Our Deceased Brothers. 

Not only do we want to keep
alive the memory of our Founders, but we also feel an everlasting relationship, with our deceased fellow-brothers; grateful for their inspiring example, we honour their heritage as well. We commemorate them in our prayers and recommend ourselves to their intersections. 

Constitutions of Brothers FIC Art. 11. 

LIFE HISTORY OF THE LATE BRO. LEANDER KPENG TENGTULE, FIC
24TH SEPTEMBER, 1941 – 23RD SEPTEMBER, 2015. 

The late Bro. Leander Kpeng Tengtule, FIC was born on 24Th September, 1941 at Ko - Tokuu to Mr. Michael Tengtule and Madam Innocentia Naab both of blessed memory. He was the 4Th child of 5 children - 3 girls and 2 boys. He died on 23Rd September, 2015 at the age of 74, just a day before his 74Th birth day. 

At age 17, Bro. Leander started formal education at the Brothers of St. Joseph School at Kaleo. This was after he had expressed the desire to join the Brothers of St. Joseph. This male indigenous Religious Congregation started by the Missionaries of Africa at the time had its own school solely to help young boys without formal education who desired to join the Brothers of St. Joseph to learn to read and write. With this initial boost, he progressed to St. Dominic Middle School at Kaleo from 1958 – 1964 during which period he also started the Pre-Novitiate. After completing Middle School, he entered the Canonical Novitiate in 1965 at Kaleo making his first and final professions on the 15Th September, 1966 and 1973 respectively. Worthy of note is the fact that, Bro. Leander was one of the first Ghanaian FIC Brothers. He was among the group of St. Joseph Brothers who accepted to migrate to the Brothers FIC at the time of take over when most of their colleagues opted out and returned home. 

The apostolate of Bro. Leander after first profession in 1966 was undefined until 1968 when he entered Nandom Secondary School. For some reasons, he left Nandom Secondary School in Form 3 for Kanton Training College at Tumu in 1971 completing in 1974 with Teacher Cert ‘A’. During this time he had also successfully written and obtained good grades in 6 subject areas in GCE ‘O’ Level. These appeared to be the last formal education in his life as a Brother and a Teacher by career. This notwithstanding, Bro. Leander made great leaps in his chosen vocation that transformed the lives of many particularly the youth who crossed his path in their educational pursuit. As a man of principles, discipline and strong character, he was for many years involved in the leadership of the Province at various levels. He was a daring fellow; never afraid to give a ‘go’ at any new initiative which he believed was worth pursuing. 

Of his 49 years as a Religious Brother, He spent most of this time in education, formation and teaching of the youth in line with the principal apostolic tradition of the Brothers FIC (Cont. No. 10). After qualifying as a trained teacher in 1974 he first taught at Kaleo. In 1981 he was moved to St. Louis Community – Wa to teach in the then St. Louis Preparatory School established and run by the Brothers FIC. This school was meant to prepare young boys for the then Common Entrance Examination conducted annually by WAEC to select qualified candidates for Secondary Schools across the country. The introduction of the 1987 education reforms which ended the Common Entrance Examinations and Middle School system and paved way for mass opening of JHSs across the country diminished the relevance of St. Louis Preparatory School, hence, its closure in 1988 after the last batch had completed. 

The closure of St. Louis Preparatory School opened a new window of apostolate for Bro. Leander. In close consultation with the Provincial Council of the Brothers FIC, the Bishop of Wa and the Cathedral Parish, the present St. Andrews Primary and JHS was founded in 1988 with Bro. Leander as the first headmaster. The early years of this school were laden with multiplicity of challenges. However with tact, determination and strong leadership he natured this infant school to maturity. Before he left the School in 1996 for another similar assignment in Zebilla in the Upper East Region, the new school had grown up to JHS 2 level with high enrolment. 

At Zebilla, he had to combine the challenge of starting another new school (St. Charles Lwanga Primary/JHS) with forming a new community for the Brothers. At the time, they had to make do with the only temporal accommodation available with almost everything in short supply. These tasks he diligently performed with little/no complaints till his retirement in September, 2001. 

Under his leadership, St. Charles Lwanga Primary/JHS was one of the basic schools that produced excellent results at the BECE in Upper East Region. This explains why St. Charles Lwanga was most sought after by many parents who desired total discipline and quality education for their wards. Happily, Brothers who have succeeded him at this school over the years have left no stone unturned to maintain and improve on this legacy. Even after retirement, Bro. Leander continued to serve as headmaster on voluntary bases until 2003 when replacement was found for him. From 2001 - 2010, also on voluntary bases, he was the Local Manager of Catholic Education Unit (CEU) in the Zebilla area. 

On the leadership front, Bro. Leander was deeply committed to FIC ideals and did his best in whatever task that was entrusted him. Until his retirement from active service and due sickness, he was house superior in all communities he lived. At the Provincial level, he was a member of the Regional Administration from 1979 – 1982 and from 1982 to 1988, Vice Regional Superior. The period 1988 - 1994 saw him as the Vice Provincial Superior when Ghana was elevated from Regional to Provincial status. 

Not long after his retirement his health started to deteriorate. He frequented at the hospital for medical attention. As years passed by, it was apparent that he needed to live closer to a bigger hospital to have regular health checks/monitoring. This necessitated his transfer to St. Louis Community – Wa in September, 2012. One of his major health concerns among others over the past 3 years was high blood pressure (hypertension). Since the beginning of 2015 he had several admissions at the Wa Regional Hospital on account of this. On Tuesday, 15Th September, 2015 he was admitted into hospital and discharged on Sunday, 20Th September. On his return home he appeared to be better. However, on Wednesday, 23Rd September his health condition took a worse turn. As arrangements were being made to send him back to hospital, he went unconscious and was pronounced dead on arrival at the Wa Regional Hospital after examination. 

We are grateful to Madam Paula Baawone who cared for Bro. Leander all this while he was sick. She did this work with love and care. We are also grateful to his follow brothers in St. Louis Community who for the past 3 years had to bear with the brunt of taking turns to send him food at the hospital. 

In Bro. Leander we lose a Brother who lived his life to the full. He was a man of principles, a leader, an educator, a mentor, a religious and a man of personal conviction. By dint of hard work and love for empowerment of people, countless people have benefited from his self-emptying as a teacher. In the words of St. Paul "whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord" (Romans 14:8). Bro. Leander has returned to his maker. 

By Bro. Seregeous Dery, FIC Provincial Superior
(On behalf of the Provincial Council) 28Th September, 2015