Tuesday 24 August 2010

Heartening Catholic Anecdote #6

After yesterday's story about a priest in NIreland who was allegedly involved in a bombing which killed 9 people in 1972, but who died in 1980, I thought it time for another positive story.

(To be clear, yes if you murder people you should be arrested, tried and if convicted, sentenced to life imprisonment.)

My parents had the Ghanaian Priest supplying in their parish over for lunch on Friday and apart from telling us about ploughing using oxen when he was a missionary in Nigeria he told us about what happens if twins or triplets are born in that tribe. (The tribe in question moved further and further inland to escape slave traders and ended up in a valley surrounded by mountains, toiling poor, rocky soil and were unknown to the outside world 'til about fifty years ago.) The people are very frightened by multiple births and think it is a bad omen. He didn't make it totally clear, but your survival chances are not great if you are a twin. He described being woken in the night because triplets had been born, rushing out with some parishioners to rescue the babies and taking them to a clinic as well as making sure the mother knew where they were. They all survived and judging by the way he was showing their height, are about 7/8. He was there for five years and he didn't say how many other babies he saved. Now he just teaches in a seminary, is the bursar there, teaches in two schools and is a chaplain to one. Oh and in the Summer supplies for a month in my parent's parish.

No comments: