The Very Rev. Fr. Bernard Adjei Appiah, SVD, Cathedral Administrator of St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Donkorkrom, has urged Priests and Religious working in the Apostolic Vicariate of Donkorkrom, whom society looks up to as leaders and role models, to practice self-awareness.
Preaching a Lenten Recollection to fellow Priests, Religious on the theme: “Leaders and Role Models: Know Thyself” in the Small Chapel of the St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Donkorkrom on March 22, 2025, he maintained that “it is only in striving to come to know ourselves and to understand ourselves that our lives have any meaning or value,”
He added that “if we refuse to question ourselves and the world, we will act without reason, unable to distinguish between good actions and bad actions,” and upheld that “a good life is one in which we make both ourselves and those around us happier and better off, and the only way to attain that life is to pursue wisdom and self-knowledge.”
Alluding to Socrates’ philosophy that “an unexamined life is not worth living,” the preacher highlighted that what Socrates meant is that an unexamined human life is deprived of the meaning and purpose of existence.
He added that to become fully human means “to use our highly developed faculty of thought to raise our existence above that of mere beasts, for, if we don’t think, we are no more than animals, simply eating, sleeping, working and procreating”.
He further underscored that it has been confirmed by many Saints that knowing oneself through an examined life is a foundational building block of the interior life.
“We have an innate dignity as human beings, made in the image and likeness of God, yet we also have faults and vices that we struggle with as a result of original sin,” he pointed out.
He stressed that by understanding both perspectives, “we can come to have a true and clear picture of how God has made us, both collectively as the human race, and individually, with the unique temperament and personality that He has woven into each of us”.
According to the SVD Priest, the Priest and Religious, in a world burdened with poverty; the youth following unexamined foreign culture, and getting into the ‘get rich quick’ life style, coupled with the erosion of morality in the scientific and technological advancements, have the responsibility to delve deep into their consciences to find the purpose of existence and engage in a more meaningful manner with society.
“It is what you need to do if you want to live a life of purpose and if you want to respond to your life, rather than react,” he reiterated.
To Fr. Adjei, self-awareness, being a key component of the spiritual life, is a life-long journey, even as getting in touch with one’s feelings on a normal day can be quite challenging. He therefore encouraged his fellow Priests and Religious to prayerfully contemplate their identities in God’s love, which would lead them to fuller self-knowledge.
Making further reference to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1266), which states that the grace Christians receive at baptism empowers them “to live and act under the prompting of the Holy Spirit through the gifts of the Holy Spirit,” the Preacher shared the believe that God had recreated and regenerated every Priest, Religious at their Baptism, Vows, and Ordination, hence, “God’s own Spirit came to us and made us a dwelling place of God”.
The Cathedral Administrator further underlined that the Priest and Religious, as leaders and role models for the faithful, modelled in the image and likeness of God, and living under the promptings of the Holy spirit, then become mentors, teachers, coaches, Philanthropically Leaders, Parents and guardians, and a lot more to their followers; all roles which are meant to be lived, based on a truly examined and self-aware life.
He opined that a Priest, Religious with good self- knowledge has the ability to overcome adversity, inspire others, possesses emotional Intelligence and Authenticity, and always desires to be of help to others.
“Being a good role model requires authenticity and transparency. It is important for leaders to be genuine with the people who follow them because it forms the basis of trust,” he remarked.
Likening human life to a seed that needs soil, sunlight, and water for its germination, the Preacher observed that human life needs introspection and examination for its growth. He added that an understanding of the experiences gained in life at any particular time enriches one’s engagement with the self and the universe.
The Recollection featured activities including Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the main talk for the day, accompanied by a time for personal meditation with some guided reflections. There were also individual Confessions, culminating in a Solemn Holy Mass to crown the day.
Present at the Lenten Recollection was the Most Rev. John Alphonse Asiedu, SVD, Bishop of the Vicariate, together with the Priests and Religious.
By Sr. Sylvie Lum Cho, MSHR (DEPSOCOM, Donkorkrom Apostolic Vicariate)
