My dear Brothers and Sisters,
This month, October 2008, marks the first anniversary of my monthly letters to you. In the first letter, I introduced the theme for my two-year stewardship as Supreme Knight – “You are the Key”. The choice of that theme was to affirm to me and all of you my brothers and sisters that we are collectively and individually responsible for whatever good or bad that happens to the Noble Order. I am happy to note that many of you have taken the theme on board and have made significant contributions and sacrifices towards the progress of the Order. Thank you very much.
Looking back, I am amazed that 12 months have passed so quickly and also the desire I had at the beginning of my stewardship to keep in touch with you through these monthly letters has been sustained. I know and believe that it is only the Lord’s grace that has made it possible because even coming up with a topic to write about has not been easy. In the absence of the Formation programme that gave us some food for thought at Council and Court meetings, my hope was that some of the issues raised in my letters would, as in the formation programmes, engender discussions and actions that would support the reason for our being in the Noble Order. From what I hear, the letters have become important aspects of some Councils’ and Courts’ meetings, while in others they are treated simply as one of the correspondence and put away. In whatever way that the letters have been treated, I thank all Councils and Courts who at least read them. Hopefully, they have contributed something to your meetings and lives. Perhaps, it is also time to thank all those of you who have commented and encouraged me on the letters. Your words have become the tonic that energises me making it bearable the thought that, going forward, I have 10 or 11 more letters to write before I leave office in August or September 2009.
October is one of my favourite months of the year. I call it “Mother’s month” and for two reasons. First it happens to be the month during which it pleased God to bring my biological mother into this world 84 years ago. Secondly and more importantly, it is one of the two very special months in the year that the Catholic Church has set aside to pray the Rosary and do honour to the woman, Mary, whose “YES” brought salvation to mankind and so became the “Mother of God”. This year, the month also marks the 150th anniversary of the Holy Mother’s apparition at Lourdes during which she confirmed the dogma of “Immaculate Conception” proclaimed in 1854 by Pope Pius IX. We can therefore not expect a better time for God to work miracles in our lives than this month when the whole of our church is on its knees praying the Rosary and asking the Holy Mother to intercede on our behalf. Let us join in and pray the Rosary unceasingly this month. Let’s pray it privately, with our families and with the Church in our parishes. Let us pray it at our Court and Council meetings this month, seeking the intercession of Mother Mary for miracles in our lives, in the lives of our families and friends, the Catholic Church, the Noble Order of Knights and Ladies of Marshall, all mothers, the female sex, and our nation Ghana as she prepares for elections in December. Again let us pray that all parents represented by mothers, would realise their responsibilities and Christian duties towards their children so that the world would experience less and less of the vices of drug addiction, prostitution, same sex relationships, abortion, armed robbery and the like that is plaguing the youth of today. Let Marshallan parents especially, be reminded of their duties and responsibilities as Disciples of Christ in the 21st century towards their children and young people in general.
May this month of the Holy Rosary be a blessing to every aspect of our lives. Amen!
Yours fraternally,
SIR KT BRO EDDIE PRAH
(SUPREME KNIGHT)