By Doreen Darko
The St. Andrew Catholic Church at Akyem Swedru in the Koforidua Diocese, recently climaxed its 100th Anniversary Celebration of existence with a thanksgiving Mass at Akyem Swedru.
The Mass was presided over by Most Rev. Joseph Afrifah-Agyekum, Bishop of the Diocese, concelebrated by Most Rev. Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, Archbishop of Accra; Most Rev. Matthais Kobena Nketsiah, Archbishop of Cape Coast and scores of Priests including Rev. Frs. Christopher Deh and Foster Asiamah, Pastor of the St. Andrew Church and his Assistant.
Also present at the well-attended open-air Mass were many indigenes of the town domiciled abroad and the faithful clad in their beautiful Anniversary Cloth and some Religious.
The theme for the year-long celebration was: Bearing Fruits at 100.
Bishop Afrifah-Agyekum in a Goodwill message thanked God for sustaining the Church throughout the 100 years of its existence.
He lauded the Missionaries who planted the faith in the area and those who accepted, nurtured and passed it on to the present generation and commended the Chiefs of the area who released the parcel of land on which the Church and other facilities were built.
Bishop Afrifah-Agyekum called on the faithful to continue with the same pastoral zeal and actively involve themselves in the New Evangelisation to further spread the Gospel and the faith.
The Bishop said in order to do this effectively, they needed the know God through His Word, live together in unity, love and be committed to the faith, urging them to bear good fruits.
Archbishop Palmer-Buckle in a homily, extoled the sacrifices and selflessness of the founding fathers and admonished the current generation to reflect on the roles they could play in the promotion of the mission, growth and development of the Church in the area.
He commended the Church for its support in the areas of healthcare, education and for producing many professional and prominent people in the country, advising them to continue their good work.
He urged the faithful to let their light shine in the Church, workplace, community and in all their endeavours.
On the Readings of the day, he called on the people to sacrifice their wills to that of God.
Archbishop Palmer-Buckle urged parents to bring up their children in a godly way, to build good homes and families, and promote the Priestly and Religious Vocations.
On the Jubilee Year of Mercy, the Archbishop said Pope Francis was inviting all to taste and know the Mercy of God in Jesus Christ, to receive forgiveness and become ambassadors of God’s Mercy and love.
Mr. Emmanuel Kwakye, District Chief Executive of Bosome, praised the Catholic Church for its social interventions in the area and its contributions to the development of the country at large in the educational, health and other sectors of the economy.
He called on Christians to pray for peaceful elections.
Fr. Deh thanked the leaders, benefactors, various Societies and Groups in the Church for their hard work, dedication and resilience, encouraging them to continue to assist in building the Church.
As part of the centenary celebration, a Statue of St. Andrew erected on the Church compound was blessed and unveiled by Bishop Afrifah-Agyekum.
Archbishop Nketsiah also dedicated a Centenary Parish Hall that had been built.
The Kobby Yebo Okrah Hall was named after the Church President who died three days before the climax of the Anniversary.
Glowing tributes were paid to him for his selfless sacrifices for the growth and development of the Parish.
Some Parishioners and Benefactors were awarded Citations and Certificates for their various contributions to the growth of the Church.
Bishop Afrifah-Agyekum, a son of the area was also presented with a Citation and Plague for his support for the Church.
The Church was started by Opanin Yaw Bio and her daughter, Kate Afrifah upon their return from Cape Coast in 1904.
The first Holy Mass was said on December 16, 1915 by Rev. Fr. Scheon who visited Akyem Swedru from Saltpond. He baptized 17 Catechumen during the Mass.
