The Holy Cross Continuing Formation Centre at Brafoyaw, Cape Coast is the venue for the second biannual meeting of the Conference of major Superiors of Religious, Ghana (CMSR-G).
About 70 Superiors of all Religious Congregations in the West African country of Ghana are expected to attend the meeting to deliberate on the theme: “Working Together for a Sustainable, Peaceful and Corruption Free Ghana: Collaboration between CMSR-GH and GCBC”
The opening ceremony will take place on Wednesday, October 9, 2024 where goodwill message would be expected from the Coordinator of activities of Consecrated Persons in the Archdiocese of Cape Coast, Bishop of Donkorkrom Vicariate and Episcopal Vicar for Priests and Religious, Metropolitan Archbishop of Cape Coast and the Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana.
As part of the meeting, all the Religious Superiors would travel to Accra join in a prayer walk against galamsey being organised by the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra in collaboration with the CMSR-GH on Friday, October 11, 2024 at 10:00am.
The CMSR-GH, at their recent Annual Conference at St. Arnold Janssen Spirituality Centre in Bortianor Hill, reiterated their opposition to galamsey and related activities.
The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) has repeatedly issued statements and voiced strong disapproval of the menace. Some Catholic Lay Professionals and Societies have issued public statements against this environmental hazard.
It has become necessary that the Church’s advocacy is expressed in this prayer walk, which commences at the Holy Spirit Cathedral, Adabraka, at 10:00 am. Participants would prayerfully walk from the Holy Spirit Cathedral to the Christ the King Grotto at Cantonments.
The Conference of Major Superiors of Religious, Ghana made up of both men and women leaders of the Catholic Religious Congregations in Ghana was established on August 23, 2013 when Rome recognized the group as a body in the Church in Ghana. Before then, there were two separate Conferences of women and men.
It is to promote deeper collaboration between the leaders of the Congregations in Ghana so that no Superior would feel isolated in her/his ministry. Opportunities are therefore given through communication, workshops, and meetings to support the ministry of leadership in the face of current challenges.
The vision of the Conference is to be a vibrant, formidable and prophetic Catholic Missionary body in Ghana collaboratively responding to the signs of the times through sustainable programs towards the positive transformation of society.
It has as its mission to effectively strengthen Catholic Religious Institutes in Ghana and to foster their missionary engagements through collaboration with relevant stakeholders towards the integral development of the human person (integral: advocacy, spiritual, education, health and well-being of persons).
The Conference convenes twice in the year – March and October. Presently, the Conference is composed of about seventy (70) members of both Men and Women Religious.
The membership of the Conference while expressing the diversity of charisms and cultures promotes the common identity of those who follow Christ in the Apostolic Religious Life to proclaim the Kingdom.
By Damian Avevor
