By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Bolgatanga, April 15, GNA – The Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region will turn 100 years in 2025 and as such the Parish has launched the centenary anniversary celebrations with a call for rededication to God.
Themed, “Celebrating 100 Years of Walking Together as a Family of God”, the parish plans to carry out year-long series of activities geared at nourishing the spiritual and socioeconomic growth of its members and the society.
Some of the activities include, launching of the Centenary Anniversary in all the parishes born out of the Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish, namely Our Lady, Queen of Africa Parish, Bolgatanga, St Joseph’s Parish, Bolgatanga-Soe, St. Anne’s Parish,
Bongo, St Theresa’s Parish, Tongo, St Martin de Pores, Zuarungu, St Paul’s Parish, Walewale, St Francis of Assisi Rectorate and St Theresa’s Rectorate, Zorko.
It will also undertake series of spiritual exercises including pilgrimages, novenas, renewal of consecration of Sacred Heart of Jesus, evangelisation, and seminars.
Other activities include tree planting, business fairs, catholic education week, radio and TV discussions, health screening, music nights and visitations to prisons, hospitals and the less privileged, sporting and entertainment activities, among others.
Apart from that, a cross has been planted and blessed on the very ground the early missionaries who brought Christianity to Bolgatanga settled and a monument would be erected in their honour to mark the centenary anniversary.
The climax of the celebration is scheduled for June 2025.
In a sermon at the launch of the anniversary, Most Reverend Alfred Agyenta, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Navrongo-Bolgatanga, said the parish had grown significantly in all aspects and was making impact on humanity and thanked the missionaries for planting the word of God in the community.
He said despite the challenges including the entrenched cultural practices of the indigenes at the time that confronted the mission of the early missionaries, they listened, endeavoured and trusted God to accomplish their mission.
“The early missionaries who came, brought the message of the Kingdom of God, and brought the appeal for people to repent so that their sins forgiven because Christ has offered Himself as a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins.
“And we those who were not there at the time continue to benefit from this message through the Sacraments but there is still a lot to be done,” he said
Most Reverend Agyenta noted that statistics from the Ghana Statistical Service on the 2021 Population and Housing Census revealed that the population of the Catholic Church was dwindling and there was the need to reflect and address the situation.
“The information we received shows that the Catholic population was going down from the previous 15 per cent to 13 per cent and now 10 per cent, this is frightening…so, I want us to use this one year of celebration to reflect on the state and health of our parish,” he said.
Touching on the theme of the Anniversary, the Bishop noted that there was the need for members of the parish including the parishioners and the priests to listen and walk together to build the family of God.
The early White Fathers (Missionaries of Africa) first arrived in Navrongo in 1906; however, in February 1925, the Regional Superior of the White Fathers who is not named, Fr. Barsalou, and Fr. Chantereau, explored possibilities of evangelising in Nangodi and Bolgatanga.
The missionaries, however, chose to settle in Bolgatanga due to its large population and named the Parish, Sacred Heart, dedicating their mission to the Sacred Heart of Jesus with the hope that they would receive infinite blessings to convert the traditionally entrenched people.
GNA