Father Joeker

By Fr Joseph Panabang SVD

Vacation Talk

Sr. Bernadette Dery, first year novice of the Holy Spirit Sister in Sunyani, was in Kintampo giving a vocation talk on sisterhood. She stressed that to be a religious sister one must leave her country behind. During the open forum Sr. Bernadette was asked why she should leave her country behind. She got somewhat confused but after a while she said with authority, “Because the country is too big for the plane to carry.” The people who filled the big church laughed their hearts out.

Rivers Spirits

Haunted by the traditional fear of river spirits, few villagers dare to go to the waterfalls. Aware of such traditional beliefs, I erected a big concrete cross beside the water which flows majestically into the depths below. With the white cross, the, the waterfall is not a dreaded place anymore but a place where people look forward to visit - a place for prayer, a place now called “Our lady of Kintampo Prayer Park”.

Moses and the Burning Bush

November to March is called Harmattan in Ghana. It is the season when dust from the Sahara Desert if blown like clouds all over West Africa. One can see the yellowish sun directly with the naked eye as the dust weakens its rays. Bush fires are a common thing because the grass is all dried. Forest after forest and even sometimes a whole village is simply burnt day in and day out without human concern despite our beautiful laws on banning fire! It was at this time when Fr. Martin Buckely, SMA caught three men lighting a fire in the forest. He brought them to the Chief. Instead of reprimanding them according to the law, the Chief said, “God spoke to Mosses in a burning bush.
If it was good Moses, it is also good for us,” Fr. Martin could only look on with a smile of dismay.

Oil Tank

Working on the same premise of being wise as a snake and innocent as a dove, Fr. Joachim Zok, SVD, in his attempt to stop the neighboring people fetching water from the mission tank, poured pure vegetable oil into the tank. With oil shimmering all over the top, no one dared to get water anymore. No one ever thought that oil, being lighter than water, is only shimmering on the surface and not at the bottom.

Ulcer Attack

Laurence Appaiah, one of my church helpers, came asking for a cup of milo without sugar because he was having ulcer attack. He came at the time when I was packing and sorting things out for the poor and needy. “Why Father?” he kindly asked. My ulcer is also bothering me. I feel I will die any moment from now. so I decided to start giving my things away,” I said. He almost forgot his cup of milo starting at me unbelievably.

Bush Driver

I made a wrong turn at a busy intersection in Accra City, capital of Ghana. All the cars beside me (front, back, left and right) stopped. An impatient taxi driver stuck his head out of the car and yelled, “Eh Obruni, wo ye bush driver anaa?” (Eh white man, are you a village driver?”) Immediately I shouted back, “Ampal Me firi Kintampo.” (It is true, I am a bush driver but from Kintampo Village.) Instead of the expected and usual exchange of insults, everybody was laughing. The tension was eased and another driver got out to direct the traffic jam. “Bush driver” is used her as an insult to a reckless driver.