The January 23 Diaconate Ordination was a culmination of a series of spiritual events at St. Stephen Dunkwa-On-Offin Parish.
Earlier, on January 22, Archbishop Palmer-Buckle presided over the solemn rededication of the parish’s 93-year-old church building, originally completed and blessed in 1933 following the establishment of Catholic presence in Dunkwa-On-Offin in 1897.
The rededication followed a period of extensive refurbishments, particularly on the altar, necessitating a formal liturgical renewal.
The Eucharistic celebration began outside the church, where the Archbishop exhorted the faithful, citing Leviticus 19:1-2, to be holy as the Lord is holy.
Archbishop Palmer-Buckle emphasized the sacred distinction between a table and an altar, saying that what he was blessing is “an altar of sacrifice.”
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He reminded the faithful that entering God’s presence is a divine invitation and urged them to honor their bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit.
The Catholic Church leader, who started his Episcopal Ministry in January 1993 as Bishop of Ghana’s Koforidua Diocese cautioned against inappropriate dressing, speech, and behavior in church, warning that such actions distract from worship.
“Certain dresses should not be worn to Church. Certain speech should not be made by us, because we are the very temples of God, and more so inappropriate utterances should not be made in the church building, such as gossiping and making mockery of people in the church should be discarded,” he said.
The Local Ordinary of Cape Coast since July 2018 following his transfer from Accra Archdiocese added, “We should be careful not to parade ourselves to show off in church because it can distract people’s attention away from God.”
Using a Ghanaian proverb — “A crab does not beget a bird” — he reiterated the need for Christians to recognize their calling to a holy life, and for their respective lives to reflect the holiness of their Master, Jesus Christ.
Archbishop Palmer-Buckle encouraged Catholics to cherish their faith, particularly the gift of the daily Eucharist, appealed for punctuality in church activities, and urged dormant communicants to return to the Sacrament.
“The Catholic Church is unique because of the daily Eucharistic celebrations, where we have the opportunity to receive our Lord Jesus sacramentally,” said the Ghanaian Catholic Archbishop, who marked a rare triple milestone of his 75th birthday, 49th Priestly anniversary, and 33rd Episcopal anniversary with a thanksgiving Mass on January 9 that doubled as the annual co-workers’ Christmas get-together.
These Eucharistic celebrations, the Catholic Church leader noted, “are not only about renewing buildings but about renewing lives, so that in the end we may share in the Kingdom of God.”
“Be concerned particularly about making progress in your Christian life, so that in the end you may have a share in the Kingdom of God. The physical church building can be affected by natural disaster however, if our bodies, which are the temples of God, are aligned with God’s word, then even if we die, we will enjoy the eternal kingdom of God. It will also mean I did my work as a good shepherd,” Archbishop Palmer-Buckle said.
Fr. Francis Madonna Ayaric of Cape Coast Catholic Archdiocese contributed to this story
