AuntieMonicaAt 80: ACongratulatoryMessageTo ARemarkableWoman It is with much happiness and a sense of pride and honour that I write this candid message of congratulations and tribute to a woman of valour who has lived a life of selfless dedication and devotion to duty at the Catholic Chaplaincy of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) for decades. I got to knowMrs. Monica Asante, popularly known as AuntieMonica or NanaHemaa, in the early 1980s when I was a student at KNUST through the Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group of the Chaplaincy. I was one of the members of the Prayer Group who went to pray over her new house at Nyhiaso in the early 1990s before she moved from the university campus accommodation into her house. Since then, we have lived together as brother and sister. At the personal level, AuntieMonica has a very friendly and charming personality. She interacts seamlessly with everybody. She has a very infectious smile, and I do not think anybody can afford to call her an enemy. AuntieMonica has displayed or exhibited extraordinary performance and distinguished herself in the Catholic Chaplaincy of KNUST. She is one of the parishioners who is present in many of the activities in the Chaplaincy, including attendance at Masses. Just to highlight a few: She has been one of the pillars of Our Lady’s Choir since she joined in the mid-1980s. She sings with vim and vigour! Whenever there is an activity in which theMass Choir has to sing, AuntieMonica will be there to sing. In other activities such as Chaplaincy LaityWeek celebrations, Chaplaincy Spiritual and Evangelization programmes, Women’sWeek celebrations, Men’sWeek celebrations, and retreats, etc., AuntieMonica will be there. AuntieMonica is a very visible figure in our Harvest activities. She has been more or less one of the permanent members of the Chaplaincy Harvest Committee for many years now. As such, she is present during the yearly launch of each of the Harvest programmes – Pax Romana (Student) Harvest, Children’s Harvest, and Adult Harvest. Thus, she is one of the key figures during Chaplaincy fundraising activities. I am happy to be part of the Chaplaincy Youth Parenting Committee with AuntieMonica. She exhibits extraordinary zeal towards the formation and commitment of the youth in their involvement in Chaplaincy activities. In summary, AuntieMonica is a remarkable person. The energy she displays, her zeal for involvement, and her perfect organisational ability, which are intricately woven into her kind personality, make her somebody one would like to associate with. As Helen Keller once observed, “Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.” AuntieMonica has that fidelity to a worthy purpose of humble service and belief inMatthew 25:31–46, and this is nicely epitomised by Mother Theresa (St Theresa of Calcutta): “At the end of our lives, we will not be judged by howmany diplomas we have received, howmuch money we have made, or howmany great things we have done. We will be judged by ‘I was hungry, and you gave me to eat. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in.’” AuntieMonica, as you celebrate this great milestone in your life, I leave you with the wordsMoses gave to the Israelites: “And I say to you, do not be afraid. The Lord your God goes before you; he has watched over your journeying. He carried you as a parent carries a little child.” (Deut. 1:29). The Lord, whom you have fervently served all through your life, will continue to journey with you. Continue to trust, hope, and believe inHim. He will continue to carry you on eagle’s wings. May you live to see your great, great, greatgrandchildren. May God bless you. By Prof Johannes A. M. Awudza, Catholic Chaplaincy, KNUST The Birthday Journal 187
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