District of West Africa

It is always a blessing to know that, in our District of West Africa, we have six perpetual pro-fessions this year. Six brothers from different countries and on different dates are consecrat-ing themselves definitively to the Lord in the Marist family.

On the 21st October, it was Brother Isaac Kwame, from Ghana. The ceremony was held in the parish of ?All Saints? to which belongs his community of Kumasi and it was presided over by the auxiliary bishop, Bishop Gabriel Anokye. The brothers of the three other Marist commu-nities of Ghana and many religious and priests took part. The parish was in charge of the or-ganisation of the ceremony and of preparing the fraternal festivities that followed.

On the 4th November, two brothers from Ivory Coast made their perpetual vows: Joachim Doua and Pascal Koffi, at Korhogo in the rebels? zone in a country affected by more than four years of war and crisis. A group of brothers from Ghana wanted to be at the celebration, defying numerous police controls on the way, since Joachim currently works in Ghana. The ceremony was presided over by the Vicar General of the diocese, Télesphore Kambere. The bishops of Korhogo and of Bouaké, dioceses where the brothers work, have died recently. Families, friends, religious, priests and teachers from the school attended the ceremony and the fraternal meal that followed in the grounds of our school.

On the 27th December, this annual series will culminate with the perpetual professions of three Cameroon brothers, Peter Awoh, Simón Kanjam and Martín Nguma. Brother Sylvain Yao, District Superior, has been at all these professions and will be present at this one as well. With this series, of the forty-nine African brothers in the District, thirty-four have made their perpetual profession. Eight novices are preparing for their first vows in June of next year. The District of West Africa is growing stronger.