On July 16, 13 priests processed in song and celebrated Holy Mass with students at the Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Winneba.

They had come from the Winneba, Apam and Dawurampong deaneries.

They were invited by their host, Rev Fr. Anthony Adawu, the chaplain.

The Catholic chaplaincy for the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the dedication of its chapel under the auspices of His Grace Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Cape Coast.

As the 13 priests in white cassocks and chasubles beautifully decorated in Adinkra and other symbols processed through the aisle of the chapel, they climbed the three steps leading onto the sanctuary, taking their places around the altar, with Rev. Father Louis Emil taking centre stage, thereby clearly identifying himself as the main celebrant.

Rev. Fr. Francis Xavier Dzakpasu, SMA, delivered the homily.

The host priest welcomed his colleague priests during the Introductory Rites and handed them over to Rev. Fr. Emil to co-emcee the Mass.

When the faithful had received the Holy Eucharist, Professor Lucy Attom Effeh, the chairperson of the chaplaincy's advisory board, addressed the congregation, expressing “gratitude” on behalf of the congregation and giving “a brief history of the Holy Spirit Catholic Church.”.

“The Advisory Board, together with the chaplain and the church community of Holy Spirit Catholic Church, welcomes all and sundry to join hands with us as we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the dedication and over 40 years of evangelization and service to the glory of God Almighty,” said Prof. Lucy Effeh.

Through the church’s programs, many have found a home "here," where all languages and tongues are understood because of “the Holy Spirit in action,” referencing Acts chapter two.

It is instructive that in Acts chapter two, when “Jews” and “devout men, out of every nation under heaven"—yes, including proselytes and Gentiles—gathered in Jerusalem, everyone could hear Jesus’ disciples minister with power.

At the Catholic chaplaincy for the University of Education Winneba, we have students from Ada to Oda, from Bawku through the Bimoba lands and via Binduri, and from Bamboi to Bonwire.

We also come from Kenya, heading southeastwards to Keta, crossing the Atlantic Ocean to parts of Cameroun, and northwards to Kaduna.

Then there are those from Wa, Walewale, Wiawso, Winneba of course, Worawora, and
Wulensi. And from Zamfara state in Nigeria and Zuarungu, we are well represented and connected.

We also have in our midst the visually impaired students and those with hearing impairments.
problems/challenges. Yet, when the congregation, led by the students choir and including worshippers who are certificate, diploma, undergraduate, masters, doctoral, and postdoctoral students, ministers unto themselves, with the sign language crew taking turns to interpret, we can all hear them in our own tongues.

Indeed, symbols are a language, and language goes beyond words.
However, for effective verbal communication, these 13 priests represent various
language/linguistic extractions. They are not enough for the work; hence, the chaplaincy advisory board led by Prof. Lucy Attom Effeh of the Department of Social Studies ensures that the lay apostolate is continued by the students themselves, ministering to each other.

And the host/chaplain, Rev. Fr. Dr. Anthony Adawu, himself a lecturer at the English Department, best understands the important nexus, which is “The Intersection of Language, Literature, and Theology.”

And as he well knows, his student congregants from various ethnic and political persuasions will record and critique his every sermon/homily.

No wonder “hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born" (Acts 2:8) (King James Version).

Even in English, there are “varieties of English,” as the chaplain rightly observes in his CV, hence an inclusive church whose products will become/are the future teachers and learning facilitators for not just the Republic of Ghana but the whole world.

Catholic means universal. Hence, it is erroneous that some people within the Presbyterian Church want to replace the word Catholic in the Apostles Creed.

In the same vein, Jew is an adjective that references "a religion," not an ethnicity, as our mentor observed. Such is the radical, revolutionary, and reformist nature of the Holy Spirit in action, thereby fostering diversity, equality, inclusion, unity, freedom, and global solidarity.

Talking of inclusion, was the concelebration by 13 priests representative of the sons of the patriarch Jacob plus Dinah, who is almost always excluded from the 12? Son means extension; hence, we are all sons of God without sexual or gender differences.

But alas, as we celebrate 10 years of a beautiful chapel with stained glass and the Holy Spirit descends into our midst with "power, tongues, wind, fire, and sound" attributes observed by our mentor, the “pride, pomp, and circumstance of a glorious war," apologies Shakespeare, is not being waged against ignorance, poverty, and disease.

Again, we reference Acts chapter two, as our mentor recently elucidated, for the answer.

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come,” there were Jews from Egypt, Libya, Cappadocia, Bole, Bamboi, Walewale, Lebanon, Liberia... please add your own.

"All of a sudden, a Jew has become an ethnicity," noted our mentor recently, exasperated. In the face of such human suffering in the land where all Jews from among all the nations assembled on Pentecost Day, therefore, and on the 10th anniversary of the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Winneba, we urge all humankind, in the words of the emcee, Rev. Father Emil, to “always wear a smiling heart” since the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit include Benignity, Fortitude, and Longsuffering.

Augustine Williams-Mensah is a student of the Faculty of Applied Behavioural Sciences in Education at the University of Education, Winneba; he is also a reader at writersghana.com.

Isaac Ato Mensah is an independent scholar and journalist.