By Albert Futukpor
Tamale, Feb. 20, GNA – The Tamale Ecclesiastical Province Pastoral Conference (TEPPCON) and the Diocese of Muenster, Germany (TEPPCON-Muenster Partnership) have climaxed their 40th Anniversary celebrations with renewed hope for greater intensification of their activities.
Most Reverend Philip Naameh, President of TEPPCON, speaking at a forum in Tamale over the weekend to climax the celebrations, said the years ahead would see the TEPPCON-Muenster Partnership gather more steam.
Other activities undertaken as part of the climax included a donation to the Tamale Central Prison, and a mass at the OLA Cathedral in Tamale.
The climax was on the theme: “40 Years of TEPPCON-Muenster Diocese Partnership: Prospects and Challenges in a Synodal Church.”
The TEPPCON-Muenster Partnership started in 1982, and its focus is on the Catholic faith experience; the Catholic faith.
The TEPPCON is a joint instrument that coordinates the similar pastoral activities of the five dioceses of the Catholic Church in the northern part of the country (Tamale, Damongo, Yendi, Wa and Navrongo-Bolgatanga).
There are 35 parishes in the Diocese of Muenster in Germany, which are twining with 35 parishes in the Tamale Province.
Within the past 40 years, the TEPPCON-Muenster Partnership intensively contributed to the spiritual, economic, and social development of individuals, parishes, and dioceses in the northern part of the country.
Most Reverend Naameh, who is also Metropolitan Archbishop of Tamale, said “In the course of these 40 years, we have exchanged several visits. Almost every other year, they invite people to come from the parishes here in the Tamale Province to Muenster for a three-week visit.”
He added: We celebrate a marriage, we celebrate an anniversary of a parish; what is in the centre is the expression of the one faith, which we have as Catholics.”
He spoke about the future of the TEPPCON-Muenster Partnership, saying, “we are expecting a greater intensification for the partnership. We were twining with 35 parishes. We are hoping that there will be more parishes because if you add the parishes of the five dioceses, they will be almost going to 100. So, we need more parishes in the Muenster Diocese to twine with parishes here.”
He added: “We expect to have women in the Muenster Diocese to twine with women here, and the youth; we have many youth organisations in Muenster Diocese. They will also twine with the youth associations here, and then the laity.”
Most Reverend Felix Genn, Bishop of Muenster Diocese, Germany, who spent eight days in the country visiting all the five dioceses under the TEPPCON, said “Over 35 partnership relationships have developed in the past years. Many parishes look back with gratitude on decades of trusting relationships that have grown more and more through mutual visits, exchanges, and friendships.”
Most Reverend Genn said: “We are very grateful for the rich experiences and so many deep encounters that so many people in the Diocese of Münster and beyond have experienced and continue to experience today as a great gift.”
Most Reverend Peter Paul Angkyier, Bishop of the Damongo Diocese said the 40 years of the partnership must be a motivation to do more saying “We must rise to the occasion much more united in the wake of the current global challenges.”
Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, Northern Regional Minister commended the TEPPCON-Muenster Partnership for the feat chalked over the past 40 years saying all must take collective pride in the success of the partnership and resolve to work even harder for more laurels.
Alhaji Saibu acknowledged the contribution of the church to the development of the country saying a lot more needed to be done to better the lot of the people in the communities.
GNA