This, he said could be achieved by establishing personal relations with God to fulfil both spiritual and social development.

“Much as we need to pray and carry out our responsibilities in church, we should also not shirk other responsibilities outside the church as they both play complementary roles.”

Fr. Adoboli, who was delivering a lecture on ‘The Spiritual, Social and Physical growth and development; the role of the Catholic Men’s Association’ at the Martyrs of Uganda Catholic Parish in Mamprobi, Accra said it was a mistake for Christians to continue saying that the earth was not our home, but Heaven.

The lecture formed part of the 44th Anniversary of the Founders’ Day of the Martyrs of Uganda Catholic Men’s Fellowship in Accra.

Two other lectures would be carried out by Professor Ernest Kofi Abotsi and Fr Adoboli on Thursday and Friday respectively at the Martyrs of Uganda Catholic Parish, Mamprobi, Accra.

Fr Adoboli said it was common for Christians to attribute their calamities to the making of the devil, and it was rightly so because of the African world view of religion and challenged Christians to go beyond the confines of those beliefs to inspire the younger generations to establish personal relationships with God.

“God is not far away from you to do what you are expecting of him, but sometimes we get discouraged because we have not established personal relations with him.”

He explained that because Christians had over the years harboured some doubts about the performance of God, some had resorted to listening to prophecies from some people, rather than building their own spiritual kingdoms.

“God grants favours to people who persistently believe in him and carry out his words, but as human beings, we sometimes retreat when our ambitions are fulfilled.

“Some people stop going to church when they make a lot of money, others decide to marry so many women, because they have become financially powerful.”

He challenged Christians to pursue activities that would enrich their spiritual lives, enhance their spiritual growth and promote their physical development, rather than resorting to things that were quite imaginable.

The programme attracted patrons from the Catholic Men’s Fellowship and other invited societies of the Church.

Source: GNA

The post Christians Should Establish Personal Relationship with God appeared first on Chrife.com.gh.

Most Reverend John Bonaventure Kwofie revealed Thursday that the Accra Archdiocese has already engaged the Inspector-General of Police, David Asante-Apeatu and the police administration to put together a robust strategy to protect worshippers on Sundays.

“Security has become a big issue today with what happened in Sri Lanka and what’s happening in Burkina Faso. Since it’s coming closer to us, we are now standing alert to face this security threat that is coming up,” he said.

The Metropolitan Archbishop gave the assurance at his office at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Accra when a Catholic Association of Media Practitioners, Ghana (CAMP-G) called on him on Thursday, May 23, 2019.

“It is time that we stay awake; it is time that we rise to see what we can do to protect innocent people who come to church. They have come to church to worship and it will be sad that it is inside the church that they are going to meet their death,” he said.

The assurance by the Metropolitan Archbishop comes in the wake of the threat of terrorism that has gripped the country.

Ghana is tightening security at its border as a Salafi-Jihadist group based in Burkina Faso strike in that country.

The militants on February 15, 2019, killed four Burkinabe customs officers at a checkpoint at Nohao near the Ghana border and burnt three vehicles. They also killed a Spanish priest.

The security situation in Burkina Faso, Ghana’s neighbour to the north, remains fluid as thousands of Burkinabes throng Ghanaian villages over unrests.

The Africa Center for Security and Intelligence Studies (ACSIS) has also issued a security alert that the Salafi-Jihadist group has been moving in and out of Ghana through the border with Burkina Faso over the past months.

Most Reverend John Bonaventure Kwofie said Thursday during the visit by CAMP-G that Ushers at churches across the country must play a key role in the effort to forestall attacks by extremists by raising alarm about suspicious characters.

”In our parishes, Ushers must stand up; they must rise because people come [to church] and we do not know what they are carrying into the church…These are what ushers are called to do,” he stressed.

Already, Christ the King Church, one of the parishes in the Accra Archdiocese has banned backpacks as part of new directives to beef up security at the church.

The new security measures are also part of a national campaign to scale up internal security at churches in the wake of terror threats.

Source: myjoyonline.com

The post Catholic Church on High Alert in The Wake of Terror Threats – Archbishop Kwofie appeared first on Chrife.com.gh.

The interim director of Holy See Press Office, Alessandro Gisotti, posted a tweet expressing the grief of Pope Francis.   He said, “The Holy Father has learned with sorrow about the news of the attack on the church in Dablo, Burkina Faso. He prays for the victims, for their families and for the entire Christian community in the country.”

By: Hope Ewudor || Chrife.com.gh

The post Burkina Faso: Pope Francis Prays For The Victims of The Catholic Church Attack appeared first on Chrife.com.gh.

BBC reports that a group of between 20 and 30 armed assailants burst into the Catholic church and started firing as the congregation tried to run for their life. This lead to the death of the priest and five worshippers on Sunday, in the northeastern town of Dablo about 200km from the capital Ouagadougou. According to the mayor, the attackers also burned down the church itself as well as several local buildings, including businesses and a health centre.

Urbain Kabore, a government spokesman for the West African country’s Sahel region, told Aljazeera news that “the attackers also destroyed all places serving alcohol”.

“The city is filled with panic. People are holed up in their homes, nothing is going on. The shops and stores are closed. It’s practically a ghost town,” the mayor said.

Sources have it that this is the third attack on a church in five weeks. Two weeks ago a similar bloodshed happened in Silgadji, also in the north. The pastor and several worshipers were killed. According to the Catholic Bishop in the case of Dori, four people were killed.

Help from Allies

France has deployed more than 4,000 troops to the region to help fight extremists operating in the country. The US has also sent some security forces to the area. Some African countries including Chad, Niger, and Mali has also stretched a helping hand to fight terrorism in the region.

By: Hope Ewudor || Chrife.com.gh

The post A Call to Intercession Against Persecution: A Priest and Five Others Killed in Burkina Faso appeared first on Chrife.com.gh.

The post New ArchBishop-Elect of Accra- Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie, CSSp appeared first on Chrife.com.gh.