By Newswatchgh.com Editorial Team
As the youth of the universal Church marked the celebration of World Youth Day yesterday April 5, 2020, the Accra Archdiocesan Catholic Youth Council (AADCYC) has appealed to the youth to adhere to the health guidelines shared by the World Health Organization (WHO), health experts and the Church.
In a Statement issued on April 5, Anthony Ngissah Assuah, the Archdiocesan Youth Chairman, also admonished the youth to learn to stay at home to prevent the spread of COVID 19.
World Youth Day celebration was instituted by St. Pope John Paul in 1985 to be marked on every Palm Sunday. It is marked internationally every three years in a selected country where thousands of youth from various countries gather to meet the Pope.
In Ghana, it has been marked nationally in the four Provinces- Tamale, Cape Coast, Kumasi and Accra.
In the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra, it is marked every year, usually a week to Palm Sunday, rotationally at the Archdiocesan, Deanery and Parish levels.
But this year, the Archdiocesn gathering at the St. Andrew Junior High School park at Kordiabe had to be cancelled due to the directives suspending all public gatherings because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The AADCYC Statement urged the youth: “Let us continue to pray for ourselves, families, children, the sick and the aged, and assist those who require our help, especially in this crises of the coronavirus pandemic,” the Statement said.
It added: “Let us continue to pray for our Archdiocese and her Chief Shepherd, our Priests, Parents / Guardian’s, Youth, Children and more especially for the leadership of the youth at the Archdiocesan levels, Deaneries and in our Churches that the good Lord will continue to guide us in this challenging times.”
Below is the full Statement
ACCRA ARCHDIOCESAN CATHOLIC YOUTH COUNCIL MESSAGE TO MARK WORLD YOUTH CELEBRATION TODAY
Arise Catholic Faithful! Rejoice and Renew.
The Universal church celebrates Palm Sunday today and as the norm is, it is the day we climax the celebration of the World Youth Day after having launched it the preceding week to the Palm Sunday celebration.
The Archdiocese of Accra scheduled to hold this wonderful celebration from the 27th – 28th March, 2020 at the St. Andrew Junior High School park, at Kordiabe, but due to coronavirus (COVID 19) pandemic, this celebration could not come off as planned. Again the various PYCs could not also celebrate at the Parish level due to the same reason.
The celebration of the World Youth Day provides as an opportunity as Youth to reflect on the role we play in the Church in fulfilling the will of Christ.
The theme for this year’s celebration is taken from Luke 7:14, ‘Young man, I say to you, arise.’ This theme calls on us as youth not to lose hope in whatever situation we find ourselves in but rather continue to keep faith in God and encourage ourselves to move on in life with Christ as our light.
Pope Francis in his message to the youth for this year’s celebration leads us to the realization that nothing comes easy in this life. It will take hard work, determination and faith in Christ Jesus to overcome the challenges that confront us as youth in this life. He calls on us to be positive in all our actions and understand that the secret to success should go beyond ourselves and place ourselves at the service of others, and that our lives only find meaning in the service to God and other people.
I humbly remind all youth that to be at the service of others does not only mean to be ready for action, but it also means to be in conversation with God with an attitude of listening. For it is relating to God in the silence of our hearts that we discover our identity and the vocation to which God is calling us.
My Dear in Christ, in this ever growing complex world in this time of COVID 19 pandemic, I wish to humbly appeal to us all to adhere to the health guidelines we have received in diverse ways and also learn to stay at home so as to prevent the spread of COVID 19.
Let us continue to pray for ourselves, families, children, the sick and the aged, and assist those who require our help, especially in this crises of the coronavirus pandemic. Catholic youth! Power and Action! My Dear Catholic Youth, let the action in our response continue to help us remain steadfast in Christ, in ensuring that we “ARISE” in doing the right things in these challenging times.
Let us continue to pray for our Archdiocese and her chief shepherd, our Priests, Parents / Guardian’s, Youth, Children and more especially for the leadership of the youth at the Archdiocesan levels, Deaneries and in our Churches that the good Lord will continue to guide us in this challenging times.
I wish you all a happy Palm Sunday and please observe the holy week as the church calls on us to do.
Anthony Ngissah Assuah
Archdiocesan Youth Chairman
5th April, 2020
