The three female Religious Congregations present were: the Missionary Sisters, Servants of the Holy Spirit (SSpS), Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Church (SMMC), and Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (MSHR). Also present were Bro. Samuel Elorm Dagadu, of the Congregation of the Divine Word (SVD), among other SVD Priests and Fr. Coleman Aloysius Akrereke Getor, Spiritan Priest (CSSp).
The Chrism Mass was officiated by the Most Rev. John Alphonse Asiedu, SVD, Bishop of Donkorkrom Vicariate and concelebrated by the Vicariate Priests.
The Chief Celebrant reflected on the First Reading of the day which touched on the famous prophecy of Isaiah, where he spoke about the Messenger of God, declaring what constitutes the task assigned him by God; and for which reason the Lord has specially prepared him.
Touching on the significance of the oil of Chrism, the Bishop opined that God has given his Spirit to his prophet and Messenger through holy anointing, which is meant to help the Prophet carry out the holy Will of God.
He further re-echoed Jesus’ message of the Prophet Isaiah in the Gospel, when he read in the synagogue in his own town Nazareth:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind. To set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. As Jesus rolls back the scroll, hands it to the assistant and sits down, the eyes of all in the synagogue are fixed on him…”
According to the prelate, the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled in Jesus. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon him because he has been anointed from the very moment of his conception. Thus, consecrated by the Holy Spirit, Jesus has been made by God, Christ and Lord.
“Jesus is God’s Messenger who has been sent to the Poor, the imprisoned, the blind, and the oppressed. To these vulnerable people, Jesus has come to proclaim a year of favour from the Lord,” he buttressed.
Underpinning Jesus’ clear and personal preference for the less privileged, including the despised, the powerless, the voiceless, the marginalized and the downtrodden, the Chief Shepherd called on such people to place their hope and trust in Jesus, who brings with him and for them, “the acceptable time or the year of favour from the Lord”.
He charged especially the priests, who have been called and chosen, and who share in the one priesthood of Christ, to continuing doing that which Jesus was sent by the Father to do in his time.
“That is the priesthood of Christ we share in, and we cannot be different from our High Priest and Chief Shepherd,” he buttressed.
He urged them to be more closely united with the Lord Jesus, to be more closely conformed to him in self-denial, and to continue to be faithful stewards of the mysteries of God not only in the Holy Eucharist, but in every liturgical act or celebration.
The Bishop further declared that Christians are sacramentally anointed with holy chrism, which allows them to participate in the fullness of the Spirit that Jesus received at his very conception. “In him, we are consecrated to be faithful witnesses in the world to the salvation Christ won for all humanity,” he underlined, adding that the life and service of every Christian must proclaim to all, but especially, the downtrodden, a year of favour from the Lord.
He called on the Lay faithful to pray for their priests, especially as they renewed their commitment to serve them more zealously.
“Ask the Lord to pour out his gifts abundantly upon them. Pray that the Lord will keep them faithful as ministers of Christ, the High Priest. Pray that your priests may not lead you astray, but lead you to Christ who is the source of salvation,” he implored.
The Chief Shepherd also asked for Prayers for himself from Christ’s Faithful. “Pray that I may be faithful to the Apostolic Office entrusted to me in my lowliness-yes, I should never forget that my lowliness,” he solicited.
After the Chrism Mass, the new Pastoral workers to the Vicariate were duly acknowledged. They included two SSpS Sisters and three SVD Priests.
By Sr. Sylvie Lum Cho, MSHR, (Catholic Sister Communicators Network, Ghana -CASCON-GH)
