Bishop Asare Asks Priests, Religious to be More Friendly

Most Rev. Anthony Nare Asare, Auxiliary Bishop of the Accra Archdiocese has called on Catholics particularly Priests and Religious to be more friendly in their attitudes towards one another and in their approaches to children and youth evangelisation or re-evangelisation. He said that, “we are unfriendly in the Catholic Church”, adding that welcoming should begin from the car park and not just by announcement at the pulpit after Mass. Bishop Asare was speaking at the interactive session during the celebration of the Day of Consecrated Life held at the St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Church, Baatsona, Accra, recently. He was the main celebrant of the Mass organised by the Religious Priests and Sisters and all Consecrated Men and Women living and working in the Archdiocese of Accra. At the end of the Mass, he answered questions on the strategies to help children and young people come to Church, based on the theme for the day's discussion: Helping Children seek Christ: From Discovery to Discipleship. Bishop Asare reminded the priests, consecrated persons and the lay faithful to change their unwelcoming attitude in the parishes, religious houses and at their homes. Bishop Asare expressed the view that unwelcoming and uncharitable attitudes of some Priests have pushed the youth away from the Church, especially when they are constantly being demanded to pay for their transportation and refreshment in order to attend some Church programmes organised for them at particular locations. He reminded Parish Priests that some youth who come to the Catholic Church might not have their parents as Catholics and so could not afford such payments. He pointed out that many Priests and Religious got their inspiration from visits to presbyteries and religious houses. He asked: how many of you today are willing to welcome young people into your houses and offer them guidance that would lead them to Jesus? He said if Priests and Religious are friendly and committed to guiding the children and youth, even if they do not become Priests or Religious, they would be good citizens. He asked that youth societies in the Parishes be revived and Priests return to the celebration of daily morning Mass as well as give children the freedom to participate actively in liturgical functions at their own level. On collaborative ministry, the Bishop called for a more collaborative relationship between the religious and the parish priests or diocesan priests especially in their ministry to young people. “Today's children and young people are found in the social media – we should go there and meet them”, he said. On the teaching of catechism and the involvement of the lay faithful, he asked how compliant the laity are on the directives given in the 2023 Communiqué of the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference (GCBC) which appealed to the laity to commit to the revival of the societies in the Church and return to the teaching of Catechism in their homes and at the Parishes. He identified friendliness, commitment and dedication as key in tackling the dwindling Catholic population in Ghana, including bringing back Catholic youth drifting away to other churches. From Sr. Elizabeth Mgbaramuko, SHCJ