One of the main activities held each year to bring all Catholic Workers in the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra together in a relaxed and fun atmosphere is the May Day Games and Business Fair organised by the Catholic Professional Guilds (CPG) of the Archdiocese under the patronage of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra and in partnership with Accra Archdiocesan Laity Council.
With the blessings of the then Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, the Most Rev. Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, the first edition of the May Day Games was held on May 1, 2016, at the St. Thomas Aquinas Senior High School in Accra on the feast day of the Patron Saint of all workers; St. Joseph the Worker.
The May Day event continues to receive the blessing and full support of the current Archbishop of Accra, the Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie, CSSp
The event was moved from St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School to the Mary Mother of Good Counsel Catholic Church at Airport West in 2019. As a result of the COVID-19 restrictions, the 2020 edition was cancelled; however, the 2021 edition took on a different dimension, providing Professional Guilds with the opportunity to make strong proposals to the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra regarding how the Guilds could make an impact on the Church. The event was hosted by St. Bakhita Catholic Church at Community 20, Lashibi. In 2022, hundreds of Catholics in Accra, including the Clergy, Religious, youth, women and children, thronged the El-Wak Stadium to participate in the May Day Games and Business Fair.
It has been the belief of the organisers of this annual event, which has come to stay, that it is time the laity brought out their expertise to bear as they partner with clergy to build the Church. Thus, a passionate appeal over the years has been made to the laity to involve themselves in the activities of their various Guilds, Parishes and the Archdiocese as a whole.
As a flagship programme of the CPG, the Event, coordinated by Mr. Edward Ayem, aims to bring together all Catholic Professionals, irrespective of the groups or societies they belong to, in an environment of fun and games to socialise while building business networks.
It is also an event with the mission of identifying and facilitating the establishment and growth of professional Guilds by the Catholic faith, to the benefit of the guild members, the Church’s mission, and society at large. It is also an opportunity to identify solely as Catholics with different expertise, thereby fostering unity and promoting oneness.
In the words of Mr. Ayem, Coordinator of the CPG, “The fun games and business fair are one of the activities put in place to bring together all Catholic professionals to understand their role too, and the time has come for us to sit up and make our presence in the Church count.”
“The time is now when we bring our expertise to bear as we partner with our Pastors to build the Church,” he added, calling on Catholic professionals to involve themselves in the activities of their various Guilds and their Parishes.
The CPG is not another society in the Catholic Church in Accra, but an effort to create a network of all Catholic Professionals and engender partnerships that will benefit all parties.
It is also to bring professionals together to share knowledge and ideas to help ourselves, the younger generation and by extension, society at large. It is also to harness our human capital so we can impact our Church to bring about the kind of transformation we all are clamouring for.
With the slogan, CPG …Together We Build Our Church, the following are the guilds under the CPG:
- CATHOLIC ASSOCIATION OF MEDIA PRACTITIONERS GHANA (CAMP-G): Media practitioners who have had training in Communications and are working in various areas such as Print Media, Electronic Media, Online, Public Relations, Advertising, Publishing, Research, Film Production, Press Photography, Academia and others.
- CATHOLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONALS’ GUILD(CATHPROG): All health workers, including Social Workers, Counsellors and Psychologists
- CATHOLIC LEGAL PROFESSIONALS’ GUILD: Judges, Lawyers, Mediators, Arbitrators and Paralegal Officers.
- ASSOCIATION OF CATHOLIC TEACHERS (ACT): Teachers, Lecturers, School workers and all other Educators.
- CATHOLIC BUILT ENVIRONMENT PROFESSIONALS’ GUILD: Engineers (Civil, Electrical, Structural, Geomatics, Mechanical, etc.), Contractors, Surveyors, Architects, Masons, Carpenters, Plumbers, Electricians, Painters, Planners, Developers, Real Estate experts, Construction Project Managers, Landscapers and Land Economists, etc.
- CATHOLIC CULTURE AND CREATIVE ARTS PROFESSIONALS GUILD: Actors, Musicians, Artists, Designers, Beauticians, Barbers, Dressmakers, Hairdressers, Poets, Comedians, Authors, etc.
- CATHOLIC BUSINESS MANAGEMENT AND FINANCE PROFESSIONALS’ GUILD: Chief Executive Officers, Administrators, Managers, Human Resource personnel, Organizational Development practitioners, Secretaries, Procurement officers, Clerks, Personal Assistants, Professional Coaches, Marketing professionals, Bankers, Accountants, Auditors, Brokers, Tax officers, Bursars, Cashiers/Tellers, Economists, Insurers and all Finance workers.
- CATHOLIC HOSPITALITY PROFESSIONALS’ GUILD: Hoteliers, Travel & tourism practitioners, Restaurateurs, Event planners, Caterers, Transport workers, Flight attendants, Pilots, Ticket/Customer Service Agents, Flight Attendants / Cabin Crew Personnel, etc.
- CATHOLIC SPORTS PROFESSIONALS’ GUILD: Sports administrators, Sportsmen/women, etc.
- CATHOLIC I.T. PROFESSIONALS’ GUILD: Web designers, Software developers, Hardware engineers, Telecom engineers, Data analysts and all Information Technology practitioners, Aerospace/Aircraft Engineers, Aircraft Avionics Technicians, Aviation Inspectors, Meteorologists, Aircraft Airframe Mechanics, etc.
- CATHOLIC AGRIBUSINESS PROFESSIONALS’ GUILD: Agric. Engineers, Crop farmers, Extension officers, Agronomists, Veterinary Officers, animal husbandry professionals and Horticulturists.
- CATHOLIC SECURITY PROFESSIONALS’ GUILD: Police Officers, Military Officers and all security professionals.
- CATHOLIC SOCIAL SCIENTISTS AND RESEARCHERS’ GUILD: Researchers, Political Scientists, Social Scientists, etc.
- AVIATION, MARITIME AND PORT PROFESSIONALS GUILD (AMaP): Air Traffic Controllers, Aerospace / Flight Engineers, Pilots / Co-pilots / Captains, First Officers, Aircraft / Ground Handlers, Ramp Planners, Meteorologists, Aviation Safety, Inspectors, Aviation Fire Officers, Aviation Security Officers, Aeronautical Information Officers, Aeronautical Engineers, Aviation Safety Officers, Flight Attendants, Cabin Crew, Avionics Technicians, Airport Managers, Airport Engineers, Airport Terminal Officers / Manager, Airport Operations Officers / Managers, Airline Station Officers / Managers, Cargo & Freight Agents, Aircraft Dispatchers, Aircraft Marshallers, Aircraft Fuellers, Flight Instructors, Freight Forwarders, Baggage Handlers, Ticketing Officers, Marine Captains / Pilots, Marine Engineers, Ship Engineers, Port Managers / Operators, Shipping Managers / Operators, Yard Managers / Operators, Stevedores, Vessel Traffic Operators, Shipping Agents, Clearing Agents, Freight Forwarders, Seamen, Deckhands, Stewards, Drillers, Oilers, Wipers.
The May Day event, which is organised under the auspices of the Archbishop of Accra started between the CPG and the Old Students of Aquinas (Old Toms) during which many sponsors both Catholics and non-Catholic organisations came on board including Quality Life Assurance Company, The Catholic Standard, Daily Graphic, Treasure Maks Design and Print and Events Help.
In the 2016, 2017 and 2018 editions, the Catholic Professionals and Old Toms participated in various games, including soccer, volleyball, table tennis, ludo, playing cards and oware, of which the Old Toms at the time won most of them.
Participating Guilds at the time included Health Professionals, Catholic Media Practitioners, Lawyers Guild, Finance Professionals, Engineers and Architects Guild, Security Professionals Guild, Creative Arts Professionals Guild, Hospitality Professionals Guild, HR and Management Professionals, Association of Catholic Teachers, I.T. Professionals, Artisans, Body, Grooming & Fitness Professionals.
Opening the Games for the first time in 2016 with a kick of the football, Archbishop Palmer-Buckle, urged Catholic Professionals to let their light shine wherever they found themselves, commending the organisers for the initiative of bringing Catholic Professionals together through sports.
He reminded Catholic Professionals that their profession was a gift and vocation from God and they had to sharpen, safeguard and protect it to the highest level of competence. He noted that events like the May Day games were a healthy one which should challenge the professionals to be ready to give their best to the Church and various workplaces.
Archbishop Palmer-Buckle stated that May Day was a time to show appreciation for the gift of workers and to showcase the beauty of work that workers contribute to the growth and development of the nation.
With Archbishop Palmer-Buckle’s transfer in 2019, his successor, the Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie, CSSp, continued to support the event by participating in the 2019 edition at the Mary Mother of Good Counsel Parish at Airport West in Accra.
At that event, the Priests of the Archdiocese of Accra won the Catholic Professionals May Day football match. They beat the Catholic Media Practitioners by four goals to one (4-1) to grab the coveted Trophy. The Priests also won the Volleyball and Tag of Peace competitions.
At a Mass preceding the Games at the Mary Mother of Good Counsel Parish, Archbishop Kwofie stated that May Day was a time to show appreciation for the gift of workers and to showcase the beauty of work that workers contribute to the growth and development of the nation.
He urged Catholic Professionals to let their lights shine wherever they found themselves, commending the organisers for the initiative of bringing workers together for fun games.
He called on all Catholic Professionals in the Archdiocese to arise and help build the Church with their professional expertise. The Archbishop stressed the need for Catholic Professionals to harness their potential for the growth of the Church and urged them to make good use of God’s gift to them,
He said: “Whatever you have to do to help the Church, do it and do it well to the glory of God.” He noted that events like the Workers Day were a healthy one which should challenge the professionals to be ready to give out their best to the Church and at their various workplaces.
Archbishop Kwofie entreated Catholic Workers to work faithfully and push the image of the Church at their workplaces, urging them to let the ethics and virtues shine at their workplaces.
He assured the Professionals of his readiness to work and recognise them in his episcopacy, urging them to endeavour to go all out to identify all Catholic professionals in the church and reach out to them, including Politicians.
During the 2022 edition at the El-Wak Stadium, then Fr. John Louis, Vicar General of Accra and now one of the Auxiliary Bishops of Accra, in a homily during the Mass, admonished workers to emulate the life of St. Joseph the Worker, reminding them that God always looks for quality and righteousness of people when choosing them and not their qualification or work experience.
He appealed to Catholic Workers to be just and righteous in keeping God’s law at their various workplaces or wherever they found themselves.
“All Catholics should be people who are just; all workers must be obedient to God’s law,” then Fr. Louis stated, adding that Catholic Professionals must be people of integrity and people who should not make money the ultimate though it is needed for survival.
In 2024, the 9th edition of the Annual May Day Games and Business Fair took place at the St. Thomas Aquinas School on the theme: Harnessing Our Potentials for Church Growth. The programme began with a Holy Mass celebrated by the Most Rev. Anthony Narh Asare, an Auxiliary Bishop of Accra.
It was organised in collaboration with the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious, Ghana (CMSR-GH), during which the CMSR-GH launched the Journey to the Jubilee Year 2025 on the theme “Send forth your Spirit Lord and renew the face of the earth”- Ps 104:30. As part of its campaign to promote Laudato Si’, the Conference donated 500 seedlings to Catholic Professionals who participated in the Games and the Business Fair.
As Catholic professionals in Accra prepare to mark their 10th edition of the May Day Games and Business Fair on May 1, 2025, at the El-Wak Stadium from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm on the theme: A Decade of Unity, Growth and Excellence, Catholic-owned businesses would also have the opportunity to showcase their products and services.
The 10th edition event would begin with a Holy Mass to be presided over by the Archbishop and his Auxiliaries. There would be exciting games like football, volleyball, table tennis, sack race, tug of war, lime and spoon, and a special penalty shootout to be held amongst the various professional Guilds.
There would also be a Mega Business Fair to showcase Catholic-owned businesses and to expose such entrepreneurs and businesses to the larger Catholic family. There would be seminars and mentorship sessions facilitated by industry experts on agribusiness, raising funding for start-ups, business development and career guidance.
There will also be a kids’ corner where children will be entertained with all kinds of fun games and activities. It indeed promises to be a very fun-filled day, which will climax with a mega live band session featuring one of the biggest bands in Ghana and some surprise artists.
There would also be a business fair which would offer Catholic professionals the opportunity to showcase their businesses and products. The Business Fair would be running concurrently with the games; hence, leaders of the CPG are encouraging young entrepreneurs with start-up businesses to seize the opportunity for business growth and networking.
All Catholic professionals, businesses and societies are therefore encouraged to participate in the upcoming May Day Games and Business Fair, which promises to be a day filled with fun, networking and business growth.
It is a time to break the barriers and walls of our various groups and societies to come together only as Catholics to have fun, network, and build strong personal and business ties through the day’s activities.
There is some consensus on what we all want for ourselves, for our Church and country. We want good health, good education, a competent, skilled population, well-paying and satisfying jobs, and we want a well-developed network of infrastructure in our Church and Country.
It’s time to rally behind and help build our Church and country as Catholic Lay faithful. Development remains our collective responsibility and aspiration, and we need to continue to pay greater attention to working together as people of faith to improve our lot in our Church and country.
