Rev. Fr. Ebenezer Hanson, a Priest from the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra, has cautioned young Catholics to abide by the orders of the Church, highlighting the significance of discipline and order in the Catholic Church.
Giving a talk at the 2025 World Youth Day celebration, Accra Version at the St. Andrew Catholic Church in Kordiabe, Fr. Hanson raised concerns about emerging practices in the Catholic Church that do not align with the orders of the church.
He said, “One of the things I want to talk about here is the way we portray ourselves…If you’re not careful, sensationalism will take over our pious worship. We can dance. There’s no problem with dancing but we shouldn’t be bringing what others are doing.”
According to Fr. Hanson, praising and worshipping God must be done in holiness and piety, stating that “the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as Bishop Louis mentioned, we have to be pious, to be solid. Please, we are youth. We have action. But let’s direct our energy.”
He also urged the youth to remain witnesses of Christ, adding that they should be witnesses to other churches.
In addition, Fr. Hanson encouraged the youth to emulate the Blessed Virgin Mary, noting that “Mary is our perfect example”.
Speaking on marriage, Fr. Hanson called on the youth to marry based on character rather than physical appearances, adding, “now we are marrying and marriages are not good because we are marrying because of physical appearance, not by the character”.
Rev. Fr. Ebenezer Hanson also addressed how some young people dress to church, cautioning them not to be “conformed to the standards of this world”.
“You can imagine. Please, will we dress this way to the court? Let’s be frank with ourselves. If we are to go to Nkrumah, will we dress this way? Can we dress this way to go and see the president of the land”, he asked the youth.
By: Veronica Sena Amenya//Newswatchgh.com
