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At Parish Anniversary in Ghana, Catholic Bishop Urges Daily Christian Faith Practice

Bishop Alfred Agyenta addressing the faithful during the climax celebration to mark the Silver Jubilee of Our Lady Queen of Africa (OLA) Bolgatanga Parish of Ghana’s Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocese on 16 May 2021. Credit: Courtesy Photo

At the climax celebration to mark the Silver Jubilee of Our Lady Queen of Africa (OLA) Bolgatanga Parish of Ghana’s Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocese, the Local Ordinary has called for the daily practice of Christian faith if societal ills have to be defeated.

In his Sunday, May 16 report obtained by ACI Africa, Bishop Alfred Agyenta says, “Being a true Christian does not exempt us from challenges but there is the need to stand firm to defeat the ills in society including bribery and corruption, which have caused serious losses to the state.”

Ghana, Bishop Agyenta says, is “going through difficult times ranging from the Coronavirus pandemic to the economy among others.”

Amid these challenges, the Ghanaian Catholic Bishop says, people are questioning the contribution of those who profess the Christian faith who happen to form “the majority of the population especially in government.”

“As a Church, I believe that we are also facing challenges in terms of the number of Christians we have in this country, about 71 percent, but we are continuously challenged in terms of credibility as believers or Christians,” Bishop Agyenta notes in his May 16 report.

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He urges introspection amid criticisms saying, “Sometimes when we are criticized on the way we do things, let us sit up because people expect a lot from us and so this can also be very challenging and we need to be serious about it.”

“It was imperative for Christians in Ghana to consider the criticisms as wake up calls to boost their efforts at delivering on their mandate and obligation towards achieving a developed society for all,” the 62-year-old Catholic Church leader says.

He adds, “Christians need to continuously pray and remain united in faith regardless of ethnic sentiments to work together for the total development of the country.”

“If you want to live a committed Christian life, you will face trouble; nobody should be deceived that Christianity is easy and so let us pray that Jesus Christ may protect us and grant us the courage and strength to continuously persevere because it is only in this vein that we can carry out exactly what the Lord wants us to do,” Bishop Agyenta who has been at the helm of Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocese since June 2011 says.

Speaking at the anniversary event, the Parish Priest of OLA Bolgatanga Parish, Fr. Lawrence Azure explained the revised timeframe of the celebration saying, “the OLA Parish was carved out of the Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish about 26 years (ago) and should have celebrated the 25th Anniversary in 2020, but that was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

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Fr. Azure who doubles as the Vicar General of the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocese said that the leadership of the Ghanaian Parish would “continue to pursue the path of unity, faith, self-reliance and love that would draw people closer to God and contribute to transforming the lives of the various communities.”

The Parish currently has nine outstations with a population of over 5,000.

In his message, the Parish Priest also expressed deep gratitude to the founders of the Parish including Msgr. Camillo Sarko, Msgr. Roger Abotiyuure, Br. Edwin O’Sullivan and the Congregation of the Holy Spirit in the Province of Ghana Province.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.