It is the season of hope and giving, and aged mothers in Assin Manso and surrounding towns in the Central region received the season’s cheer through a special party, free health screening and the distribution of Christmas hampers with clothes organised by the Rev. Father David Obeng Paintsil’s Behold Thy Mother Foundation.

This was in collaboration with his Global Rosary Network, a digital ministry that brings together thousands of people around the world to pray the Rosary daily.

The outreach coincided with Father Paintsil’s 20th anniversary in the priesthood, highlighting years of hard work and dedication to God’s work and community service.

During the event, one of the directors of the Foundation, Benjamin Ussher Blay(Esq), noted that, “By the grace of God, the Foundation has been able to organise a party for our aged mothers as we usually do. What makes this year’s edition so unique is that it coincides with Father Paintsil’s 20th priesthood anniversary celebration, so the event today and the anniversary celebration have been combined. After the party, we also gave them some packages. This is a token of appreciation from Father Paintsil for their prayers throughout his 20 years as a priest.”

He also shared a vision of Fr. Paintsil. “We are praying that God will help us to live our dream, the dream of Father Paintsil, of establishing a health facility for aged mothers in the years to come. We have plans, and hope that sooner or later, it will be rolled out for people to see that their contributions are being used appropriately.”

One of the Coordinators for the Global Rosary Network, Rev. Father Pius Gyasi Acquah, urged other priests and individuals to replicate the gesture by supporting the needy and vulnerable in their communities. He stated that Fr. Paintsil’s initiative should inspire others. If more people support even a few individuals in their communities, especially during Christmas, the collective impact would be great. Priests and people of goodwill are encouraged to help both mothers and fathers through small but meaningful efforts.

He also criticised the stigma of branding old women as witches.

“It is also about time we set that stigma aside, where every old or aged woman is considered a witch. It is not right that we blame them for our troubles in life. Sometimes, our own mistakes in the past catch up with us, and due to a lack of accountability and responsibility, we tend to blame others, especially our mothers.”

A gynaecologist at the Cape Coast Teaching hospital, and devotee of the Global Rosary Network, Dr. (Med) Gloria Francisca Nuer-Allornuvor, encouraged medical reviews and check-ups when ageing.

“As people, when we are growing or ageing, our bodies change. So, we need to have regular reviews, regular check-ups. When we find out we have an ailment, we shouldn’t deny or avoid medication, as it can get worse or complicated. I encourage regular reviews and the religious intake of prescribed medications.”