•Very Rev Fr Emmanuel Acheampong,the first Parish Priest of the church assumes his seat

The Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Most Rev John Bonaven­ture Kwofie has elevated the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Adentan to a parish status.

He has subsequently appointed Very Rev Fr Emmanuel Kwaku Acheam­pong as parish Priest of the church.

The Archbishop who paid a Pas­toral visit to the parish to mark the church’s 40th anniversary celebration, also administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to 14 candidates in the church.

In his homily, he reminded those who received the Sacrament of Con­firmation that they were no longer ju­niors in the faith but adults and must, therefore, conduct themselves as such and be bold in professing the faith.

“Once you have willingly professed in the presence of the congregation to follow Jesus, you must endeavour to stay in the church and there should be no turning back, no matter the circumstances,” he advised.

He said since many of the faithful had made meaningful sacrifices and played their part in the growth of the church, it was their time to demon­strate their love for God and the church.

He asked them to stand firm in prayer, good works, service to God and man, and be on the lookout, since the devil would come in diverse ways to tempt their faith.

He advised the faithful to use words which came from their mouth to edify, promote peace and refrain from the use of abusive language.

The Parish Priest of St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Ashaley Botwe and the Deanery Head, Very Rev Fr Nimoriuos Donmanzine advised the faithful to contrive new ways of doing things.

He asked them not to relent in their efforts but remain resolute to surmount the challenges in the future.

Very Rev Fr Emmanuel Kwaku Ache­ampong expressed his gratitude to the founding fathers of the church, the past and current parishioners for the respective roles they had played over the years.

He said the church’s motto of ‘One Family’, should not be taken as a mere cliche but the true identity of the church.

“Though the church is the mystical body of Christ, it belongs to each of us. It is, therefore, our collective re­sponsibility to lift its image and meet the needs of the people,” he advised.

The church was established in 1983 and had Rev Fathers Duncan and Fran­cis Mulders, Jacque Smeele as some of the pioneer priests.

 By Raymond Kyekye