Ghanaian Catholic Choirs Hold Choir Day in New York

BY PAUL AWORTWI-MENSAH

The first ever Choir Day of the Association of Ghanaian Catholic Church Choirs of New York, New Jersey and New England has been held in Brooklyn, New York, with a call on Christians to use their talents for national development.

Rev. Fr. Joseph Savino Gyimah, Priest in-charge of the Ghanaian Catholic Ministry of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, East Hartford, Connecticut who made the call said “the God given talents in each of you should not be hidden but be used to provide the needed resources that will ensure the development of your respective communities”. The Choir Day, held at the St. Catherine of Genoa Catholic Church in Brooklyn, New York, was under the theme "Let Us Rise and Build.”

It was attended by choirs from six out of the seven Ghanaian Catholic Apostolates in the Tri-State area. They are St. Mary’s, East Hartford, Connecticut, St. Catherine of Genoa, Brooklyn, New York, St. Benedict the Moor, Queens, New York, Christ the King and St. Margaret Mary, Bronx, New York and St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, Worcester, Massachusetts. St. Mary’s Newark, New Jersey does not have a substantive choir. The day saw the choirs clad in their ceremonial outfit taking turns to sing to the glorification of God and to the admiration of the capacity crowd at the auditorium to witness the manifestation of God through songs.

The audience could not help but continued to give thunderous applause to the choirs as they took turns to perform various renditions of music in Ghanaian languages as well as in English.

Rev. Fr.Gyimah pointed out that Christians have a responsibility of ensuring that the communities in which they live are peaceful and devoid of any negative sentiments that slows down development.

According to Rev. Fr. Gyimah, it was also important that people avoid putting unnecessary pressure on themselves as that can undermine their health and lead to various ailments.

Continuing, Rev. Gyimah said "hatred shatters relationships, leading people who once loved each other into bitterness and violence".

Using biblical quotations to further illustrate his point, Rev. Fr. Gyimah justified how "song ministration led our forefathers to conquer their enemies”. Against this backdrop, he called for strict adherence to religious life, explaining that it can impact social, spiritual and the cultural development of any society. He, therefore, urged Christians to live in peace with each other so that they will enjoy the love of God.

John Taylor, the Music Director of the Choir Union said the union which has been in existence for the past eight years has sought a way to use song ministration to bring comfort and solace to the afflicted soul. “It has thus taken the choir these long ears for it to fulfill its dream of having a choir day”, Taylor said. He pointed out that the Choir Day will be an annual ritual that would afford members a platform to pray and share their faith through song ministration to the glory of God and humanity.

Anthony Boadu, President of the Ghanaian Catholic Apostolates Laity Council advised Ghanaian Catholics in the United States who are not practicing their faith to join apostolates in their communities as part of efforts to promote vibrant catholic ideals. He also advised the choristers to adhere to strong Catholic faith.

“Do not to be swayed by earthly adventures in the United States”, he added. The Laity Council was formed in 1998 to foster unity and cooperation among Ghanaian Catholic communities in the tri-state of New York, New Jersey and New England, as well as to coordinate the activities of various Ghanaian Catholic Apostolates. It also promotes Ghanaian Catholic presence in the local areas/dioceses, and serves as a link between Ghanaian Catholic Communities in the United States of America and local churches in Ghana.

The Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference serves as the pillar between this link, and periodically positions itself to resolve disputes, problems and other issues between sister communities and matters of faith to facilitate spiritual advancement.

-Written by Paul Awortwi-Mensah.