Revamp Programmes To Meet New Trends – Religious Told

Members of the African Religious Union, Ghana (ARUG) have been called upon to revamp their
programmes to meet new trends in order to help sustain their apostolate.
Rev. Fr. Bernard Appiah-Adjei, Cathedral Administrator of the Donkorkrom Vicariate who made
the call said some religious projects are dying because they are outmoded mainly due to the fact
that members of these congregations did not read the signs of the time.
He said this in a presentation on: ARUG beyond 50: The Role of the African Religious in
Evangelisation in Ghana at the 2024 ARUG Congress and the climax of the Golden Jubilee
Celebrations in the Sekondi-Takoradi Diocese.
Fr. Appiah-Adjei said the Religious need to avoid the spiritual euthanasia and emulate the
missionaries and some pioneer ARUG members who were trailblazers and daring. As Pope
Francis says in Evangelii Gaudium, the Church has need for pastors and not administrators.
“Aiming at positions, and privileged places, and just managing what pioneers have achieved
without breaking new ground is a challenge African religious men and women need to
surmount”, he added.
According to him, other challenges that the African Religious are faced with include financial
constraint. “In most religious institutes dominated by African members, there has been a
progressive withdrawal of foreign assistance in aid of the mission. This is no malice on the part
of missionaries. First of all, foreign benefactors supported the work of people they knew.
Missionaries used to preach mission appeal and made the needs of the mission known. In recent
times most old missionaries have died and there aren’t new ones coming because of lack of
vocations in Europe and America”, he stated.
Fr. Appiah-Adjei noted that though indigenous religious men and women have not been
intimidated by the enormous achievements of the missionaries, many challenges thwart their
efforts at evangelisation and catechesis. Among them are the sustenance of legacies, the natural
family, vernacular, Pentecostalism, neo-paganism, politicization, and total conversion.
To deal with these challenges, he suggested an interaction among religious institutes which
opens them up and avail their talents to one another.
The consistently dwindling percentage of Catholics in Ghana, he said, demands that religious
men and women be directly more involved in evangelisation and catechesis.
The Priest also suggested cordial relationships with proper definitions of roles and expectations
among Parish Priests and Religious men and women.
He called for discipline and commitment among the Religious men and women. “Like them or
hate them, the majority of religious missionaries were disciplined and committed to the mission.
ARUG members have to consolidate this heritage and build upon it. The lifestyle of some
religious persons displays luxury and laxity, which do not edify other Christians”, he stated.

In conclusion, he said to survive 50 years, testify to the relevance of ARUG, and urged members
to imitate the commitment, passion, and self-discipline of the pioneers to help arrest the
declining Catholic population in the country.