Kumasi Oct 15, GNA – Most Reverend Gabriel Justice Yaw Anokye, Catholic Archbishop of Kumasi, has praised the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans) for their immense contribution to the growth of Catholic Church in Ghana.
He said their contributions in education, health, evangelism and charity, impacted positively in the growth of the church within the 50 years of its establishment in Ghana.
Most Rev. Anokye was speaking at the launch of the 50th anniversary celebration of the group at the St. Peter’s Minor Basilica in Kumasi.
The Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritan) is one of the formations in the Catholic Church in Ghana, and has since its establishment 50 years ago, made great contributions to the physical and spiritual growth of the Church, especially in the training of priests and Church leaders.
The current Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra, Most Rev John Bonaventure Kwofie is among few Ghanaian Catholic faithful, who started their priestly formation with the Congregation of the Holy Spirit in 1979.
The Congregation, which started as a community in Ghana, grew to become a province on its own, since 2009.
It currently has a University, the Spiritan University at Ejisu, near Kumasi, which is providing first class tertiary education imbibed with Christian principles to many Ghanaian youth.
Most Rev. Anokye said the propagation of the gospel in rural and deprived communities, which was the main focus of the group, made strong impact in the church, adding that the establishment of educational institutions, including; universities were helping the socio-economic development of Ghana.
The founders of the Congregation also helped in the training of dedicated and committed priests for the Catholic Church and the country.
Archbishop Anokye pledged the Archdiocese’s continued support to the growth of the Congregation in Ghana, and encouraged them to continue to propagate the gospel to the world in the most deprived areas.
Rev. Fr. Daniel Osei Yeboah, the Congregation’s Superior to Ghana and Benin Province, said the group would undertake a number of activities during the year-long anniversary and appealed to Catholic faithful to support the formation and training of new priests for the Catholic Church in Ghana.
GNA