by COVID-19 as an act of love for CHRIST!
During this short period that we parted our usual company as a result of needed restrictions to contain COVID-19, we have
lost a couple of Brothers and Sisters some of whom have been solemnly interred privately by family, may their souls and the soul of Sir James Marshall through the endless mercy of God rest in the peace of the Lord.
May God bless us all.
Sir Kt. Bro. Charles L. L. Cobb MRL Sis. Dame Dr. Agatha Akua Bonney
Supreme Knight Grand Lady