Patrick Seddoh Honoured At 2016 St Patrick’s Day

Mr Patrick Komla Seddoh, 91, a retired public servant and distinguished career diplomat was honoured as the oldest pioneer of the Patrician Society of the Adoration Chapel of Christ the King Parish in Accra, on Saturday, March 19.

The day marked a special feast day Mass to commemorate St Patrick, a missionary, bishop and a patron saint of Ireland.

Thursday, March 17 was St Patrick’s Day, which means a lot to the Patrician Society as well as associates and affiliates. The event was characterised by morning Mass at the various parishes.

St. Patrick was born near the west coast of Britain and was the son of a Roman civil servant.

At 16 years he was carried off by Irish raiders and sold as slave in Ireland, where he worked as a shepherd for six years. During this time he became very religious, spending long hours in prayer and meditation.

Patrick finally escaped Ireland by means of a ship sailing to the European continent. He was reunited with his family then spent 15 years in a monastery.

In 432 he was consecrated a bishop and sent to preach the gospel to the Irish people. He visited the northern and western parts of the island where Christian missionaries had not yet reached.

His efforts were opposed by pagan druids and even by other Christians, who criticised his methods.

Patrick’s preaching bore great fruit and he ordained the clergy, established dioceses and founded a number of monasteries.

Reverend Father Patrick Quarcoopome in a sermon asked Catholics to emulate St Patrick by meeting the needs of the public through practical help.

He said they should also accept suffering to make sure the gospel reaches everyone, be empathetic towards one another and strive to be ambassadors of peace.

Rev Fr Quarcoopome said Christians should not let their uniqueness or differences such as colour divide them since their diversity bring beauty to the world.

He said St Patrick like Jesus Christ challenged the political and religious authorities of his time and suffered the consequence in his drive to promote the welfare of the people.

He said as church people should stand against the powerful in society to seek the welfare of others.

Rev Fr Quarcoopome asked the congregation to be like St Patrick by evangelising to change the conscience of the people.

Rev Fr Bonaventure Quaidoo, Interim Secretary of the society asked Catholics to strive to be a friend of Jesus Christ just as St Patrick.

The day was marked with intercessory prayers for the sick and needy as well as charity work. At the organ during the celebration was Mr. Patrick Anumel, the C.E.O. of the GN Bank.

Seddoh was Ambassador to several countries and was also the first African-South of the Sahara, to be elected to the prestigious post of Chairman of the Executive Board of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

He was born at Keta in the Volta Region in January, 1925 and began his basic education in 1930 at Keta Roman Catholic School. He completed with Standard Seven School Leaving Certificate in 1941 and entered St. Augustine’s College at Cape Coast in 1944.

He was among the exceptionally brilliant students that gained Cambridge School Certificate Grade One with exemption from London Matriculation in 1948. This earned him a three year scholarship to the prestigious University of Paris Sorbonne and Alliance Française in Paris, France.

“After an intense academic work, he earned an Advanced Diploma in French Studies in 1950 and a Diploma in the teaching of French as a foreign language in 1952. He continued his education at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland where he graduated in 1955 with a master’s degree in Political Economy, Moral Philosophy and French”.

“He has been a great supporter of the Church in Ghana. He and his wife are noted financiers of the Holy Family Catholic Church at Woe in the Volta Region. In Accra, he worships at the Christ the King Catholic Church in Cantonments”.

He was for several years a member of the Christ the King Parish Pastoral Council.

In April 2004, on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Christ the King Church, the Holy Father Pope John Paul II, now a saint, imparted his apostolic blessing on Patrick Seddoh. (See marshallan.org for more information on Patrick Seddoh).