The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) says that even though Ghana might not have achieved all her expectations and goals as it marks 60 years of Independence, it had made significant progress.
“Our dear country Ghana, has certainly chalked laudable successes and there are still very good prospects of a better future. So, dear fellow citizens, let us continue to give thanks and praise to God Almighty, the most Merciful Creator.”
Ghana will mark its Diamond Jubilee of Independence tomorrow Monday, March 6.
In a Lenten Pastoral Letter for 2017 signed by Most Rev. Philip Naameh, President of the GCBC, the Bishops said “Even though our democratic forward-march has suffered some political challenges and derailment in the past, God has spared us the worst, namely civil strife and wars.”
The Bishops entreated Ghanaians “to continue to thank God for our heritage and ask for his forgiveness where we have failed, one and all, in our various vocations and professions to contribute to making Ghana what God is calling us to.
The Letter noted that “We can and God is ready to give us the graces and strength and wisdom to do so, if only we shall eschew vice and embrace virtue, the Letter added, noting that, in life, every one might (in fact one should) have expectations and even big dreams of progress, success and development.”
The Bishops commended the theme chosen for the 60th Independence Anniversary celebration: Mobilizing for Ghana’s Future which calls for stock-taking and a key element of the Season of Lent.
“We, your Catholic Bishops, therefore, wish to conclude our Lenten exhortation with a brief reflection inspired by the five letters that spell Ghana as we celebrate Ghana 60 years on and mobilize for her future: G for God; H for Heritage; A for Achievements; N for Nation; and A for Africa.”
The Bishops noted that God had indeed blessed our homeland Ghana with gold, diamond, bauxite, forests, rivers, oil and gas, and above all, great human resource, intellect, as well as religious and cultural wealth.
According to them “in acknowledgement for all these endowments, on the dawn of Independence, specifically on the March 03, 1957, at the Holy Spirit Cathedral, Accra, Ghana was consecrated to God through the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.”
The Pastoral Letter noted that in the last six decades, “through the blood and toil of our illustrious Traditional Leaders and Heads of State, of our ministers and Parliamentarians, Civil and Public Servants, for instance Teachers, Lawyers, Doctors, Nurses, Police Officers, Military Men and Women, the Clergy, Religious men and women, Industrialists, Farmers, Musicians, Sportsmen and Women, Media Men and Women, Engineers, Labourers, Market Women among others, God has brought our heritage Ghana this far.”
It stated that it was time for current generation too to toil for their motherland, and where necessary even to be ready to shed their blood in selfless service and sacrifice to sustain their heritage, and to contribute towards the progress and advancement of all Ghanaians today and tomorrow, those who will celebrate Ghana @ 100 and even beyond.
According to the Bishops, it was time the achievements of our fellow citizens and most especially the heroes and heroines of the past sixty years, in all sectors of Ghana’s political development, cultural and social life were acknowledged.
After sixty years of Statehood and twenty-five years of uninterrupted multi-party political and democratic governance, is it not time we now turned our attention to work more assiduously and decidedly with greater commitment at nationhood?, the Bishops asked.
By Damian Avevor
