Linking American and African Students Across the Miles at Christmas

Members of the St. Bede Partnership team visited with 5th grade students at St. Odilia Catholic School in Los Angeles December 1st, introducing local students to sights and sounds from Africa and new opportunities for global solidarity. St. Beders Ken Martinet, Lynda Hennon, and Ken Buckowski shared stories from their 2008 visit to Wa, Ghana, (West Africa) and helped the students create Christmas cards to send to students across the miles.

St. Odilia 5th grade students making Christmas cards for students in Ghana, West Africa...

Thank you St. Odilia 5th graders! Special thanks as well to the teachers and administrators at St. Odilia's who made this visit possible.

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Interested in having your students learn more about students in Africa and how they can unite with them in global solidarity?

St. Bede Partners will be visiting more schools and classrooms in 2010 to promote the message of global solidarity and consequently link students to new friends in Ghana. Contact ghana@bede.org if you have a school or organization with whom you'd like a St. Bede Partner to visit and present.

Fr. Greg's Thanksgiving Mass and 'Bon Voyage' Party

In true African style, St. Bede parishioners celebrated with Fr. Greg a final,Ghanaian-inspired Mass, complete with authentic Ghanaian music and liturgical dancers. A reception followed, allowing the 300 or so people gathered to say their individual good-byes to our friend, Fr. Greg, who has meant so much and inspired the Partnership from the very beginning.

We look forward to his return to St. Bede's and seeing him ourselves in Wa!

Catholic Relief Services' Thomas Awiapo Comments on Pres. Obama's Visit to Ghana

http://crs-blog.org/dear-president-obama/

Happy Anniversary!

It was one year ago, on July 22, 2008, that the Wa-St. Bede Mission Partnership was born.  

In one year the Partners have worked together to meet all three of the goals that were set in Wa last year:

• Core (steering) teams at both St. Bede's Parish and in the Wa Diocese
  
• A mission, vision, and goals statement emphasizing mutuality and longevity for the Partnership
• A common website linking and accessible to both Partner communities

Be sure to celebrate with a piece of cake, some red-red, or a Guinness! 

Fr. Greg Dongkore's Bon Voyage Party - August 30th

St. Bede is planning a fond farewell to our dear friend, Fr. Greg, as he leaves his home of 3 years and heads back to his home diocese of Wa, Ghana.

Festivities will be held on Sunday, August 30th, starting at 5:30pm with a special African-themed liturgy and then a reception following in the courtyard until 8:00pm.  Reception will include food, drink, music, memories, and gifts.

Please join us and sent Fr. Greg off in style!

St. Bede Parish introduced to new Website and Blog

In a video presentation after all the Masses today, the people of St. Bede the Venerable Parish were introduced to the new St. Bede the Venerable Parish website (www.bede.org) and this Blog. As requested by Bishop Bemele in Wa and the Partnership Team there, we have expanded our Internet presence in order to take another step in building and sustaining a long term, mutually beneficial relationship.

Please add your comments to any of the posts by clicking the green colored title of the post entry or the word "comments" below it. Your comments will be seen by all who visit this site in Africa, in the US, and throughout the world.

If you wish to become a contributor to this blog and add pictures and videos you would like to share, just send a e-mail to us at ghana@bede.org.

May we grow ever deeper in our understanding and appreciation of the Mystical Body of Christ!

Remembering Ghana

It has been about nine months since our team from St. Bede Church visited Ghana. The memories of that visit are still fresh and clear to me -- the joy of the people and the kindness they showed to us; the raw beauty of the land; the feeling of kinship that I took away with me. Let us not forget to pray for each other.

Vodaphone progress in Ghana

I learned that Vodaphone, the new Internet and mobile phone service provider in Ghana has set up a Foundation through the UN to advance social communication. Perhaps we can partner with them to use Wa as a test site and get them up faster in some type of distance learning situation with our school children. I'll share more as I learn more.

Fr. Severo's First Video for St. Bede

Children from Wa dancing the Bewaa, a dance of welcoming

Draft Mission Statement by Wa Partners

Mission, Vision, Goals & Objectives
DRAFT
By Wa Partners 2/25/09
Mission Statement:

The Wa-St Bede’s Mission Partnership is to sustain a long-term relationship of respect and solidarity by sharing of life and ministry characterized by mutuality and spirituality.

Vision Statement:

The Wa-St. Bede’s Mission Partnership aims at building and fostering a long-term mutual relationship between the people of the Wa Diocese and the people of St. Bede the Venerable Community in the areas of spirituality, education, health services and economic development through faith-sharing that leads to the holistic development of members of both parties.

Sustainability Efforts:

We feel that if the communication issue is tackled well, it will help the partnership to grow and develop. We should at all times be open to new developments that take place on both sides and adjust plans if need be. We feel the sustainability will improve if:
· Both parties are committed to the vision and mission as stated above
· Both parties make human and material resources available to enhance the growth of the partnership
· Both parties are open to new ways to let the partnership grow


Goals & Objectives:
(with some examples of potential strategies in parentheses)

Goal 1: Communication
Given our distance and different outlooks, the establishment of an effective communication system is a pre-requisite for the growth of the partnership.
Communication
Objective 1 Establish a website supported by both parties
Objective 2 Encourage networking through e-mailing and blog
Objective 3 Keep a common journal


Goal 2: Spirituality
Objective 1: Share best practices of parish ministries and organizations

Objective 2: Create opportunities for partners to enrich their spirituality through exchange of liturgical expressions, religious practices, prayer, and devotion.

Objective 3: Collaborate on providing opportunities for priests, vowed religious, and lay ministers to share best practices, remotely and through people exchanges.


Goal 3: Education
Objective 1: Collaborate on providing opportunities for teachers to share best practices, remotely and through people exchanges.

Objective 2: Collaborate on providing opportunities for student exchanges.
· Strategy 1: (letters)
· Strategy 2: (student exchanges)

Objective 3: Collaborate on providing opportunities for parents to share the value and struggles of educating their children and develop solutions.

Objective 4: Develop incentives for teachers to serve the rural communities of Wa.

Objective 5: Develop educational and financial resources such as scholarships, books, technologies, teacher training, and facilities for the improvement of education in Wa.
· Strategy 1: (gender-inclusive scholarships)
· Strategy 2: (John XXIII Center, higher education, leadership)
· Strategy 3: (books/Rotary International)


Goal 4: Health Services
Objective 1: Improve and increase access to health services in Wa Diocese.
· Strategy 1: (medical supplies)
· Strategy 2: (financial support for food pantries)
· Strategy 3: (financial support for school lunch programs)

Objective 2: Collaborate on providing professional development and continuing education opportunities for health practitioners and health educators.
· Strategy 1: (workshops, literature)

Objective 3: Develop and share best practices for food cultivation in Wa.

Objective 4: Increase access and availability of clean drinking water for rural communities in Wa.
· Strategy 1: (boreholes)


Goal 5: Economic Development
Objective 1: Develop and share best practices for small businesses in Wa.

Objective 2: Foster fair-trade and other business opportunities for women to benefit from trade and commerce.

Action Plan
In view of the importance we attach to communication the formation of a team for communication on both sides is important. The committee shall sustain open communication by sending write-ups for publication and pictures on significant events to the partners.
Within one year we will:
form core teams in each location
create a common Mission and Vision Statement, Goals, and Objectives
each define our priority gifts and needs
form inspired teams focused around these priority areas

Within three years we will:
initiate tangible programs in each priority area
send members to visit each other
have regular communications occur between priority teams

Within five years:
priority programs will be firmly established and growing
the impact of the partnership will be measurable and substantial
the number of active participants will have grown by multiples