Funeral mass held for 34 deceased parishioners

Kumasi, May 22, GNA - A two-hour open-air high pontifical funeral mass has been observed for the 34 choristers of the Abuakwa Saint Peter's Parish, who lost their lives in a calamitous motor accidents at Akropong in the Atwima Mponua District while on their way to attend an all-night funeral vigil of their late parish priest at nearby Akwaboah. Thousands of mourners including Archbishop Kocherry, Papal Nuncio in Ghana, Most Reverend Peter Akwasi Sarpong, Catholic Archbishop of Kumasi, other members of the Catholic clergy, religious and other dignitaries thronged the Abuakwa School Park to witness the solemn event.

The occasion exacerbated the already bad vehicular traffic state on the Sofoline-Abuakwa section of the Kumasi-Sunyani road leading to the non-availability of transport for the numerous mourners who dotted along the road at various points to get to the site on time so as not to miss the event before it passed into history.

Those who were desperate, however, braved all odds and walked the almost five kilometre distance to the funeral ground where security personnel had a hectic time controlling the milling crowd of mourners who surged forward to catch a glimpse of caskets of the deceased lined on wooden benches in the middle of the Park.

Grief-stricken mourners and bereaved families had to hold back their tears to allow the two-hour solemn mass to pass before pouring out their grief in rivers of tears when each family was allowed to convey the bodies for internment in their respective communities. Caskets containing the mortal remains of the parishioners draped in white linen and decorated with a black and white ribbon rosettes, each had a framed portrait of the dead on its top apparently for easy identification.

While clouds of incense smoke poured from censors over the caskets, a mass choir of the Kumasi Archdiocese provided dirges accentuating the melancholic atmosphere of the funeral grounds.

Archbishop George Kocherry who read a Papal Message from the Vatican, conveyed the heartfelt condolences of the Holy Father Pope Benedict the VI to the bereaved families, Archbishop Peter Akwasi Sarpong, and the Abuakwa Parish for the tragic loss of the lives of those whom he described as "a zealous group which never ceased to evangelise the people of God through singing."

He assured all those affected by the tragedy of his spiritual closeness in their time of sorrow and anguish, while also calling on drivers and travellers to exercise moderation and show charitable concern for the safety of other passengers.

In a homily, Archbishop Sarpong urged the public, especially families of the dead not to perceive the calamity as a loss but a triumphant entry into the kingdom of God, which they always pursued. He said the anguish, perplexity and confusion which were often sparked by tragedies of such frightening proportions were just normal since human beings as carnal would never comprehend the ways of God who loses his divine nature as soon as humans understood his ways. Archbishop Sarpong consoled mourners whiles he likened the tragedy to the life of the Biblical Job who lost all of what he had in a very short moment as well as all his seven children in one day adding: "However in all these Job who was even discouraged by his own wife and friends refused to curse God".

An endowment fund dubbed: "Abuakwa Parish Disaster" was launched for the 102 dependants of the victims.

Mr S K Boafo, out-going Ashanti Regional Minister who donated 34 million cedis cautioned drivers to exercise extreme care and abide by traffic regulations to save lives.

The Atwima District Assembly donated 12,000,000 cedis; the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) also paid five million, while the STC Inter City Bus Service also donated five million cedis. Mr James Adussei Sakodie, a former MP of the Atwima-Mponua constituency donated 20 bags of cement.