On Mission to Ghana

Summertime at St. Al’s can lead to lots of travel throughout the Midwest, but this summer brought St. Al’s to a completely new continent! Led by Fr. Ben and our 6 FOCUS Missionaries, St. Al’s had the opportunity to lead a group of 12 students and local young adults to the diocese of Konongo-Mampong in Ghana, Africa. Traveling to this diocese was extra special as the Diocese of Marquette, our home diocese, has a close relationship with this particular diocese. Many of their priests have traveled to the UP to serve as pastors at our parishes. Furthermore, Bishop John Doerfler of this diocese and Bishop John Opoku-Agyemang of the Ghanaian diocese have traveled to one another’s dioceses the past few years to ordain men to the priesthood.

Much of this mission trip was spent building connections with the locals in the diocese, specifically at the local Catholic high schools. While visiting, the group had the opportunity to build relationships and to share the faith with the high schoolers through games, the sharing of testimonies, and leading small-group discussions. The Ghanaians welcomed the crew with open arms, and the hope is to return back in upcoming years to lead retreats for the students. From attempting to learn Twi (a common Ghanaian language) to wearing the local garb, it was a beautiful, and life-giving, cultural mission experience for everyone!


Below you will find testimonies from students who joined us on the trip:

“A question I got often from locals was “How do you see Ghana?” I think that the real question for me personally was, “After seeing Ghana, how do you see the United States?” In Ghana, the vast majority of people believed in God and were joyful no matter their circumstances. Looking back at the United States, I wonder if all the things we have are a luxury or a hindrance to us. In Ghana, they seemed to have more joy without plenty. I think the same could be done in the US if we as individuals live more generously.”
-Andy Dzik, 3^rd year, Software Engineering
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“The attentiveness and hospitality the people in Ghana had towards us for simply walking in the room was truly dignifying and heartwarming. There was one day where we were meeting some lumch ladies at a high school and introducing ourselves with our 'soul name' (in Ghana, you have a name assigned to you by the day you were born and your gender, ie, all women born on Tuesday have the name Abena). There was only one woman that shared my soul name, but when I was introduced, she cheered and ran up and hugged me as if I was family. She celebrated my presence in a way that was so inspiring that I want to bring that back to the United States. It was much more than just being in the country and interacting with people- it was sharing MY story and letting God work from there. I felt like God made my personal life mission more clear to me- it's no longer trying to fit into this idea of what I was 'supposed' to say or do, I just have to speak the truth that God has already weaved into my life.” 
-Veronica Blissick, 5^th year, Forestry
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 "Some of the biggest takeaways of this mission trip for me were presence, relationships, and growth. I learned how important it is to slow down and really be present with people by listening, caring, and simply being there without rushing to the next thing. God also showed me the beauty of authentic relationships, especially in the conversations we had with students and community members. Many of those moments felt Spirit-led and reminded me how He works through simple human connection. At the same time, I felt my own relationship with God grow stronger as I turned to Him more often and leaned on Him throughout the trip. Daily Mass, praying the rosary together, and spending time in adoration helped me deepen my faith and realize that spiritual growth usually comes through those steady rhythms of prayer, not just big emotional moments. On this trip, the Lord revealed His closeness, His power in relationships, and His desire for me to keep growing in faith." 
-Amelia Gregory, 2^nd year, Mechanical Engineering