‘Adopt innovative ways to evangelise’

Catholic Priests and the Religious in Ghana have been urged to draw systematic pastoral plans and adopt innovative ways to share the word of God with the faithful of the Church.

Rev. Fr. George Ossom-Batsa, Senior Lecturer in Biblical Studies at the University of Ghana, Legon, main Speaker at a recent Lecture for the Religious in the Accra Archdiocese, advised Priests to place the word of God at the centre of their pastoral plans to deepen the faith of the faithful.

The lecture on the theme: Living And Sharing The Word of God To Change The Word, was during the celebration of the Day for Religious in the Archdiocese held at the St. Charles Lwanga Parish at Abeka.

He urged the Clergy to share the teachings of Vatican II with the faithful, many of whom he said might not be familiar with the instructions of the document.

Fr. Ossom-Batsa expressed worry that the word of God was not being share in the smaller groups in the Church and charged Priests and Religious to create more avenues to share the word of God with the faithful.

He tasked Priests to study the various groups in their Parishes, know and help them plan effective ways of sharing and living the word of God.

Saying the Religious must not necessarily copy what had been done in the past, the Senior Lecturer urged them to reflect on how to tailor evangeliation to meet the demands of the time.

Fr. Ossom-Batsa in response to a question on how effective could the Church evangelise through its structures such as schools and hospitals, said evangelization was holistic and entreated the Religious to let their lives witness Christ.

“Whatever we do, let’s witness to Christ,” he stressed.

During the lectures, Very Rev. Fr. Francis Adoboli, Vicar General of the Accra Archdiocese asked about the how to effectively prepare homilies and homilies that did not reflect on the readings.

In answering him, the Senior Lecturer described the situation as worrying but said sermons or homilies must be based on the readings.

At a thanksgiving Mass to climax the Day, the Religious lighted candles to renew their commitment to deepen their faith in God and their missionary work.

In a homily, Fr. Ossom-Batsa called on them to wait actively on the Lord through constant prayer, fasting and sharing the good news to others.

He said consecrated life was a gift to the Church and Ghana, and thanked the missionaries especially the Society of Divine Word for their work over the years and for making him who he is today.

Concelebrants at the Mass were Very Rev. Frs. Adoboli, Andrew Campbell, SVD, Vicar for the Religious in the Archdiocese and Andrew Quye-Foli, Planning Committee Chairman of the SVD Diamond Jubilee.

Very Rev. Konrad Dryer, SVD, Parish Priest of the St. Charles Lwanga Church, in a welcome address said the Day for Religious was significant since it offered them an opportunity to meet, reflect and renew themselves in their various apostolates.

He said it was a delight that the Church which was started by the SVDs 45 years ago was part of the SVDs work in the country in the past 75-years.

Among the 10 Religious Congregations at the programme were the SVDs, SSpS, Sisters of St. Louis (SSL), Franciscan Friars and Franciscan Sisters, FIC Brothers, St. John of God, Notre Dame de L’ Eglise (NDE) and the Society of the Holy Child Jesus.