On Saturday, August 23rd, my good friend Fr. Kevin Abakisi (far left) died. The cause of death was suicide, likely influenced by an undiagnosed brain injury he sustained last May in a car accident.
Please pray for the repose of the soul of Fr. Kevin, his family, friends and the priests and faithful of the Diocese of Navrongo Bolgatanga, Ghana during this tragic time.
Fr. Kevin was one of my best friends and I studied with him for four years at the St. Paul Seminary. I also visited him twice in Ghana in the past two years. Below is a tribute I wrote to be read at his funeral. "Grant eternal life unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him."
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Most Reverend Bishop Agyenta, brother priests of the Diocese
of Navrongo-Bolgatanga, Fr. Kevin’s mother and siblings, family and friends,
and all the faithful of your Diocese,
It is with a heavy heart I write this tribute to a great
friend and brother priest, Fr. Kevin Abakisi. Know that I have been praying for him, the priests, and Fr.
Kevin’s family so much over the past week and a half.
I had the honor of studying with Fr. Kevin at the St. Paul
Seminary for four years and we both specialized in the Scriptures in our
studies. I spent countless hours
with him in seminary in courses and fellowship during these four years.
I had the privilege of traveling to your beautiful country
for the ordination to the priesthood in 2012. I also led a group of twenty-five students, parents, teachers
and our youth ministry last December/January in which we were able to stay at
Fr. Kevin’s parish for four days.
It was a life changing experience for us all.
My relationship with my classmates from your diocese—Fr.
Albert, Fr. Kevin, Fr. Robert and Fr. Peter has changed my life. Because of their friendship I have
grown in gratitude for the many material blessings God has given us in the
United States and have tried to be generous with sharing these gifts with
you. I was especially grateful for
some benefactors in the Diocese of Duluth who helped fund the mechanized well
for Holy Angels in Garu and a new chapel in the countryside where Fr. Kevin
ministered.
One of the most powerful moments of my life and priesthood
came as we began building the aforementioned chapel. I will never forget the honor of being asked by Fr. Desmond
and Fr. Kevin to celebrate Mass at the building site before the work
began. I remember Fr. Kevin translated
what I spoke in English to the native language, and another translator
translated it again into the countryside dialect. I have never felt more like a priest as we carved out new
ground for Jesus Christ and his Church!
To work with Fr. Kevin at this time was one of the greatest blessings I
have ever received.
I will greatly miss Fr. Kevin’s joy—he had a smile that lit
up a room and a boisterous laugh that fostered true happiness. We shared a sense of humor that
provided for many funny moments.
One that comes to mind now is when we completed a five-day
silent retreat in Assisi. Our
class was honored to spend three weeks in Rome, and our canonical retreat was
part of our journey. We were able
to pray and walk in the footsteps of the great saints Francis and Clare.
At the end of the retreat a number of us shared the graces
God gave us on the retreat. Kevin
shared how the Lord inspired him to grow in poverty of spirit, following the
example of St. Francis of Assisi.
He said something like, “Jesus didn’t say to give out of our abundance,
or to give our excess to the poor.
He told us to sell everything
we had and give to the poor! We
have to take this seriously and give God everything. I want to do this in my life.” Always the jokester, Kevin then got a
smile on his face and said, “Except for food and drink!” We all laughed and from this moment
forward Fr. Albert and I kept calling him Francesco!
This was who Fr. Kevin was. On a serious note, he (like many of you) had a truly
generous heart that we Americans can learn from. I personally know he gave much of the money he received away
to pay for family medical bills, tuition costs, food and other necessities to
the people he loved. He was never
concerned for himself but for others.
At the same time, he had a humorous and light spirit that
could laugh at all times. Our Holy
Father Pope Francis has been a witness to being joyful for Jesus and Kevin was
a great example to this.
I would also like to share that we are with you in spirit,
praying for and with you during this difficult time. Last evening (8:00pm Central Standard Time; 1:00am your
time) the group from Duluth that traveled to your diocese in January made a
holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament to intercede for Fr. Kevin and you
all. This morning (5:00am Central
Standard Time; 10:00am your time) I offered a Mass for the Deceased. Few things would wake me up at 4:30am,
but this is one of them! We did
both at St. John the Evangelist Church in Duluth, Minnesota and were joined by
Fr. Francis Kodelego who has been staying with me the past four weeks.
It is sad to say goodbye to a great man, great friend and
great priest. I am eternally
grateful for Fr. Kevin’s presence in my life because “A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter: he
that has found one has found a treasure.
There is nothing so precious as a faithful friend, and no scales can
measure his excellence. A faithful
friend is an elixir of life; and those who fear the Lord will find him. Whoever fears the Lord directs his
friendship aright, for as he is, so is his neighbor also” (Sirach
6:14-16).
While it breaks my heart to see him leave life so soon, I
trust in God’s mercy and hope to see him again.
I look forward to continuing to visit Ghana and am planning
on coming to January to pay respects to my brother and continue fostering the
great relationship we have built over the last six years. I pray that each of us may fulfill the
words of Christ which Fr. Kevin printed on his ordination holy card: “Greater love has
no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
Until then, know of my prayers for you all.
God Bless,
Fr. Ben Hadrich
Pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas, International Falls and St.
Columban, Littlefork
The Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota, USA
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