The Accra Archdiocesan Catholic Laity Council has launched its 2022 programmes for 2022 with the aim of encouraging the lay faithful to participate in their own activities by offering themselves to be formed to transform society.“As we launch this year’s programme of activities, we do this with joy that we shall feel encouraged to participate in our own programmes; this is one important way we can offer ourselves to be formed to transform the society,” Mr. Timothy Sowah said the launch at St. Kizito Parish.
Launching the annual programmes on Sunday, February 20, he said, “We are not called only to be hearers of the Word of God but doers of the Word.”
“The Laity Council is also collaborating with Catholic Institute of Business Technology (CIBT) in Accra to organise a workshop on business communication with emphasis on minutes and report writing skills,” he said.
Mr. Sowah encouraged Secretaries of groups and Societies at Parish, Deanery and Archdiocesan levels to register and attend this all important programme, adding, “The workshop is open to all secretaries of groups and societies and other interested parishioners; you will do yourself a great deal of help to attend.”
According to the Accra Archdiocesan Laity Chairman, to make the needed impact and to ensure maximum benefit of the programme for participants, the Archdiocese had been divided into two parts with interested parishioners in the Kpehe, Madina, Mamprobi and Kaneshie deaneries encouraged to register and attend on Saturday, March, 12, 2022.
On Saturday, March 19, 2022, Secretaries of groups and societies and interested parishioners in the Osu, Tema, Ashaiman and Ada-Battor Deaneries would have their turn.
After the programme, certificate of participation would be awarded by the CIBT. As part of the 2022 programme, the Accra Archdiocesan Catholic Laity Council spearheaded the maiden business fair event that was organised on Saturday March 5 and Sunday, March 6, 2022 at the Star of the Sea Catholic Church, Dansoman.
The Catholic Professional Guilds provided the needed operational support to ensure that Catholic owned businesses were duly marketed to thrive and parishioners were encouraged to attend the fairs and patronize the products and services of our catholic entrepreneurs.
“This is the collaboration we are talking about. When we support these businesses consciously, in the next 3 to 5 years, we anticipate that, these businesses would become so profitable in their operations that, the businesses would provide jobs for our catholic youth thereby creating wealth and sharing it and the church and Ghana will benefit from it,” Mr. Sowah stressed.
Already, per its mandate, on Saturday, February 26, 2022, the Archdiocesan Laity Council organised a retreat for all Parish Laity Council members and recognised Lay Organisations at Ss. Margaret Mary Parish in Dansoman. The theme of the retreat was “whom shall I send, who shall go”? with Rev Fr Silas Sapati as the retreat master.
Encouraging the laity to fully participate in other pending programmes organised for them, he indicated that the Church (Bishops Conference) in its wisdom had challenged and indeed given the laity a huge opportunity to assert ourselves in the apostolate of the church.
He recalled that “In his keynote address to the 2014 Laity Congress held in Achimota School / Ss Thomas More and John Fisher, the then Nuncio to Ghana, HE Jean – Marie Speich called on the laity “to be at the forefront of the church’s activities”.
He was of the view that “We are doing well as individuals and groups and societies at the various level in helping ourselves and the church in a lot of ways. We applaud all of you.”
However, Mr. Sowah noted, “We can do better when we string our spiritual, intellectual, physical and financial resources together in a coordinated way – we shall make progress to meet the requirement of the great commission as entrusted to us by Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
He reminded the laity in Accra that the Accra Archdiocesan Catholic Laity Council is highest coordinating body of all apostolates including recognized Lay Organisations and Leaders of Deanery Executives.
According to the Laity Constitution, the Accra Archdiocesan Catholic Laity Council is also a governing body apart from it being the highest coordinating body. One of its mandate is to coordinates and articulates at all levels the desires of individuals and groups’ efforts in support of the apostolate of the church.
Below is the programme of activities for 2022
By Damian Avevor
