By Damian Avevor
Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD, Bishop of Ho, has called on the Religious working in Ghana, to reflect on their calling by waking up the world with testimonies of faith, holiness and hope.
He said in order to wake up the world, the Religious must also be radically available and be ready to serve the Lord where He deemed best and not where they want to be.
“Our radical availability means living out the fullness of our calling as Consecrated Men and Women, each of us according to the form of Consecrated Life we have embraced.”
Bishop Fianu said these in a Keynote Address at the opening ceremony of a four-day activity to conclude the Year of Consecrated Life at the Christian Village in Kumasi on the theme: Wake up the World with Testimonies of Faith, Holiness and Hope.
The opening ceremony, chaired by Rev. Fr. Dominic Apee, M. Afr, President of the Conference of Major Superiors, Ghana, was attended by Most Rev. Gabriel Justice Anokye, Metropolitan Archbishop of Kumasi and over 600 Religious from about 60 Congregations in Ghana.
Bishop Fianu said the Lord might not always endorse the desire of the Religious to remain in their comfort zone because that was not where He wanted them to wake up the world with their testimonies of faith, holiness and hope.
He declared: “We have to constantly fall on our Constitutions and Guidelines for the right direction. The call to wake up the world should not end with the climax of the celebrations of the Year of Consecrated Life.
The Bishop noted that this call should remain a constant component of our lives, reminding the Religious of the words of St. Pope John Paul II which were reiterated by Pope Francis in his message to Consecrated Men and Women, announcing the Year of Consecrated Life that “You have not only a glorious history to remember and to recount, but also a great history still to be accomplished! Look to the future, where the Spirit is sending you in order to do even greater things.”
He noted that to wake up the world, ‘Consecrated Men and Women themselves must be awake, querying “Are we awake ourselves?”, “Are we people of faith, holiness and hope?”
Bishop Fianu emphasised that people of faith put all their trust in God because they believed that without God nothing was possible and with God all things were possible, urging the Religious to be men and women of faith and not of certainties.
Adding, he said “Consecrated men and women are called to people of holiness because we are consecrated to a God who is holy. People who look at us often perceive us as holy people. By our appearance alone, we inspire them so much that without probing us they take us to be holy people.”
Welcoming the Religious, Archbishop Anokye, said the theme of the celebration called for concerted effort to handle more effectively the challenges confronting Religious Formation and Life.
He asked the Religious to bisect and digest the challenges of discerning genuine Vocation, forming good Formators, inculcating a true love for the Religious Vows into the candidates of the vita consecrata (Consecrated Life).
He urged them ensure that they “possessed solid spiritual human and psychological equilibrium that would position them over and above any form of ambiguity, incongruity and mediocrity.”
He noted that many Religious had over the years invested their time and talent, tactics and target, leisure and pleasure, treasure and composure, all in full measure and without seizure, in promoting vocations to the Consecrated Life and it was their turn to re-enkindle the flame their commitment towards the ideas of the Religious Life as enshrined in their formation.
Archbishop Anokye urged the Religious to avail themselves to build the needed capacities to propel the vision and mission of Religious Life to a higher pedestal, praying that out of the Consecrated Life in Africa, there would always come something new.
There were Goodwill messages from the National Union of Ghana Diocesan Priests’ Associations, Kumasi Archdiocesan Laity Council, and the Ghana National Catholic Youth Council.
Mr. D.K Asare Baffour, Chairman of the Kumasi Laity Council said the declaration of the Year of Consecrated Life by Pope Francis came when pastoral challenges were facing the family and marriage life in the Church due to social – religious injustices, greed, lust for money and power, corruption and inequalities were rampant.
He affirmed the Laity’s loyalty to the Church and commitment to contribute to support the well-being of the Consecrated Life.
Rev. Fr. Dr. Francis Appiah-Kubi , President of NUGDPA, urged the Religious Life to promote growth in the Church by way of attraction, entreating them to be the first friend of the poor, the homeless, the stranger, the sick, and the suffering.
“Act as beacons of hope, casting the light of Christ upon the world, and encouraging the people to discover the beauty of a life giving completely to the Lord and his Church.” he added
Fr. Appiah Kubi encouraged the Religious to be men and women of communion and joy, have the courage to be present in the midst of conflicts and tensions as a credible sign of the presence of the Spirit who inspire us in human hearts a passion for all to be one (cf. Jn 17:21).
Bishop Fianu later presided over an opening Mass during which he urged the Religious to imitate Jesus who could identify problems easily and help solve them, reminding the Religious that they were called to preach the Word to the satisfaction of the people which could be done with the help of God.
The Pax Alumina Choir, Kumasi Chapter sang at the Mass.
During the year-long celebration of the Year of consecrated Life in Ghana, there were talks at the Arch/Diocesan and Community levels; visits to various to Orphanages, Prisons, Witch Camps and Hospitals; Retreats in Parishes and Religious Houses.
The Religious resolved to rededicate themselves to their Charisms in Education, Evangelism, Medical care, Option for the poor Caring for the poor and less privileged in the society and Women empowerment.
They also resolved to further strengthen urban Evangelisation, Youth Ministry, Street Children and Rural Apostolates.
As part of the climax, the Religious embarked on a float through the principal streets of Kumasi accompanied with praying of Rosary and the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
A cultural night was held and attended by Most Rev. Peter Sarpong, Archbishop Emeritus of Kumasi, who urged the Religious to always strive to be Holy.
The full text of Bishop Fianu’s Address will be serializsd in the subsequent issues of the The Catholic Standard.
