Kinawley-born Brother Joe Gilleece (69), who is a member of the Presentation Brothers whose Irish headquarters are in Cork and who has been ministering in Northern Ghana for the past 30--plus years is adding another plus to his building c.v. by getting off the ground an ambitious scheme for a four-classroom school.
As is the case in the UK, there is a hunger for learning in Catholic maintained schools and, it is no different in Ghana where the majority faith is Moslem. Even at that, Bro Joe's school in Bolgatanga has to exist on very little State funding and mostly on donations and what the parents of the pupils can afford.
It was for that reason, therefore, that he was especially grateful to 'my super generous benefactor', a Derrylin businessman who, along with his son, visited Ghana and saw for himself the ongoing work which brother Joe is masterminding.
In a letter to the 'Herald', Brother Joe explained that, having gone back to Ghana last year, following his scheduled break, he will be coming home short to undergo a hip replacement operation.
But, as the letter indicates, he is grateful for the good health the Man above gave him until arthritis set in: 'I suppose it's all part of the ageing process. It seems there is no easy way of growing old, although he books on ageing advise us to grow old gracefully and not resentfully, that we should reap the harvest of our vast experience in the twilight years of our lives.
'Well, when it takes me about 15 minutes in the morning to put on my socks, I say to the Lord: 'Is this the harvest I am supposed to enjoy?' I hope Heaven will be better than this".
But, on a brighter note, he goes on to speak about his benefactor's visit and how the local students reacted during a 'question and answer' involving his young son: "He was asked; 'Do white men die?'. This is an indication of the exalted opinion they have of the white man who brought them all the machinery and technology that they have seen".
Some of those students are pictured in a photograph which brother Joe enclosed of work in progress at the new school building.
This is his updated report: 'We have completed one classroom, and we have been able to divide the biggest class of 90 students into two classes, making discipline and law and order far easier. Hopefully, by Easter time, we will have completed the remaining three classrooms.
'The fine sand for plastering we get from the rivers, but the flooding in Northern Ghana has been terrible this year. We have to wait for the water to subside before we can collect the sand, and this has help up progress on our extension'.
A man with a deep interest in Irish politics and GAA, Brother Joe thanked God for what he called, 'the miracle we have seen in Northern Ireland in our lifetime', and ow against all the odds, the NI Assembly seemed to be working.
He concludes: 'I dreamt last night that Fermanagh were All-Ireland champions in 2008. Maybe it is a true prophesy'.
