Growing In Grace @ 90 Years Old Archbishop Emeritus Peter Kwasi Sarpong

Archbishop Emeritus Peter Kwasi Sarpong, at Ninety Years, is a living marvel. He literally should have died at his early stages in life, just like his preceding four siblings, and the one that followed immediately after him, passed away, before each could reach the age of five.

A fifth born child of our parents, who had the nasty experience of losing their offspring not long after birth, the Archbishop Emeritus, amazingly beat all odds and survived; so that at the present time, we can celebrate his 90^th birthday!

There was this problem of malaria, coupled with intestinal worm infestations that our early siblings gravely suffered, and which caused a big anguish to our parents. Before any of them could experience a fifth birthday, they had succumbed to the shattering effects of the illnesses. But our brother, the Archbishop Emeritus, sandwiched between two departed siblings, remarkably survived to sail through to this day.

At thirty-five years old, and being the Rector of Pedu Major Seminary, our brother suffered from a debilitating illness in 1968. He had this dreadful anal piles, which appeared incurable, and which was literally tearing him apart. In seeking for relief, he first, went to Okomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, and then proceeded to Isola, in Rome, with no successful treatment. He went on to Nynegen, in Holland, where he was hospitalised for twenty four weeks, yet with no good news. The next stop was Harley Street, London, and there, the medical team tried their possible best, but yet still without a positive result. At that juncture, our brother resigned himself to fate, and continued to quietly endure his anguish, to the point of even thinking of the worst that could happen to him.

However, when all hope seemed lost, the then Fr Sarpong, out of the blue, received an invitation from the Catholics and Protestants Union to give a lecture in Ho, in 1969. Interactions after the lecture, brought Fr Sarpong to meet with Dr Marquart, a German medical officer, who was then in charge at the Kpando Hospital, in the Volta Region. Fr Sarpong’s problems with piles was brought out in their conversation and the Doctor promised to help. The first administration of drugs that Dr Marquart prescribed for Fr Sarpong, made his situation even worse for the next thirty-five days. However, on his second visit to the Kpando Hospital, the Doctor, after prayers, administered something similar to acupuncture at Fr Sarpong’s lower back, and afterwards said to him, “Father Peter, your ailment is forever cured”. To this day, and to the Glory of God, Father Sarpong, indeed, has been free from piles!

Onward to year 2002, when our brother was almost seventy years old. There was a big threat to his life that was caused by a not before experienced illness, asthma. Our father was a known asthmatic; a very serious one at that, and whenever he was attacked, it created a very unpleasant feeling, to be near him. The struggle to breathe, and the difficulty with which he passed through in order to gasp some fresh air into him, to survive, plainly brought the concerned bystander to agonise with him. However, our brother, the Bishop, did not seem to have inherited our father’s asthma until the later stages in his life. In 2002, about a year before he was seventy years old, from nowhere, and without warning, our brother had a severe attack, which nearly ended his life here on earth.

The situation was very distressing to us, the family, particularly his siblings, for two major reasons. One, the prospect of losing the pillar of the family was unimaginable. And two, because of an observation that we had made in the family, in the course of the years, which seemed to portray that our family members lacked the ability to live up to, and beyond seventy years.

Our father died about the age of seventy years. Three of his eldest sons died before each of them could reach seventy. Our sister died before she got to seventy. So the rest of four siblings, who were alive then, were sitting on tenterhooks praying for the life of our dear brother, who was yet to be seventy, when he had that crazy asthma attack. And secondly, we were also crying for our lives! Should the unthinkable had happened to our brother, that would have confirmed our perceived apprehension about our family members predestined lives, for the rest of us also to give up at less than seventy years, and no more. Thanks be to God, our brother broke the jinx and celebrated his 70^th birthday in year 2003, so that twenty years after, in 2023, his two remaining siblings, all over seventy, can happily join him in celebrating a landmark birthday, at Ninety years.

Under the canopy of his unique blessings from his Maker, Archbishop Sarpong’s two remaining siblings have all reached seventy years and over. Therefore, for the two of us, we can define our brother’s 90^th birthday as having grown in God’s Act of Kindness. God has made our brother, a great survivor and a time-tested model. Even today, as he underwent intensive surgery, a few years back, to remove his benignant prostrate that was abnormally enlarged; and as he is presently fitted with a pacemaker to support his heartbeat; and he is on special medication to regulate his high blood pressure and asthma, he has taught us what it means to be alive, and he has proven his point by staying alive for so long, and being healthier than ever.

So my sister, Theresa Afua Boahemaa, alias Afua Fofie and I, Nana Raymond Osei Sarpong, only wish that the Good Lord continues to bless our brother, Archbishop Emeritus Peter Kwasi Sarpong, to keep growing in Grace to reach 100 years!

Happy Birthday, Brother!
Nana Raymond Osei Sarpong
[Mpehihene, Offinso & Junior Brother of Archbishop Emeritus Peter Kwasi Sarpong]

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Kumasi
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