From Africa to the Abbey

by J.D. Benning

It began with a thunderstorm. Damian Kuukole, his five brothers, and three sisters were sleeping soundly in their home in the village of Tom in Northern Ghana. Suddenly, out of the sky, CRACK! Lightning struck a tree outside the home they shared with their parents, cousins, aunts, and uncles. The tree was immediately cloven in two, charring and destroying part of the corn crop and leaving the house cracked and badly damaged.

The children were terrified. Many of the villagers had witnessed the previous night’s events. Despite nearly the whole of the village being Catholic, African Animism, an African traditional religion still widely practiced throughout Ghana, permeated the community’s faith-culture; many of the old beliefs were still strong in the minds of the people. Murmurs spread – the lightning was a bad omen for the village. Many felt Damian’s father should call upon the priest of the rain god, that he might come and sacrifice a cow at the site of the lightning strike to appease the rain god and cleanse the village – or they feared the rain god would bring his wrath upon their farming community. Damian watched as his father left on a journey, uncertain of what he would say when he returned. That evening Damian’s father came through the door and proudly announced, “Tomorrow, there will be Mass in our house.”

Fr. Damian was raised in the farming village of Tom seven kilometers south of the town of Nandom. His family raised guinea corn, millet, and a variety of other crops. He was the first person in his family to go to school

There was jubilation in their home as they excitedly prepared to greet the Catholic priest. The next morning, as the priest approached on his motorcycle, Damian was in awe of this man; and despite their fear, many of the villagers came to the Kuukole home to take part in the Mass. As the priest moved about the homestead, blessing the area where the lightning had struck with holy water, Damian turned to his mother and said, “I must be like this man – I must be a priest.” In the midst of Mass, he turned again to his mother with his plea, but she rebuffed him, “you are not in school, you cannot become a priest.” He wouldn’t take no for an answer; he had felt God’s call at that moment, and his heart would not allow him to be silent. He would later beg his mother again, “Tell dad to take me to school so that I can become a priest!” She finally agreed, and his father said he would be the first in his family to go to school. A full year went by, and day by day Damian continued to work on the farm with his father and brothers – waiting patiently for his father to fulfill his promise. One day, as he was gathering peanuts, he looked up and saw the other boys leaving for school. He decided he had waited long enough, dropped his tools, and headed for school. +++ School wasn’t always easy – but Damian’s mother was a constant source of encouragement and support. In 1995 he thought about giving up on his dream entirely: was this what he was meant to do? His mother was there to remind him why he wanted to go to school in the first place – he mailed in his application to the seminary the next day. Arriving at seminary, Damian immersed himself in the formation process, “It was a joy throughout!” he exclaims with a laugh. “The philosophical training was very difficult at the beginning; but as time passed and we moved into theology, it became easier and the [material] was more interesting.” Fr. Damian was ordained to the priesthood and was ready for a challenging assignment. It was always his hope to serve in an area where the Catholic faith was in the minority, hoping to grow it from the ground up. He wanted to be “a priest for people who need priests.” He always had a great ability to learn languages, and he was confident that he could evangelize anywhere he was sent. Fr. Damian’s bishop assigned him to an “out-station,” what might be referred to as a mission church, in a region that was only three percent Catholic; African Animism dominated the culture. To add to the challenges 75% of boys and 94% of girls were illiterate. Fr. Damian knew this would be his greatest hurdle, “How can you accurately pass on the Word of God when the majority of the people have never been educated?” He immediately began establishing schools and additional out-stations, usually starting with just two or three members and waiting for it to grow from there. His predecessor had founded a primary school, but it was poorly attended and did not extend beyond the sixth grade. In 2007 he established the first junior high and started promoting education in the area. In 2010 86% of the 26 students that had registered in 2007 graduated from the junior high. In 2011 88% graduated. By 2012 the classes had grown to 50+ students and 100% of them were completing school. The government quickly took an interest in Fr. Damian’s work, whatever he was doing, he was doing it right. In 2012 and 2013 he led the most successful school in Fr. Damian’s first priestly assignment was to the town of Daboya located on the flood plain of the White Volta River. Very few priests were willing to accept the assignment because of the frequent flooding that required the priest to travel by boat. The swift currents made the trips slow and dangerous. Fr. Damian would often have to load a motorcycle into his small, wooden boat to reach his destination. Shown above at his most recent visit to his former diocese.

“The monks have made me feel at home...like I am one of their brothers. I was extremely honored to be a part of Fr. Simon’s ordination” - fr. damian on living with the monks

his region, no small feat considering the program was still in its infancy.

Honorable Mr. Samuel Wusah, a member of the Ghanan Parliament, requested his service at the Ministry of Education, an advisory post that he held for one year before being asked to serve as a formator at the seminary.

Fr. Damian started passing on his knowledge, teaching these seminarians how they, too, could build and improve their parish schools, but there was still more he needed to learn.

During a visit to Atchison, Fr. Damian’s bishop sat down with Abbot James Albers to learn more about Benedictine College. Upon hearing about the Master’s of Education programs available he thought this would be a perfect fit for Fr. Damian: here in Atchison he would complete his education; he would gain the tools the bishop felt he needed to further develop Ghana’s Catholic Education system. Abbot James felt this would be an opportunity for the Abbey to continue its work of spreading the Gospel. “From the first day our monks stepped foot in Kansas we have been about spreading the Gospel through our prayer and work,” said Abbot

James. “One hundred and sixty years ago it was to the German settlers, fifty five years ago it was our call to serve in Brazil, today it is our continued work in the lives of young people and in parishes. In sponsoring Fr. Damian, I see it as the monks of

Atchison helping him in his discipleship as he will return to Ghana to continue his pastoral ministry.” While Fr. Damian studies at Benedictine College, the monks are hosting him at the Abbey with room and board, while also providing health insurance during his time of studies here.

Fr. Damian has been very impressed and is grateful to everyone he has encountered at Benedictine College, “President [Stephen]

Minnis and the whole college staff welcomed me with open arms. They have created a great environment for learning and I really appreciate all of the wonderful professors like Dr. Cherel Reding, Dr. Laura Moley, and the many others that I have been blessed to learn from; I especially appreciate Anne Faucett in international admissions for all of her assistance.”

President Minnis feels it is important to have students like Fr. Damian on the Benedictine College campus, “We really think it’s important to welcome international students to Benedictine College, especially priests and religious from other countries. It’s a great opportunity to share our culture with them and allow them to share their culture with our students.” Fr. Damian has enjoyed the Benedictine hospitality that he has received from the monks during his first year in Atchison, “I am extremely grateful to Abbot James Ravens and all of the monks for all of their support and for all they have done for me. I have felt homesick at times, but sincerely speaking I feel at home – the monks have made me feel at home. They have treated me like I am one of their brothers.” He has also enjoyed the experience of the monastic prayer life, “It’s a bit like going through formation again, even though I am a priest the life of the monks is more prayerful and solemn. It has been a great opportunity to deepen my own prayer life and spirituality.” Fr. Damian led a +++ group of college Ultimately, Fr. Damian’s goal is to spread students on Christ’s Gospel message. “For me, as a priest, a mission trip there is nothing like helping someone who may to Ghana last have never been educated, never have become March. Huge Catholic, join the Church.” numbers from his He laments the fact that he won’t have as much old parish turned one-on-one contact with the parishioners, but out to greet he knows that establishing more schools is the them, including most important thing, “There is just no choice, a traditional there are a lot of places that don’t have a school dance. (at right) at all, and many of the schools we have are not up to date.” continued on the next page

Fr. Damian believes his time at Benedictine will revolutionize Catholic education in Ghana, “The courses here have really opened up the horizon for me. Before I arrived I could clearly see that our education system had some aspects that needed to be worked on. When I began making changes, even with no formal training as a teacher, the results were so amazing that it captured a lot of attention.” And he believes that was just the beginning, “We need an educational system that empowers the individual. In Ghana, most of the time, the teacher prepares notes and offers a lecture to the students; here the students are very much involved in the learning process. We need our students to be industrious, that is the only way that Ghana can move out of poverty and develop. And we need not just education; but Catholic education, we have many people coming into the faith, and they need to be educated with their faith attached.” Not only is Fr. Damian focused on how to teach the students, but also the manner in which they’re disciplined, “I was very impressed with St. Benedict Catholic School [in Atchison,] they implement an early intervention system for students who encounter behavior issues. It’s so important that character formation be tied in with education. In Ghana we teach reading and math, but we don’t focus on the student’s character; and when students misbehave we still have people implementing corporal punishment. I had a lot of trouble with teachers in my parish schools and I was trying to do away with corporal punishment. Here I see that everyone understands that it’s not good. It was very surprising that when I insisted that we should not punish the students this way; not only did the teachers and parents find it to be good, but even the students thought it was good; the children believed they could learn by the cane. Over time, after much trouble, I was able to convince them, and they saw that the results were quite good.” When he returns to Ghana Fr. Damian will be named Superintendent of Catholic Schools. The monks have been overjoyed to host Fr. Damian in Atchison, “It is our hope also, that while Fr. Damian lives with us, prays with us, and labors along side of us, he will be able to take with him not only his education in the classroom, but also a bit of our Benedictine charism to share with the people of Ghana,” Abbot James offered. It is his hope that he can implement his new education system across the nation. He has aspirations to complete a Ph.D. in education, but he knows that there is much work that needs to be done. “Growing education is the key to growing the faith, and growing the faith is what brings me my greatest joy.” As a part of his trip last march, Fr. Damian was able to take a special hearing aid as well as several pairs of glasses donated by the Atchison Lion’s Club for the people of Ghana. He is shown above with his father and aunt who will benefit from the hearing aid and glasses.

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Why I Joined the St. BenedictofSociety

for young professionals

by Ben McAnany

Growing up attending a Jesuit high school and college made me learn to love and appreciate the phrase “men for others”. It’s the Society of Jesus way of saying, “go, serve others and you will live a wonderful life.” It means that service to others should never go out of style. I love having that call to action, one that Pope Francis embraces each day; I take it as a challenge to myself to dedicate each day to helping others. But service cannot be complete without fellowship in Christ. In college, I did not have the major spiritual aspect of service to others. The Monks at St. Benedict’s Abbey are examples of what it means to be “spiritual men for others”. Beyond praying 5 times each day, they embrace the challenge to help bring the kingdom of heaven down to earth. They serve others in the classroom and in their homes. They preach selflessness and caring for others. But, mostly, they embrace their call to always be students of God – after all, Saint Benedict is the patron saint of students. They challenge other men and women spiritually and help them serve the world. Not only are they men of God, they serve all men and women for God. It is through their actions and prayer that we can stand to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth. They truly define what it means to be men for others. That is something I want to stand behind and serve. That is the reason why a Jesuit educated student can continue to learn from the monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey.

If you are under the age of 35 and are interested in learning more about the Society of St. Benedict for Young Professionals see our website Kansasmonks.org or call our Advancement office at 913.360.7908

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