Maiden Rosary Congress in Ghana's Accra Archdiocese Ends with Calls for Missionary Zeal, Marian Devotion

Archbishop Julien Kaboré. Credit: St. Dominic Catholic Church, Mallam, Accra Media team

Archbishop Kaboré noted that the missionary work of Christ is not a “lone-ranger affair,” and added, “Jesus Christ is not a solitary hero; He does not wish to accomplish his mission alone, but He desires to involve his disciples in the work of salvation.”

“He who is the living revelation of the Father’s love wishes to spread that love through the style of Communion, Synodality, and Fraternity,” the Apostolic Nuncio in Ghana said.

Credit: Depsocom Accra Archdiocese

The Burkinabe-born Vatican diplomat emphasized that “the Rosary in its essence is a Christocentric prayer. It is a contemplative path we learn to seek Christ through his mother. This prayer focuses on Jesus Christ – He is the centre of contemplation”. 

He noted that “the Rosary can be prayed everywhere, and it can be used to prepare our hearts before the Eucharistic celebration”.

Archbishop Julien Kaboré. Credit: St. Dominic Catholic Church, Mallam, Accra Media team

Archbishop Kaboré appealed to Priests to practice praying the Holy Rosary before the Eucharistic celebration. He said, “Before celebrating Holy Mass, please make time and at least pray one decade of the rosary, for it is the best way to prepare ourselves before Mass.”

“When we pray the Rosary with faith, we walk hand-in-hand with Mary,” he said.

Archbishop Julien Kaboré. Credit: St. Dominic Catholic Church, Mallam, Accra Media team

The representative of the Holy Father in Ghana further urged the people of God to eschew narcissistic tendencies and to cultivate generosity in their love for one another, saying that authentic Christian witness flows from self-giving and solidarity.

Archbishop Kaboré went on to urge young Catholics to think about the vocation to the Priesthood and Religious Life. 

Credit: St. Dominic Catholic Church, Mallam, Accra Media team

“Ask yourselves whether Jesus is calling you to step beyond yourselves, to go forth and bring his goodness to others. Have the courage, for it is a beautiful thing to forget oneself and give oneself for others,” he said on October 18, the Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist.

Reflecting on the Feast Day, the Apostolic Nuncio encouraged the people of God to imitate St. Luke, who used his special gift at the service of the gospel. 

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Credit: St. Dominic Catholic Church, Mallam, Accra Media team

“We should also place our abilities at the disposal of the Kingdom of God. Despite our inadequacy, let us note that God does not choose the perfect; he tends to transform ordinary and faithful hearts into instruments of his grace,” he said.

“May this Rosary Congress deepen our communion with the Holy Father, with the Church, with your Local Ordinaries and with Priests, strengthen our communities and renew your commitment to the Gospel of Christ our Lord,” Archbishop Kaboré said.

Credit: Depsocom Accra Archdiocese

He implored, “May the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is queen of the Rosary, help us to rediscover the beauty of this prayer–– simple, luminous, and powerful.”

The three-day Congress featured spiritual activities such as Rosary Prayers, talks on the Rosary, a procession accompanied by Rosary prayers from Accra Mall and Circle to the Christ the King Parish, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and Holy Mass, among others.

Credit: Depsocom Accra Archdiocese

In his homily during the opening Mass of the maiden Rosary Congress on October 16, Bishop Anthony Narh Asare called on all Catholics to renew their devotion to the Holy Rosary and make it an integral part of their daily spiritual life.

“‎The Rosary is not a mere repetition of words but a journey of Scripture,” Bishop Asare, one of the two Auxiliary Bishops of Accra Archdiocese, said.

Bishop Anthony Narh Asare. Credit: Depsocom Accra Archdiocese

He underscored the need for Catholics to draw closer to God through constant meditation on the mysteries of the Holy Rosary, which he said serve as both a weapon of faith and a source of spiritual strength.

“The rosary stands as a weapon of peace, faith, and hope, guiding the faithful on our pilgrimage towards God. Each Hail Mary is a spiritual sword, each decade a shield of divine protection,” he said during the Eucharistic celebration that Archbishop John Bonaventure Kwofie of Accra Archdiocese presided over.

Archbishop John Bonaventure Kwofie. Credit: St. Dominic Catholic Church, Mallam, Accra Media team

On the first day of the Rosary Congress, Fr. Ebenezer Hanson spoke on the topic “The Power of the Rosary in the Life of the Church”. 

Fr. Hanson urged the people of God to remain faithful to praying the Holy Rosary to win their battles in life. 

“Today we are suffering as a church because we don’t know the weapon to use in the midst of the troubles engulfing our society,” the member of the Clergy of the Archdiocese of Accra Fr. Hanson said, adding that the Holy Rosary is a weapon of the Church to be used to conquer the evils in the world. 

Credit: Depsocom Accra Archdiocese

Fr. Hanson noted that “we need to cling to the Word of God, participate in the Holy Mass, frequent the Sacrament of Confession, and have deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary; these are sure ways to fully equip ourselves to face the battles in life.”

He added, “If you pray the Rosary, you will be more mystical and have the endurance and stamina to go through the Christian life.”

Fr. Hanson called on Catholics to endeavour to care for the ecology, which he said has been depleted by human activities, especially illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey. 

Credit: Depsocom Accra Archdiocese

“We must go to the galamsey site and pray the Rosaries there. If we move to the regions in Ghana engaging in galamsey activities, we will pray our Rosaries there; we are not going to fight them; they will put their weapons down because some are Catholics, and if they see their Priests and they will not go back again.”

The three-day event comes barely a week after the first-ever Rosary Congress in Ghana’s Catholic Archdiocese of Tamale.

Credit: Depsocom Accra Archdiocese

The event, organized under the theme “The Holy Rosary: A Path to the Jubilee Grace,” drew participants from Ghana’s Archdiocese of Tamale and its suffragan Dioceses of Damongo, Navrongo-Bolgatanga, Wa, and Yendi.

Rosary Congresses are organized to foster Marian devotion, intercede for peace, and deepen the spiritual life of the faithful. The tradition began in Poland in 1979 as a continuous chain of Eucharistic Adoration and Rosary prayer for peace and renewal in the Church. It spread to the United States, where the second Congress took place in 1988.

Fr. Francis Madonna Ayaric of Cape Coast Catholic Archdiocese/Ghana contributed to this story.