General News of Sunday, 25 November 2018
Source: ghananewsagency.org
2018-11-25
A section of the audience at the ceremony
It was all grandiose, splendour, pomp, and elegance when thousands of Catholics from the Accra Archdiocese turned-out in their 125th Anniversary cloth to climax their year-long celebration at the Black Star Square.
Bishops, Priests, the Clergy and the Laity all turned-out smartly, sang and danced to some of the danceable tunes provided by the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Group.
Apart from highlighting on their activities for the past year, it was also an occasion for the leadership of the church to give a precursor to the establishment of the church in the Region.
On December 13, 1942, Reverend Fr Bernard Sao Mensah was ordained as the first native Accra Diocesan Priest in Cape Coast for Accra and celebrated his first Mass at the Sacred Heart Church and was assisted by three SVD Priests; J. Bowers, G.Wilson and J.Wilson.
On February 11, 1944, a decree from Rome raised Accra as an Apostolic Prefecture (Administrative Seat) entrusting it to the Divine Word Missionaries and specified that the SVDs were to be in charge of the territory.
The Accra Diocese from then has grown to have six Deaneries and 69 Parishes in the Greater Accra Region and some parts of the Volta Region.
The Accra Archdiocese Catholic Church has since established 54 Kindergarten schools, 56 Primary Schools, 24 Second Cycle educational institutions, two Universities in Accra and Fiapre, three hospitals at Battor, Kordiabe and Amrahia, two Formation and Catechetical Centres at Lashibi and Kordiabe and 12 Archdiocesan Social Services.
The validation of the church-state relations was consummated when President Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who was the Guest of Honour commended the Catholic Church for their contributions in education, Health and other social services and promised to scale-up collaboration with the church in succeeding years.
Archbishop Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, ArchBishop of Cape Coast and the Apostolic Administrator of Accra who was the lead Celebrant called for selfless services among Ghanaians to catapult growth and development.
He spiced up the celebration by singing the doxology in Latin (Hymn sung in praise and honour of God).
The celebration however reached its crescendo when the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Group churned out incessant Gospel praises that sent most congregants on their feet in praise of their maker.
The Anniversary programme, which started on September 21, 2017 also held a carnival in December, 2017, held a candle-light procession in Accra, had Deanery Easter Picnics, anniversary lectures, youth-focused activities, community outreach activities, anniversary crusades and exchange of pulpits among other major programmes.