St. Mary Parish in Bath has begun a fund to help provide educational opportunities for women in outlying areas of Ghana.
Bishop Philip Naameh of the Diocese of Damongo, Northwestern Ghana, gave a presentation at St. Mary on June 25. He noted that when the Diocese of Damongo was created 12 ago, the illiteracy rate for woman in that area was around 90 percent. Bishop Naameh also discussed the spread of both Christianity and Islam throughout Africa and the role of Christian catechists in helping the church grow in rural, primitive villages.  
To help out, St. Mary Parish has begun a monthly second collection to benefit its newly created Ghanian Scholarship Fund, based on the desire of many parishioners to help sponsor a young Ghanian woman who could not otherwise afford a high-school education. The fund is aided by a special second collection at St. Mary on the first weekend of each month.
Bishop Naameh is the uncle of Father Peter Anglaaere, a priest of the Diocese of Tamale, Northern Ghana. Father Anglaaere currently serves as sacramental minister at St. Mary as well as St. Gabriel Parish in Hammondsport.
Those interested in learning more about the fund may contact St. Mary Parish at 607/776-3327.
