Members of Knights of the St. John International and their Ladies Auxiliary of the 10th and the 2nd Districts of KSJI attended a Lenten Retreat on the theme: A Pure Heart Create For Me O Lord And Put A Right Spirit Within Me at the Mary Queen of Peace Grotto at Amanfoso near Nsoatre in the Sunyani Diocese.
The Retreat Master was Rev. Fr. Boniface Ameyaw, Priest-in-charge of the Grotto.
Fr. Ameyaw stated that David tried to hide his sins but he was tormented by his own sins. He therefore asked pilgrims to regularly go for confession and strive to live a life of purity.
He said the heart is the fountain of all reformations, saying love, patience, hatred, prosecution and emotions, all come from the heart. Therefore, there is the need to do reformation of their hearts, he added.
Rev. Fr. Dominic Owusu Afriyie, Parish Priest of the St. Francis Xavier Parish in the Gold-City at Techire in the Goaso Diocese and a member of KSJI was the main celebrant at the Mass to climax the retreat. He, in a homily, said that God is kind, full of compassion and gracious but “our iniquities and transgressions have taken us far away from God”.
He asked them to use the Lenten season to return to God by confessing their sins regularly. “No matter how big our sins are, God is ready to forgive us. Let’s return to God”, he pleaded.
The Knights and the Ladies went through the 14 Stations of the Cross, prayed the Divine Mercy prayers, examination of conscience, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and individual confessions.
Welcoming the members earlier, the District Commander of KSJI, Dr. Herbert Abeka, encouraged them to take the Retreat very serious and participate fully in every activity. He described the Grotto as a holy ground, urging members to look up to God for answers to their prayers.
From Michael Akornoba & Gideon Nsanebawa
